p. 8 | PROTECTED CRIMINALITY by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 27, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 39.

PROTECTED CRIMINALITY.

By Editor

ONE of the greatest blots on the boasted civilization of this nineteenth century is the protection of criminals in the great cities by the police force. The plan of giving such protection is simply and plainly this: A criminal who desires to rob or carry on any kind of disorderly and lawless business makes an agreement with the police force that he will turn over to them a certain per cent. of his profits, and the policeman, instead of watching to catch the violator of the law, will take particular pains not to catch him. But if it is absolutely necessary, owing to peculiar circumstances that may sometimes arise, for the policeman to arrest one of these protected criminals, then a lot of bribed witnesses and police judges are in readiness to clear him. It seems hard to think that such things could exist in this time, but, nevertheless, they do.

In New York a committee known as the Mazet Committee is at work at the present time seeking to bring some of these dark things in that city to light. This Mazet Committee is finding what the well-known Lexow Committee found there a few years ago, and the condition, instead of getting better, is growing worse. A short editorial in the New York World of August 10 speaks of the situation as follows:—

A Reign of Lawlessness.

"The fundamental objects of government are the protection of life and property. Therefore the testimony before the Mazet Committee on Tuesday and yesterday directly touches every citizen.

"This testimony was not merely evidence, but proof that homes and shops are robbed in this city to-day by the scores and the hundreds, and that the police make no effort worthy of the name to apprehend the criminals, or to recover the stolen property, or to curb the criminal classes.

"From the police blotters themselves it has been shown that many robberies are suppressed from the records; that most of those that are put in the records are, as the very records show, neglected by the police.

"From the testimony of other witnesses it has been shown that many streets in this city are now the haunts of highwaymen and highwaywomen, who live in 'protected' houses and operate under the very eyes of policemen.

"This is all the legitimate, the necessary outcome of the 'police-protection' system. The rank and file of the police, fearful of offending their superiors, in some cases dare not interfere; in other cases, interfere only to be punished for doing so; in still other cases, interfere only to try to collect for themselves some part of the enormous protection fund that is flowing into the pockets of their superiors.

"It has been several months since the World, after an investigation of robberies and dives, warned the community that a reign of lawlessness was only a question of time, as the criminal classes were getting beyond the control of their licensers. The facts brought out by Mr. Moss show that this carnival is already upon us.

"Property is not safe in New York to-day. Thieves are boldly at work everywhere. And murder and attempted murder for theft are becoming common.

"These are the serious, the ominous facts."

The World sees in this condition a threatened reign of lawlessness. There is indeed a reign of lawlessness upon the world. The Lord foretold this, and any one can see that it is not only coming, but that it is already here. Have you studied the prophecies so that you know the meaning of these things?

CAPT. O. M. CARTER was tried by court-martial and found guilty of embezzling $1,600,000 of the funds of the United States. He is now seeking to create sentiment in his favor through the press of the country by having it circulated that his is another Dreyfus case. In these times of fraud, when money can purchase and do so much, it is difficult to tell where the truth lies. And any one who has ever read the history of old Rome must be impressed with the fact that the frauds and intrigues of this government at the present time are strikingly similar to what was in that ancient republic when she was crumbling to her ruins. Where fraud is winked at, a government can not long endure. And if even a tenth of the frauds that are now reported are even half way true, it shows an alarming condition of things. But the probabilities are strong that there are many more crimes than are ever reported. The criminals in these times have become so numerous that they protect each other, and thus avoid being caught.

AN EXPLORATION LESSON.

LIEUTENANT PEARY'S steamer, the Windward, arrived at Brigus, Newfoundland, on September 10, having spent the winter frozen in in the Arctic Ocean. Explorer Peary is still in the Arctic, making preparations to push on to the pole, notwithstanding the fact that he has lost seven toes by freezing. The Windward sailed from Boston last summer. Next summer she will return to the Arctic, provisioned for three years, push as far into the unknown regions as possible, and wait for the return of the exploring party, who in the meantime will have established supply stations in a direct line toward the pole. This arrangement, it is expected, will enable them to accomplish the purpose which has lured so many to death and disaster in years past. Can we not learn a lesson from this? Here is a purpose the fulfilment of which can not in any sense bestow real benefit upon humanity, or bring to the participants any more tangible or lasting reward than the praise of men for having accomplished what others failed to do,—to reach the "pole," the flattest as well as the dreariest section of the earth's surface. And yet lives and fortunes have been risked and lost in the attempt, and will be lost. It is a race with death.

