Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-09-14
The Increase of Crime.

! Some of the neSsp; pers are noticing The in
crease of crime Of a' kinds in The country, and
; endeavnring TO account for il. There can be no
doubt thai c:.me Els increased considerably du.
ring the last year. fgr the papers contain more OF
il in various sl,aresAhan we have ever before
observed but SONG allowance must be made
for lhe added meausof publicity, by which near
" everything lhatsissdone, no mailer where, is
at once made 6noWb:
But Observation-Disclosures of crime? Whose
fault is il :. WhaS4is The remedy? We can
scarcely opeh aancssspaper without seeing an
| account of a homicide, robbery, rape or q
suicide, or conspifScy 10 deprivea fellow being
of property or litLsSIhcn We have church burn
ings, and riots, andSmobs, and assassina,io
all trnding 10 ihe eonviciion that The increase
of evil deeds m6re4 kin, keeps pace with the
increased populations fofihe country. We think
we can give one Of thc reasons for this, and that
reason is idleness-a disposition 20 live without
labor-a dependence, not upon industry and
manly exerlion, but Jon shrewdncss, chicanery,
and over-reaching. I" An idle brain is The devils
Workshop a.gan habitullly lazy is habLu-
ally and inevitably mean.
Another reason may be that The laws are not
as rgidIy enforcedtas they should be. Juries
under The inhuenceaof The eoqucnce and in.
genni;r Of counsel, twho in turn are under the
Influence of gold The shape of large fees, are
too prone 10 aceuit the wealthy when charged
with crime; while The poor man, as general
rule is subjected tofhc rigors Of the law, and
left 10 his punislmeHt rs Il matter Of course. spd
Without cnlnpaSsiopS What would have been
the fae of The murderer Of Butler, The school
master. if he had been poor? He would cer-
,ain.v have been hanged by The neck until he
was dead but Wardfhad money, aud what was
falsely called sorial distinction and eloquent
counsel, and so he,was acquitted, and the len-
dency 10 violations Of The law and 10 crime was
thereby increased.
But it is useless. perhaps, to dae upon these
things If the puIpits of lIle coun:ry cannot
rest ain vice and save communities from he in
crease of depraviuy and disregard Of law, The
press will scarcely be able 10 effect il. Yet is
incumbent upon all who WELD influence to sci
their faces against whatsoever is calculated 10
engender or encourage crime; aud prominent
amonr Those who possess Influence 10 this res
pect for good, We class The clergy, the civil
authorities by whatever name called, and The
press 1t will require Inc power and all lie
bincd. to stay The flood Of evil now sweeping
over the land, and manilestins Itself in 80 many
acls Of crime
One noticeable feature in this matter is, lnat
there is more crime III the New England Sia:es
in proportion 10 their population Than there is
in the Western or Southern States The sta;is-
ties of the Inst census will show, aihis. The
ranlng and hypocrisy of SO many Of tIle people
af .l.e. fpsmer- -Slaies-sen the subject Of domes-
mole in their bro,her'sSs5,A. l!!.sr can see the
lion to remove ,he beam that is in their eye.
So True il is that The fanatics of New England are
not only not heard for their '' much speaking"
bul they are not improved thereby. Thanking
God ,ha, they are not as o;her mrn iheir skIrs
are nevertheless stained with Pauperl,m iuurto'd
TO wha, is seen in lne South, and with constant
ly varied aud augmeuing crime. Tie condI-
ton OF iire slaves generally of the South Is
mnri, better ,iran mat of many of their over
ta>krd white IIborers; yet grave parsons, sentl-
mental Young and od ladies, and ignorant but
nous Young men. consume their time in plying
The slave, and in devising means for what would
be his ruin, 10 viii, his emaucipa;ion-forgc.i!ng
line while that ;he wreiched. Inc hear-hrokcn,
lhe huroercd, of their own blood and cn'or, are
in ,hrl: very midst. 1t is bu, natural 'b1t crime
should follow close upon tlIe heels of hypocrisy;
and we are moi, therefore, surprised TO find 'e
tuiner on lhe increase in the States referred TO-
Raleigh Standard.