The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-09
THE WHIPPING POST.
what n Northern Paper Hns to say In
Favor Of It.
TfJhicauo Timaa

A morbid sentimentaity encouraged by
various lecturers and writer's few years ago,
caused the abolition of the death penalty as a
punishment for crime In many Of the States.
| This diseased opinion assumed that criminals
were persons to be pitied rather than pun
| ished, end did much toward converting jails
| and prisons into institutions for petting in
| stead Of Furnishing their inmates. At present
| there are o few persons who hold that the in
| mates Of these institutions should receive pay
| for tho little work they do in them. They
| take the ground that criminals are not re-
| sponsible for their acts, meyer having re-
| ceved an education in Sunday schools and
free public schools. These sentimentalists
places for reforming criminals by kindness,
but they would have them SO conducted as
| not to materially interfere with the pleasure
OF the occupants.
| crime, the present insecurity OF life and prop
erty, as well as the crowded condition of our
| jails and penitentiaries, and the expense at
| tending them, have caused some other people
| to begin to suspect that there should be more
| rigid as well as more economical punishment.
| They believe that this may be found most ad-
| vantageousty in the lash and whipping post.
They "point with pride to the prompt man
ner In which Delaware disposes Of her crimi-
nails and to the general dislike criminals en-
Der Of criminals supported in jails and pris-
| ons imposes an oppressive tax on the better
| class in the community. Confinement in o
secure building does not act tn deter persons
| from robbing hen-roosts stripping clothes
| lines, plundering houses, or stealing horses
and cattle. Many steal because they are too
lazy to work, and prison life agrees with
| them becaue they are well lodged and fed
while they have little to do.
| In many cases imprisoning man for some
| petty offense results In q punishment on his
family rather than on himself. He goes
where he Is well fed, sheltered, and clothed,
while they are doomed to q life Of wretched-
ness and misery. The community which the
criminal has outraged is also punished in the
form Of taxation to keep him In confinement,
and perhaps to support his family. 1t is held,
and in Delaware is generally believed that
culprits fear the lash more than any means Of
punishment. 1t Is certainly an inexpensive
one. Brother Beveridge and other senti-
mental persons would never approve OF 1t
for the reason that it allows few oppor.
| tunities for granting pardons. Lawyers who
| gain livelihood by carrying criminal cases
to higher courts would also oppose the lash
for their clients might receive their punish
ment before stay Of proceedings could bt
obtained. Nevertheless there are reasons foi
believing that the advocates Of the whipping
post are by no means insignificant in mum
bers In the country at large, and 1t will moi
be surprising IL persons with practical no
| tfOnS about economy present the subject ir
some Of the State Legislatures before long
The lash has been restored in England ant
In Canada for the punishment of certain
crimes, and the experiment is said to have
proved entirely satisfactory-to everybody
but the criminals.