The Christian's race is a race for life. It is not competitive but co-operative, for all heaven is interested in his behalf, and he who wins becomes a joint heir with Christ in the eternal inheritance. If he fails he loses nothing that had previously been his, for he had nothing to lose. He does not lose eternal life as men lose wealth; he does not lose it as men lose their natural lives who wager them for a wreath of polar moss. They had life to lose, and, losing it, lost all. The Christian has eternal life to win, but failure, through fault of his own, does not cause him to lose what that one lost who wagered his temporal life against the plaudits of the people, and failed.

If these are willing to risk and endure so much in such a pursuit, what should not the Christian be willing to give up and endure for the hope that is set before him!

THE president of the Commercial Travelers' Association asserts that the actions of the trusts have resulted in throwing thirty-five thousand men out of employment, and twenty-five thousand others have had their salaries reduced. The estimate of salaries thus saved to the trusts is placed at sixty million dollars. This shows, of course, that such a vast sum of money as that is taken from the mouths of the families of those thrown out of employment or whose salaries have been reduced, and piled up in the coffers of the trusts. There are two sad things to be thought of in connection with it. The first is that men representing the trusts should be so heartless as to do such things, and the other is that those thrown out of employment should have allowed themselves to get so under the heel of other men that their livelihood and the welfare of their families is dependent upon the nod of some other man's head. Every man and woman should study independence. It is far better to be living in the very bosom of contentment and plenty on a little farm of five, ten, twenty, or thirty acres, than to live in constant dread that the combines of capital will throw us out of work, and thereby bring us and our families to suffer for the bare necessities of life. This world is on the border of revolutions that will grow out of this capital-and-labor controversy, and men need to be studying how to keep out of the turmoil. Two or three acres of land intelligently cultivated will give any family of six or eight an abundant supply of the necessities of life. And the man who is tilling the soil has the advantage of placing his trust in the God of heaven and earth, rather than in some monopoly formed by men. The old earth is indeed waxing old, and she does not produce as she once did, but we have the promise of her bountiful Creator that "while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

SOME SPIRITIST THEORIES.

AT a Spiritualist convention, one of the speakers said, "With the growth of Spiritualism the occupation of God is gone."

How sad it is that men should seek to do away with God! And how happy is the thought that with all their machinations they can not do it! A Scripture warning is very pertinent here:—

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners!" Isa. 14:12-17.

Lucifer has held a bitter spirit of hatred against the Most High for all the ages of sin. And he is doing all he can to inspire men with the same feelings. And it should be enough to acquaint us with the source of anything when it begins to try to lead us away from God. Any man should be wise enough to see that he has no life in and of himself. He is doomed to death. This fleeting life is hardly worth taking into account. If we have eternal life we must get it from a power outside of ourselves. This is a fact so patent that any one should see it at once. But, regardless of this plain fact, we still find that men are trying to get some plan or scheme or device by which they can do away with God. But any one who has come to God and learned of His mighty truth as revealed in His Word knows that the most blessed joys of life are found in the definite knowledge that God lives, and that He is our Father, and that He keeps us.

Another speaker in the same convention said:—

"Those whom we have loved and who have gone before, return in the spirit and let us know of their welfare in the great beyond. This is one of our greatest desires. It is that which gives us the assurance, through nature, reason, and demonstration, that we are immortal."

But there is something stronger than this returning of spirits that says that man by nature is not immortal. God's Word says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him." John 3:36. The Word of God will stand the test. All the sayings of men, with all their reasonings and supposed demonstrations to the contrary, will go down before it.

Spiritualism is sweeping hundreds into its delusions. It is well for us to see how fully it contradicts the Word of God. We may know that God's Word stands the test; not so with these false theories that are contrary to it. You can not safely allow anything to draw you away from the sure foundation, the Word of God.

FOR some time past London has been undergoing a water famine. The Thames, from which most of the water for the city is supplied, is the lowest that it has been in fifty years. The possibilities of a water famine there have been a menace to the city for quite a while, and at different intervals attempts have been made to secure an inexhaustible supply of pure water from the Welsh Mountains. But the seven water monopolies of London have held things in their own hands and prevented it. The monopoly is in evidence all around the world, and the intense combat that has already begun between the common people and these monopolists shows that we have reached the time described by the apostle Paul in the following clear language: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous." The world has never been threatened with a greater calamity than the conflict that is now casting its dark shadows across our way. And covetousness and self-love lie at the bottom of it all. We should see the danger and avoid it by getting all the covetousness out of our hearts, and then we will not be among the rich that are hoarding their wealth at the

expense of the poor, neither will we be among the poor that are ready to pounce upon the rich. We will be rather in the position where we are seeking to hold in check these elements of strife by telling men that all these evils of this time are the sure guide-boards that point us to the fact that the end of all things is at hand. This is not a time to give way to strife and covetousness. This is a time when we should be found most earnestly seeking God, so that we may be hid in the day of His wrath.

