ఇంగ్లీషు జర్నలిజంలో తొలి తెలుగు వెలుగు
177
as they are serious. Firstly, the majesty of the law is greatly shaken, the confidence of the public in its might and willingness to help them is then much damaged, the efficiency of public servants comes to be seriously called in question, and the straight course of justice interrupted and led aside to the great scandal of all lovers of order. When once the people come to understand that law is more terrible in its denunciations than in its actual working, who will not but begin to despise it? And when public servants are found altering the course of law and handling its administration in a manner to suite more their private warm feelings of the heart, than the stern dictates of public duty, need I say that it will be hailed as a good day by those disaffected to the law and as perilously unfortunate by all who rest, as upon anchors, on the strict unswerving working of the laws of the realm?
It is certainly unnecessary for me to quote precedents to support the above. But, I may be permitted to refer to one instance that took place lately in Madras, in one of the rice godowns streets on the beach, where for generations together, within the memory of man, there has been a perpetual blocking up of traffic, owing to the great progress of the crowd of purchasers and traders there congregated from sun-rise to sun-set. The Municipal Inspector one day suddenly arrested a number of tradesmen, hauled them up before the Magistrate and had them each fined a round sum for obstructing traffic. And this was upheld by the Government itself at last, in spite of much petitioning, and all the clamour and powerful advocacy of the whole Madras Press and the greater part of the public . My purpose in quoting this now is to point out to you that the law must run its course, and must be maintained by those who have been appointed to administer it setting aside all considerations of pity and sentiment, however much it might do them honour to cherish them in private.
I may add that these trades are all regarded as dangerous, that a very heavily priced license has in all municipalities got to be taken by those who practise them and that even after taking out the license they are permitted to ply them only in remote corners of the town, at a distance from the more populous parts. Though there is no municipality here, I think all these oil mongers should be insisted upon removing their trades to some solitary and distant part of the town. But, however, that may be, there can be no doubt
