Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1857-08-20
The Increase Of Crime-.Its
Cause and the Remedy.


I Many of our ablest exchanges have TO
season permitted the conflicts of part,
to invoke attention to the remarkable in
crease of crime and social disorder, and t.
suggest what they deem the most effective
remedies for the same. Like them, We
have been struck with the appalling fac
that lawlessness is everywhere prevalent
Not only have offences of the ordinary
type fearfully multiplied, but we frequent
ly meet with instances of crime Of the
most revolving and unnatural singularity
In our exchanges of the same day we read
of husbands killing their wives, and wives
killing their husbauds--of parents killing
their children, and children killing their
parents We see instances of brothers,
sisters, and lovers Staying each other. Ol
common murders there is no end Cases
of larceny, arson, burglary, and common
pilfering are of every hours occurrence
Conjugal infdelities and clerical immorali-
ties almost rival in number, bar-room
fights and midnight thefts.
Is this increase of crime the result Of an
increased depravity in mankind? We
think not. We regard it as the result ol
several other causes. We believe that, in
a great many Instances. police officers are
paid to Overlook offences and to permit often
ders to escape. We believe that, in many
other instances, under a mistaken notion
of humanity, judges and juries exercise
clemency where severe punishment should
| be inflicted. Certain it is, however, that
the rigor of old-fashioned justice has
been relaxed. This relaxation of the rigor
ofjustice has in many communicative
tuous communicated men to form COM
binations to prevent the escape of criminals
who, under the influence of excitement,
have inflicted that punishment which they
apprehended would not be inflicted by the
authorized officers of the law. This ex-
ample, thus set by virtuous men, has been
followed by the vicious; and in almost eve
ry city we see numerous bands of bad men
associated for bad purposes, under names
the most revolving.
Perhaps the worst sign of the times
consists in this banding together of bad
men for lawless and wicked ends. Thei,
numbers enable them to commit their med.
itated crime, and then protect them from
punishment. To break up these vile bands
should be The main object of the authori-
ties in whose jurisdiction they exist. We
would, SO far as our humble influence ex.
tends, inculcate upon all officers of the law
upon the police, upon judges. and upor
Ijuries--the lesson, that clemercy to gull
is cruelty to innocence. We would say tc
those who have lodged in their hands The
power of pardon to offenders, that powe
is too often abused, to the injury of society
There is no use for penal laws unless they
are rlgidly yentorced; and the country which
has penal laws that are not enforced, is il
a far worse condition than it would be if i
had no penal laws at all.
Whether the evils to which we have al
luded grow out of the fact of popular elec
tons, which now prevail in almost all o
the States, and which are supposed t,
: make the elected law officers anxious t,
concilate the favor of those brought before
them, we cannot stop to inquire; but w
are inclined to the opinion that it has it
bearing on the subject. But of this on,
thing we are certain: unless punishment j
made to follow crime, crime will every
where abound. Washington States.