It is in France that the gastronomic art, so called, is carried to the highest degree. It is also in France that artificial methods of fattening poultry are the most fully developed. Fowls are placed in cages just large enough for them to stand in, and then food is forced down their necks, and they are made to drink salt water, which makes their appetites unnaturally strong; and under this process they fatten very rapidly. Flesh prepared under such methods must be full of disease and death, no matter how much a perverted taste may long for it. Surely humanity has fallen a long way from where the Creator first placed mankind.

EVERY strike that occurs serves to emphasize the fact that the highly-organized and determined condition of these times will result necessarily in an intensity of internal warfare. Capital is thoroughly organized, and seems to have nearly everything under its control. But has the fact not been too much overlooked that labor is equally as thoroughly organized as capital, and is just as determined to win? And as one listens to the speeches that are made on either side of the controversy, he is made to feel the hatred that is but thinly covered up. With capital so compactly organized on the one side, and with labor organizing on the other, and with each viewing the other with suspicion and distrust, yes, even with envy, jealousy, and hatred, how can the clash be avoided? And when the strike comes, it will be in that worst of all forms of warfare,—it will be riots and mob fights in the streets, with no manner of safety anywhere. This is not some idle fancy. The conditions are all here, and the crash will come soon. And it is our earnest desire to help open the eyes of all to the situation, and urge upon them to get ready for the issues that are right upon us. This is no time to dream of peace and prosperity. There is a delusive spell over the world in regard to the meaning of the events of to-day. History alone should teach us the meaning of these conditions, even if we did not have the light of revelation.

WHILE England is carrying on negotiations with the Boers in the Transvaal, she is at the same time massing her troops so as to be in readiness to fight, in case she can not get what she wants by diplomacy. The burghers say that "it is opposed to Christianity to conduct friendly negotiations and yet mobilize the troops. We must know why the British troops are on our borders." We might go a step further and say that it is opposed to Christianity to mobilize troops under any circumstances. How can any one who has studied the life and character of the gentle and tender Christ, ever picture Him as guiding them in the conflicts of the battle-field? Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. He is not the commanding general of wars. The Word says of Him: "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps; who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously; who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed." 1 Peter 2:21-24. When the Master suffered the severest revilings and reproaches, when everything that Satan could invent was put into operation to exasperate Him, He stood firm and calm. And instead of calling vengeance down upon the mob that so cruelly mistreated Him, He prayed, "Father, forgive them." Christ has set us the example. Can we follow His steps while destroying the lives of our fellow-men in the bloody fields of war? If you but take time to think about it, the idea of Christ stirring up the spirit of war and leading men onto the battle-field, is so hostile to the character of the Nazarene as to be shockingly revolting. Let us

seek to be educated away from the place where we clothe the sympathizing Christ with the attributes of Satan.

THE transport Senator arrived in Honolulu on August 26, and a number of the soldiers on board went ashore, and were soon crazy drunk from drinking methylated spirits of alcohol. They created such a disturbance in the town that the riot alarm was turned into the central police station, and all the available officers responded. The leaders of the drunken mob were arrested, and their fellows tried hard to get them away from the officers. As soon as the military officers on board the transport learned of the difficulty, they organized a provost guard and sent in every direction to gather up all the soldiers that were on shore. When the ship left port she had a number of her men in the guard-house and in irons. It is too bad that the high professions of this country can not be a greater reality. What must be the influence of such things on the natives of Honolulu, who have been led to expect better things of the representatives of this country?

THERE is nothing that the New York papers have more to say about than the rule of the political boss. They all admit that their city is run by a boss, and, furthermore, that boss is not an officer, nor connected with the city in any other capacity than that of a private citizen. Yet the word of this selfsame boss is law, and he manipulates the officers of New York to his liking, from the common policeman on up to the uppermost officials who sit as alderman and judges. The boss holds this unique position because of his ability to manipulate the tough element of the city. This boss of New York City has been before the Mazet Committee and openly confessed that he managed the business of New York in the interests of his own pocket and the pockets of those who are associated with him in this shameful criminality. Much has been said about it. It has been talked about for years, and yet things are no better. This shows that this great metropolis of this great republic has sunk so low that she can not purge herself. And if New York was alone in this, the picture would not be so dark.

