National Republican., 1883-01-20
The Suppression of Crime.

Tho object of law is the prevention of crime.
Sccondarily, upon the presumption that some
crimes will be committed, the object of the
law is the punishment of criminals. Tho
sanctions of the law are provided not for the
purpose of bringing suffering upon the guilty,
hut mainly as a warning to the innocent that
they may be restrained from crime by fear.
The vigilance of II guard or police force is n
necessity in order that those who disregard
the laws of society may he apprchcnded and
punished. Hindrances to the operation Of
the law are raised by those who have suffered
loss, by the policemen, and by the judiciary,
either from an incorrect understanding of tho
object of the prosecution or from misappli-
cation of the statute.
The most common violations of law are petty
crimes against property. When a loss of jcw-
elry or other personal effects is discovered the
injured person Ia governed whollyb by the self
ish desire to regain posscssiou of his property.
The idea of his relations with society as tothe
punishment of crime never occurs, and he will
not listen TO IL from Others His sole object is
to secure what has been stolen. Motives Of
such nature are an encouragement ii not an
incentive, TO the commission of new crime.
Detectives, policemen, and occasionally magis-
! trates, alb ct and enhance the selfish motives,
! thereby making themselves in n refined
degree, the friends of crime. CondonG-
mcnt is statutory, but almost dead
| letter, so seldom is it referred to in
these latter days. lllcgitimatc, but a
regular and recognized business is the ncgo-
tiation with thieves for the return of stolen
| goods. In all of our large cities this is Il GUS
| tomarv practice. Detectives are considered
shrewd because of their ab ility to trace and
recover property stolen at dead Of night by
unknown maraudcrs. Their shrcwdn css con-
sists in being n respectable branch of the
gang of dcsperadoes, whose regular PRO
fcssion is the commission of crime To the
detectives all thioving is "given away" by
the pr ncipals, in order to secure a reward for
their pluudCr greater than the fence or
pawnbrolicr will advance.
This growth of dsgraceful custom has
been gradual, until it has assumed proportions
of great magnitude 1t is u practice which
must be abolished. Private detective agen-
cics are in majority of cases simply branch
Offices Of the fence" and are run by middle
men who make an extra profit upon the
stolen goods These and all similar establish
ments must be suppressed, in the interest of
law and order. The continuance of the traffic
in crime is but an encouragement to the
growth Of Il dangerous class of insubordinatc
and lawlcss creatures, from whose midst arc
graduated murder, arson, and the prcnter
crimes. To suppress vice there must be pun
ishment of the vicious. Detectives, police
men, and magistrates who are found to con-
nive with thieves should be severely dealt
with. There should be no hcsitancy in the
enforcement of the sanctions of tho law to
their fullest extent.
One of the most common means of cncour-
aging criminals to continue in their law
lcssncss Is to suspend the execution of the law
ON condition that the guilty quit the city
The result of this practice is merely the ex-
change of criminals We gothic cXilcd thugs
of Chicago, New York, Baltimore, and other
cities while they get ours in exchange. To
the professional outlaw il is a matter of small
consequence whether he preys upon the
communities north or south, so that he
can feel certain sense of immunity from
punishment for his misdcmcanors. The house
breaker or sneak thief from Boston can better
ply his vocation here than in the former city,
where he is known to the authorities His
transfer is thus but benefit to him. and nm
additional menace to the strange quarters to
which he comes and goes. Changes of resi-
dcncc have no reforming or wholesome effect
upon vagabonds They find vicious associO.
tions wherever they go, To reform or re-
strain the increasing hordCs of the indOlent
and dangerous classes, there is nothing better
than the confinement and labor of penal in
: sttutions. Care should be taken by the
authorities to grade punishment according to
the age and natural condition of the lawcss,
but experience has shown that too much
lonioncy is in a majority of cases, but an en-
Couragcment of vice.
1t may be suggested, as n rule which will
cover the largest number Of insta nccs, that n
detective or police officer who will request
the payment of bonus for the return of
stolen goods is to be set down at once as a
partisan of the criminal classes. 1t is fair to
presume that If an officer can secure missing
articles upon the payment ofa fee, he can as
readily arrest tho offender, and return the
purloinod goods without the fee if he chooses
to do so.
/ There are too many consumers in this world
: in proportion to the producers, One of the
best means for the suppression of crime would
be the enactment of comprehensive vagrancy
laws. Every man and woman who could not
show Il plausible, visible, and lawful means of
support should be given employment in msti-
{ tutions provided by the state, They should
be obliged to become producers and render to
society an equivalent for the consumption
which is necessary for their existence. Idle
ness is Il marked source Of crime.
Model Government.
TO avoid all cause for unplcasantness with
other powers, England has mixed up dose of
government for Egypt which is model of
simplicity and gct-at-ablcness. 1t consists of
| a chief cXCCutiyc,-thc khediVc (who of Coursc