Judge Jacobs on the Mechanics of Law
A summary of a local lecture regarding the definitions, moral obligations, and legislative powers behind the law in Seattle.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A good deal of inquiry having been made into the doctrines advocated by the various speakers at the late law and order meeting in this city, we have interviewed Judge Jacobs, who provided a summary of his address. The Judge noted that law is a rule of action—a civil good, prescribed by the supreme power in the state. He emphasized that every penal law must have a sanction or punishment attached, and that the legislative power is the supreme function of mortals. He argued that the citizen has a right to discuss the wisdom of any law, but has no right as a juror to nullify a law simply because they disagree with it, as such actions lead to chaos. He further suggested that a penal law will only succeed if it embodies the moral convictions of the conservative masses, rather than just the radical fringes.
“Law was a very poor moral reformer—it was a good holding ground for small gains in human advance.”
This 1884 lecture on 'law and order' reflects the same tension Seattle grapples with today: the balance between legislative authority and the public's desire to challenge enforcement. Judge Jacobs' framing of society into 'radicals' and 'conservative masses' remains a common trope in modern civic discourse regarding public safety and reform.
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