The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-11-12

recognixnnco, be1is OF JOostuont III eno uane "
names Of any other person Or PsSeons not privy OF
sons on conviction thereof. shall he fined not ex-
cccdng Eve thousand dollars, or DO imprisoned mol
exceeding seven years, and Whipped mot ercsedins
tAirty-nins ssvipes n And sguin In the same
act. section le. "If any person within any Of
the places under the sole and exclusive Jurisdiction
take and carry away, with an intent TO steal or pur'
loin the personal goods of another, such person SC
offending, his councillors, aiders, and abettors
knowing and prvy to the offences aforesaid, shall
on conviction, be fined not exceeding the founold
value Of the property 10 sold, cmbekxled, or pur.
loinedi the half to be paid 70 the o~her OF the
goods and the other half 10 the informer and prose-
cetor, end Dc Pusiriy ehiRped, not breeding thirty
nisie aripesh'
A case under this last section is reported-United
States vs. Murphy et al, Is Peters, 203-9, and the
provisions Of the law were in force as late as 1912
OF course, everybody at all conversant with law, OF
with the free and enlightened customs of this Stand
Of the free, and the home Of the brave" knows full
well that cas,gation or whipping" is common, TOO
common in our navy, and until lately i, was so in
our army But the idea Of whipping with "stripes'
an American citizen, whether engaged in the nava
or military service, or occupied with the peaceful
and peaceablc pursuits Of everyday life is revolving
to the feelings Of the Christian, il should be "a
the savage. Even the aborigines Of the forest look
and the loss Of scalp-lock ID not productive, in
their untu,ored minds, of SO much shame and NOR.
ifcation as are "stripes" inflicted by felow-man.
Not only should such sections as we have quoted
above, disgrccsfu as they are to the statuis-book
and utterly inconsistent with the genius and light Of
the age, be repealed forthwith but law should bt
enacted prohibiting the infection OF stripes upon sea-
men and soldiers. Let man be shot, If you will
but, In The name OF deccncy, do not make your fel
bowman a dog. Elevate the sentiments of your IN.
feriors, by giving them something to hope for, and
do not make them towards, who, In despar Of doing
right, know full well that when they commit an Of
fence, they subject only TO ''stripes"-a dogs
castigation II would be well, indeed, to have a
thorough revision and classification of the statutes
of the United States. II il was deemed necessary
to revise and amend the complex laws Of New York
and TO appoint three gentlemen learned in the
law" to perform this arduous and hghly-importanI
labor, surely il is far more necessary and far more
important that the federal laws should be codifcd
or so systematizcd as that the justices Of the Su-
preme Court, and in fact all public officers, may,
by simple momentary examination, know their
whole duty. Congress, in the profundity Of its
wisdom, could not perform more judicious or
more acceptable work than to pass an act author
izng the appointment of a reasonable number OF
our most wise and learned men to systematic the
laws.
While upon the subject of movements and pro-
gress, it may be mentioned that thorough and
much needed reorganization Of the Department Of
State is in contemplation, and will doubtless be
recommended by the proper authorities. 1t is un-
dcrstood that a prcjei is in preparation by Mr..
Trist, the able and accomplished chief clerk, by
means of which the Secretary will be relieved from
mass of labor and weight of care, at present
wholly inconsistent with comfortable discharge oil
his onerous duties, and the labors Of the department,
more equally distributed among the various EN-.
ployees. The consular system, also, should receive
attention. Yours, very truly, w. G..
nTAmong the other anomalies in the organiza.
ton of the State Department, understand that the
Secretary Of State is placed in connection with the
United States attorneys, and that he is united with
the Solicitor of the Treasury and the Commissioners
Of Patents in passing upon applications for patents
g.,