Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-01-17
CRIME AND CRIMINALS,

the criminal, nor to give license to
crime, in any sense whatever, but if
crime is TO come to an end and we
think it ought, for there is no demand
for it, and people are to live when
there will be no murder, larceny, in
fanticide, suicide, &c, it will not be
while we close our eyes to the cause,
and simply punish and pity the
criminal, but it will be when we care
fully look after and remove the cause,
when the effect will cease, and we will
save the otherwise would-be criminals
and be at rest ourselves.
Cd. What is crime and what are
its causes +? CD. Are men born
criminals, or is criminaIity in them
the effect of their surroundings, sub
sequent to their birth ? These are
questions that ought to be car efully
looked into by the intelligent and law
making and law-enforcing citizens of
all lands. An act in our day may be
considered criminal, which, in other
days was considered innocent. Mems
obligations increase in proportion to
the advance of intelligence and civil
zation. But if mems obligations in
crease In proportion to the advance of
intelligence and civilization, and the
cause of crime does not decrease, as
obligation increases, then crime will be
upon the increase through all future
ages parallel with the advance Of in
telEgence and obligation.
But ignorance is not the cause of
crime, or intelligence in its advance
would be the decrease Of crime. To-
day men are under civil, ecclesiastic,
moral, domestic and social obligations,
and many others not enumerated, -
obligations, that in early days were
not recognized, and yet, the keeping
of these to-day, is the ground of all
human happiness, while the violation
Of them is what we consider crime.
Every effect has an adequate cause,
and too often, the effect only is seen
and the criminal punished, without
pity, while the cause, which was ad-
equate, hides its face in the dark and
smiles at the agony of its operator.
We take the ground that some men
are born criminals and others are made
such by their surroundings. Of course,
all rational men have volitiou, and
without the consent of the will, none
would ever commit crime, but as
rule men choose to do, or in other
words, will to do, that which they
have the greatest inner tendency to do,
and that which offers the strongest
outward inducement. In every sense
the criminal ought to be punished
with pity and the cause of his criminal
ity looked up and if possible destroyed.
However numerous the crimes COM
mitted In our land none are ever
committed without a cause. IF we
would lessen the number of crimes. we
can never do so by lessening the
number of criminals, but by lessening
the number of causes. The statistics
of crime in the United States, during
the last three months of 1888, de-
lineate some appalling facts. During
September, October and November,
the total number of suicides are
shown to be 424. The age at which
suicide was committed in the greatest
number of cases was 35 F.; the next
highest number was at so the third
highest at 65 7; while one waited till
90, to abandon the life struggles by
his own act. The youngest suicide
was 10 years old. and there were
twelve under 90 The causes of
suicide are, perhaps, the most note
worthy features of the statistics.
Among the causes. family trouble"
stands out the most prominent-about
fourteen per cent. of all suicide being
for this cause. If we take into con-
sideration the age at which the largest
number commit suicide, and consider
shat at that age most persons are
married, it will show clearly that
domestic difficulties are largely the
most important of all troubles prompt
ing to self destruction sickness"
comes next, and then follows dis
sipation, ''destitution" business
troubles, o~''insanity," Glove troubles"
s'grief," "chagrin at parental dis
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