Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-09-14
ConauMcArRh.
Increase e Crlne.

P1mfuve attributes OF the soul. We
cannot agree with the eccentric writer
Of fbe . Philosophical Dialogue" that
We are but slaves 10 nature, working
out her progress to greater and more
perfect development, or, as he express
ses II, in substance-like Mamelouks to
some nys>erioss end invisible Oriental
potentate-that religion and ere. love
are but Mschiavelismso Of Nature-diplo-
macies which she uses to entrap Us into
willing obedience to her, sometimes,
hard and inexorable laws-that the
CHAINS which-she shackles Us with may
be lighter. We believe, on the contra-
~, that virtue and goodness are inner
ent in the nature Of every man, that
conception Of right and wrong is given
him with reason.
TN no ~, men are Williams .;
The rek harden'd wick'd,
wba hae cheek but human law,
Are 70 skw resssicksd."
It is only when this divine heritage
is lost that the thought Of sin and crime
can enter the mind, =.
(which at first we detcst. then pity, then embrace
It is to such then, We conceive, this
moral epidemic can be communicated.
We desire in another respect to be
correct. We stated that about ten
criminals" are now in the custody of
the Sheriff awaiting the next term of
our Court: We overlooked the fact
that many are out under recognizances
to answer for violations Of the criminal
code. II is q fact that about three
fourths Of those who are held by the
Justices of the Peace, to await the ac-
ton Of the grand jury, obtain bail, and
are therefore discharged from the Gus
tody Of the Sheriff. Therefore, in ad-
dition to the ten now in custody, We
may add thirty, and If crime has been
as frequent in other sections Of the coun-
ty as in our own, we may add three
times thirty. We have consulted the
Justices Of the Peace in our district
and their information warrants US in
making this statement.
Apologizing for the DEPRESSION which
We thought it necessary to make We
will return to our promise.
In the beginning, we are forced to
concede that The former notorious inse-
curity of our county jail has been great
license for crime. Many criminals have
held their Wills to spend Winter at
the county's expense and escape pun
ishment by breaking out short time
before the Spring term Of our Court
The charges Of their Honors to the
grand juries have been often burdened
with this fact, and on more than one oc-
casion elected appropriate anecdotes,
especially from His Honor, the Chief.
This incentive, we are glad to say, has
been destroyed by the erection Of new
Jail, apparently secure. Apart from all
this, we claim that crime does and will
exist, and, modestly, We propose to adj
vance some theory by which it may be
checked. We have divided our argu-
ment into four parts by which We in
tend to illustrate.
l. That the eonmission oferime should
Be certainly, signalIy and properly pun
ished.
II. That the Governor of tie State,
or in rhom hes the pardoning porer,
should use that poscer cautiously, and
only upon urgent and Praise-rorfhy ap-
peaks to has mercy.
III. That tie facility rith rhieh per-
sons committed to jail find bail. is an in
CENTRE 10 the commission Of crime.
Nv. That persons rho 60 bail for GRIM
inals should be held strictly accountable
in case Of forfeiture, and that the same
should only be remiffed upon tie most
merif0rious recommendation.
We propose then to present our the
ory under these four heads. Their
force can be readily perceived by any
one as self-evident generalities, but we
doubt our ability to illustrate. We will
be pardoned il anything is said touch
ing the feelings Of any one. We in
tend no personalities and must plead as
Smoliet once did after writing a story
in which he designated the different
characters by the names of animals.
On the next morning two gentlemen
entered his study, bearing bel,gerent
looks, and charged him with represent
ing them respectively under the names
Of the Monkey" and the Ass
He assured them that he intended moth
ing personal to any one, but was sorry
to think that such characters, in their
own opinion, suited them 30 well. But
this is again DEPRESSING.
/. That tie eomnission Of erime skoxld
Be eerfainiy, signaiiy and properly Pss-
isied.
That crime should be certainly pun
ished, is the automatic burden Of all
writers on criminal law. The certain
ty of punishment is the greatest pre-
ventive Of cs;me. 1t is not the severity
but the certainty Of punishment which
deters those predisposed to the COM
mission Of crime. Let il be known that
persons convicted are to expiate their
offence BY the full measure of punish
ment prescribed by the law. There
should be inscribed over the portals Of
our Penitentiary-"w who enters here
leaves Hope behind until his offence
has been fully expiated.
That crime should be 'signally pun
ished' is another recognized principle
of the proper enforcement Of criminal
law. When crime has been committed
no consideration should deter the off,
GERS of the law in their efforts to ferret
il out and bring the offenders to justice.
II such can deter, then the officer should
resign or act a. Javert, who ended his
lite with his first derelicticn. Too Of
ten have the consideration Of family and
wealth been the cause Of the escape Of
er,u.,r~l~ THE mart nf INV Argument