Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-04-17


Fifteen hundred and seventeen mur
dcrs were committed in the year Of
our Lord 1888 in these United States
two hundred and lifty-one more thar
in 1882. According to the same rate
of progress, we ought to have about
1000 murders this year, and shall
Thus far everything looks favorable
for it. SO much for the debit side OF
the account. Let us see how the cred.
it stands. We find there have been 81
executions, exclusive of the eases
which have been adjudicatcd in Judge
Lynch's court, Leaving a balance OF
about 1922 rcd-handed murdercrs who
have escaped the legal penalty due
their crimes. We do not assume that
all of them were equally guilty and
alike deserving capital punishment;
but it is pretty certain that the great
bulk of them were so. 1t is also safe
to assert that few Of them will ever
serve their full term of Imprisonment.
This is an appalling state of affairs
and, as might be expected, is beginning
to produce its natural effect. The
wild outburSt of Indignation in Cincin-
natl is but the legitimate result of 4
failure Of justice that has become
chronic in its character all over the
land. What with the legal obstruc-
tions that have been woven into our
criminal laws, the notorious incapacity
(to call it by its mildcst namc) of our
jurieS, and villanous and INSCRIPTIONS
methods adopted by criminal lawyers
and, to crown all, the weakness of our
governors in undOing what has been
done, hanging has become "playcd
out, - and, as Il consequence, crime is
growing more rampant every day.
We are unqucStionably patient and
long-Suflcring people. For years we
tolerate evils that we could brush
away in Il moment. But we keep on
bearing and complaining until some
day the last straw is laid on the
camclS back. and then we explode.
and like Il pack OF fools and SavagcS
we 90 towork, cry havoc and burn and
destroy property which we have to
pay for. And after all this rioting and
Indignation, who is responsible for
the defective laws, and its inefficient
or vcnal administration; where does
the ignorant or corrupt iuryman come
from? Who is ii that elects the weak
or willy head of the state? Why, we
the people, the source OF all power.
1t is our own work, such as it is, and
we have no right to complain. If we
will till our Legislative halls with law
yrIS, what can we expect but that
they will make laws that can be inter
pcrtcd any way they may be- wanted.
They are looking after their own pro-
frsSional interests, not after ours. If
we allow them to enact laws which cX-
cludc intelligent men from the jury
box, rs is practically the case. what
right have we to complain, however
foolish or outrageous may be their
vcrdictS. If we must insist on retain
ing the present form of unanimous
verdict. where one knavc or idiot can
ncutraliHc the obstinate eleven, why
should we take exception TO it, If we
still continue to permit the pardoning
power to remain in the hands of one
man, why grumble at him, when he
uses it to pardon some assassin, who
has cheated the gallows, but who can
render service ut some future election
to further gubernatorial ambition.
There is one remedy for these evils,
and that we have in our own hands.
We simply have to apply it. 1t is not
riot, arson, or Judge Lynch. 1t is far
more potent than all these. 1t is the
true weapon of frecmcn-the ballot,
Let the people elect Il better class of
men to make our laws and Il better
class to administer them; and then we
shall no longer see such Il humiliating
contrast, us fifteen hundred and seven
teen murders in one year, and only
nincty-threc legal executions. San
FrnnrjScO DqiIy RrDOr.