The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-07-25
THE SUPPRESSION OF CRIME.

and to have turned loose
''the dogs Of war" in full cry after
who have outraged socie-
tvs law and Heavens ordinance by
taking the life of their fellows. All
over the Union the papers are filled
with the horrible and sickening de
tails of public executions by hang
ing. The gallows, that fearful warn
ing tn evil doors, is reaping such a
harvest Of broken necks as never be-
fore was its share and portion under
the protection of the "best govern
ment the world ever saw But a
short time ago three men were hung
in New Orleans and now the papers
inform US that Governor Nichols
has sigred the death warrant of
Guidry for killing his wife's para
mour in Calcasieu Parish and that
he is to be hung on the 25th, to-day,
in that Parish. We have criminal
condemned to death, Edward Reed,
awaiting in our Jail the Governors
action in his case, and the chances
are that we will ourselves have an
execution under the sanction of the
law, at home.
We had been taught by history
that all civil wars were followed by a
period of decentralization and disor.
der where crime was certain to -four.
ish and lawlessness to get the upper
hand of Courts and the law, and we
were in measure prepared for the
saturnalia which crime has been
holding 10 all the States of the Union
since the close of our civil strife
The South does not seem to have
suffered any more, if as much, in
this respect as the North. The do
main of crime was broad and the
scene of it's awful punishment is con
fined to no division or quarter of the
Union. The people are focking in
crowds to see the gibbet do its work
after the reinstated and outraged Law
has passed it's dread sentence, anc
the point we make is that society ir
whose name all these sacrifices O
human life are being made may over
do the business of hanging. History
teaches another lesson in this con
nection which it may be we'll for Us
to heed before it is too late. Thai
is that spasmodic efforts to free The
body polite from disease by the use
of such violent remedies too long
persisted in will increase rather thar
cure the malady, at the time and will
in the end he followed by reaction
that will make the patient worse thar
if he had never taken any medicine
at all. The object of all punitorS
human laws is to prevent, not t.
wreak vengeance for crime, "for ven
geance is mine, saith the Lord,
will repay" and their purpose in ex
acting blood for blood is and should
be to teach others that human life i.
too dear to be taken wantonly ant
except in the direst extremity tt
save ones own life when pressed tt
the wall. The frequent exhibition o
such sights as are daily being fed tt
a morbid public taste already cor
rupted by the most villainous litera
ture that ever disgraced a nation, i!
calculated to have two inevitable con
sequences, either or both of which
will defeat the purpose of the law
The first will be to familiarize tn,
worst element of society, from who's
ranks the criminals come, with tn
taking of life; to minister to thei
depraved desires and teach them Fl
nally the precept and lesson of tn
cheapness rather than the priceless
worth Of human life. Nature ha
made some beings in human shap
whom she has endowed with all th
characteristics of the blood hound
and the sight Of blood crazes them
The sound effect it is likely, ma
certain, to have is to disgust an
weary the better and conservative
elements of society to such an exten
that they will resolve to let crime g
unpunished rather than to see it s
fearfully and ruthlessly punished
Draco wrote his laws in blood an
Lycurgus his in an intelligent an
kindly spirit. The former becam
imperative by reason Of their seve1
ity and the latter long served hal
Ply, prosperous and free countr,
After all it is the certainty and ne
the severity of the punishmer
which cen alone suppress crime.
THE Pool line folks are talk;n
darkly, and often Of late, about