IT is stated that in the year 1897 not more than $663 worth of beer, and no whisky whatever, was shipped to the Philippines. The next year (1898) the shipments of beer amounted to $71,635, and those of whisky to $34,571. It will take a great deal to counteract this big dose of poison. And it is a poison too that will not only kill the body, but will destroy the soul as well. When we come to look at the facts just as they are without any of the glossy embellishments of boasting, we see that this old world is in a bad condition. Our civilization has been shifted around onto the dollar. And for the sake of the dollar, even the heathen are led into still worse conditions of barbarity. Where is there one possible chance for the world's conversion to come in the train of such broadcast sowing of drunkenness, with the inevitable results of vice and crime? God stated the truth. He said that "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." We see that His statement of the case is correct. We should not allow our eyes to be blind to the actual facts. It is optimistic foolishness to say that things are getting better when they are all the time getting "worse and worse."

THE London Daily News publishes an interview with Admiral Dewey in which the admiral is reported, among other things, to have said concerning the Philippines that "I should like to see violence at once put a stop to. According to my view, the concession of self-government ought to be the most just and most logical conclusion." And every American should see that for the United States to come to any other conclusion is for her to forsake every one of her fundamental principles of government. A great struggle for a free constitutional form of government was kept up in Europe for a long time previous to the establishment of this republic. But nowhere did the seeds of freedom take the deep root that they did in this country. And for more than a century the eyes of Europe have been turned this way to see what would become of a republic established upon what they deemed such heretical principles. But, to their great surprise, they have seen one of the greatest nations of all time rapidly

grow up on this free soil. And America, if true to her principles, could have led the whole world to the great heights of freedom and civilization. But what will be the dire results as this country forsakes her principles and turns backward? This question is too big to be simply confined to the domain of politics. It affects the very existence of the nation, and it is a great factor in precipitating the doom of the world.

PRESIDENT KRUGER'S secretary says that "the republic [the Transvaal] has repeatedly asked England to arbitrate on disputes, and has constantly got refusals." Can not a strong power like England set some good example in this much-talked-of matter of arbitration? And since she refuses to do so, and is determined to have things her own way in South Africa, is that not an evidence that arbitration after all is just what it has ever been, and that is the arbitration of arms? The nation that has her powder all ready, and that has plenty of men trained to use it, is just about as apt to insist to-day that arbitration shall come her way as was ever the case.

A GENERAL strike of the seamen and steamer firemen of all the ports of England was ordered on September 4. The ship owners refused a conference with the Seamen's and Firemen's Union for the purpose of fixing a new schedule of wages, hence the strike. The news that is coming to us daily of strikers in various parts of the world shows something of the discontent that is smothered up in the breasts of men in these times. The first part of the fifth chapter of James is a thrilling recital of what the conflict between capital and labor will yet result in. Have you ever read it?

THE steamer City of Seattle brings the news from Alaska that on September 4 the city of Skagway was shaken by an earthquake for three and three-fourths minutes. The "quake" was not a sudden jar, but was a steady motion of the earth from north to south. So perceptible was the shaking up that pools of water in the streets sloshed back and forth the same as if shaken about in a pail. It is believed by many of the Alaskans that the earthquake had some connection with the volcano that is now in active eruption on the island of Unga.

THE American Sugar Refining Company has just completed a deal by which it has cornered between 80 and 90 per cent. of the sugar consumed in the United States. This is simply another one of the almost daily announcements of the conquests of the trusts and combines. And how the prophecies are being fulfilled like the rapid unfolding of the buds in the balmy spring-time!

THE plague is still spreading in India, and the danger from another famine is not passed by any means. When one stops to survey the evils that are ravaging this old earth, he must be convinced that the parallel of the conditions of to-day is not to be found in all history. Have you ever seriously reflected as to what it means?

THE government seems to be making every preparation to push the war strongly in the Philippines as soon as the rainy season is over. It seems too bad for "a great Christian nation" to be so actively planning to kill off those poor heathen. We need have no fears in saying that such christianity is not the Christianity of the Christ.

ADVICES by mail state that on August 15 Japan, in the neighborhood of Kagoshima, was visited by a typhoon and nearly three thousand houses were greatly damaged, about half of them being totally destroyed. Many persons were killed, and many more injured, and some forty-five boats were wrecked.

NEW evidences continue to come to light of a big plot on the part of the monarchist faction in France to avail themselves of the present unsettled condition of things to overthrow the republic. It is greatly feared that at the conclusion of the Dreyfus case there will be serious trouble from this quarter.

A RATHER violent strike is in progress in Warsaw, but, owing to the strict censorship of the despatches leaving Russia, very meager reports reach us. The strikers have destroyed considerable factory machinery, and have attempted to destroy other property besides.

A SEVERE gale swept through the Gulf of St. Lawrence on September 9, and hundreds of small fishing boats are reported to have been destroyed, and numerous lives lost.