Why We Respect the Law (1950)

[Music] and uh tell him I'll call him later I don't want to be disturbed now so I am late Kent I was delayed in court good to see you thanks Mr Hudson how's your father dad's all right he mustn't I mean even though I'm here oh you said you needed the advice of a lawyer I do well sit down tell me what's happened well it's the neighborhood ball Club mhm we've got a good Diamond but we've been wanting to build a backstop only we don't have any money I see well they're building this new store in our neighborhood and well there's a lot of lumber lying around and so and so one dark night you took what you needed there were four of us they don't know who took it yet but they're raising an awful fuss they usually do but why all of us all we took were a few boards we need those boards and they've got plenty more Kent take off your shoes huh let me have your shoes guess you know oh you think maybe I left Footprints are I'll just keep them my boy can use them you have plenty more shoes that's different how our laws made to regulate me and simply to protect you sometimes it seems laws are made just to keep us from we want to on the contrary Kent it's law that allows us to live in Freedom real Freedom law is one of the cornerstones of our democracy Kent imagine what things would be like if we had no law suppose we had no Constitution nor any other written law then we would have no officers to enforce the law and no courts to interpret the law now imagine a quiet evening at home with your mother father and sister maybe you're talking over plans for the weekend [Music] when [Music] gosh that's like something out of a western movie Yes such occurrences were common on the frontier then men banded together as Vigilantes to preserve the peace and finally came the formal establishment of Law and Order so you see Kent every one of us should have a deep respect for the law because of where we'd be without it you mean law makes the difference between freedom and between freedom and license Kent you said you played baseball sure short stop play according to the rules well sure I I see what you're driving at we all didn't follow the same rules couldn't have a very good game you couldn't have a a game at all yeah that's right but where do we get so many laws well you know where you'll find the law Thou shalt not steal sure in the Bible oh that law is over 3,000 years old here are some laws that are not yet one year old laws are the result of Human Experience Kent and they're wiser than any man take Socrates when Socrates was condemned to death his friends urged him to escape but he refused on the grounds that the law said he must die and he accepted the law as being right so we should respect the law because it represents the accumulated experience of men Through the Ages now here's another reason watch what about it it fell down naturally why does it fall down or toward the Earth so Sir Isaac Newton Law of Gravitation my point is that an object falls to the Earth not because Newton passed the law but because the universe is made that way so stealing is wrong not because someone passed the law but because peace and happiness are impossible unless our individual possessions are secure we respect laws because law is in harmony with the universe itself but what about gambling houses that run wide open they're against the law they exist when some people fail to respect the law and where you find gambling wide open you'll find other things open Crime corruption in government robbery peaceful citizens lives in danger all stemming from a lack of respect for law is that what you want right no so we're all a lot better off respecting the law you mean because without respect for law law can't operate without respect for law a man can't get a store built now wait a minute you can't class me with a bunch of gamblers only a matter of real is you Kent is not a few dollars worth of lumber it's your attitude toward law itself let me tell you about a case that was in court about a month ago the defendant was a young fellow not much older than you his story is unfortunately a rather common one in his cross-examination the prosecuting attorney brought out the whole story it began with a card tray on a hall table at home that's where his mother kept Loose Change he was 8 years old his mother was a busy woman she wouldn't miss a couple of pennies no mother didn't miss the pennies so he began taking more money and it became a habit until that's what usually happens you're caught but not long after he was driving with his mother where the posted speed limit was 35 mph she was doing 50 and she had punished him for breaking the law then suddenly what made her slow down so the little boy learned from his mother that you must obey the law if there's someone around to enforce it but by the time he'd entered High School he' lost all respect for the law he was a bright boy but was easy to cheat and for him it was the natural thing to do and after all hadn't he heard his father gloat over cheating on his income tax return so you see how disrespect for law can become a habit how the parents example may be followed by the child later he stole a wristwatch and probably showed it to his cronies other boys he was infecting with his own disrespect for law one of these same boys was with him a couple of years later when he made his biggest and most dramatic show of flaunting the law yes it was his biggest show was also his last the law which this young man held in such low regard the law assured him a fair trial but still the law did punish him he has time now to think about what he's done and I believe he'll turn out all right he realizes that his trouble began with two pennies stolen from a card tray the money wasn't important not to him nor to his parents what's important is that from that petty beginning he developed an attitude of disrespect for law for all law and that attitude has come near to ruining his life so you see Kent you should respect the law if for no other reason than to keep yourself out of trouble you mean that that my taking a few boards could could lead to something like that couldn't it yeah I guess it could but but Mr laws aren't just a matter of policemen in jails can't we need them only as people disrespect the law the amazing thing is the small amount of enforcement that is necessary that's the real proof of the rightness of law that's why I decided to become a lawyer to help people understand the law to help promote respect for law Kent would you like to help me yes can I of course you can how's this you'll get together with these other boys that were in with you on this Lumber Affair Mr Huston says that if we chip in and make good on the lumber he sure the contractor won't make any formal charge against us how about it fellas it's okay with me well all right hey wait a minute nobody knows who took the lumber why pay for it after all if we just keep quiet for a while unless you're going to snitch on us how about it well I wouldn't want to snitch on any of my friends it'd be better just to straighten it out as Mr Hudson explained it well if I saw a man breaking into a store it would be my duty to report it to the police wouldn't it he you calling me a thief cuz if you are I'm going to smash you right in the sure he is he's calling himself a thief too and he's right we're all the same thanks for the pen Joey I sure can use it hey give me that that's my pen why Joey are you calling me a thief hello I speak with Mr Hudson please you get the idea Joey a law is a law you don't draw the line you just live up to it here's the pen hello Mr Hudson this is Kent Lawrence yeah the boys are here and they decided to chip in and pay for the lumber yep all of them what's that just a minute Mr Hudson says he's already talked to the man who's building the store if we show up Saturday at 7:30 he'll let us work out the cost of the lumber seeing as we want to do it on our own that SW Mr Hudson we'll be there oh that's good and Kent tell a fell something for me will you tell them they'll be better off as individuals and the community will be better off for having them in it that they will practice respect for law by knowing the law by obeying the law whether there's a policeman around or Not by helping with law enforcement and by encouraging others to respect the law