But that did not wholly cure the evil.

The officials appointed solely to enforce a law against which there are strong objections in any quarter are always themselves unpopular.

The Sheriffs have been from the beginning officials of great dignity, commanding popular respect and confidence.
So if it were difficult to enforce the law the character of the Sheriff was a great force on its side.

But in the case of these particular laws persons of less dignity and authority, often quite obscure when they are appointed, whose whole duty is odious to the persons to be affected by it, instead of giving dignity to the law tend to make it unpopular by their attempts to enforce it.

Indeed in my opinion the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 was as nearly a perfect system of government as was ever devised.