The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-03-13

have Just been looking at. This Sat
anic work is going on every day, in
almost every town and city. 1t is go
ing on light now in Jackson.
The Commercial Gazette has some
old-fashioned, practical ideas with re-
gard to crime and criminals, and these
ideas are being set forth from time to
time in somewhat vigorous language.
The Commercial Gazette does not be-
lieve that murderer is nice pet, to
be tenderly cared for, amused, played
with and we fear that it does not con-
slider him a fit object to be prayed
with. There is apparent in the vlgor-
Gus paragraphs Of the great paper" "a
belief that the only thing to be done
with a murderer is to hang him up
by the neck until dead. Hear it:
''The gang of murderers in our
County Jail are getting along very
comfortably, smoking their pipes and
and playing cards. They seem to be
Of the opinion that hanging is a lost
art, and that there is not by any
means as much difference between
criminals and other folks, as there
was some time ago. Crime as a busi-
ness has come into such close relations
with public life, and the maladmilnis-
trat1on of justice, that the citizens be-
hind the bars have reason to feel en-
couraged. A great many of our crimi-
nal trials have been miserable farces,
and the continuance of cases until
they have petered out, has been an OBJ
ject lesson for all criminals, showing
the path of safety"
There is not, perhaps, sane man
in the Universe who would think of
denying fellow man fair trial, when
accused Of crime. It is the sacred du-
ty Of society to accord accused parties
all lawful rights and privileges, but
this duty should be considered in the
light Of reason and common sense. A
tricky quibble or an unreasonable tee
nicality, does not always, if ever, con-
stitute right; and when a criminal
has been proven guilty, beyond any
doubt, it is certainly reasonable to be-
lieve that his card-playing days, and
his days of easy enjoyment in comfort
able Jail-houses, should cease, and his
guilty neck should be broken.
Let us consider the situation, for
moment, in the light of plain COM
mon sense: Here is young, stout
man, abundantly able to work; he pos
sesses all the God-given advantages of
health, strength, endurance, and SO
on; he deliberately plots to take the
life Of his fellow man; he does not go
to the trouble of giving his victim
any warming that he is about to be
stricken, but with murderous hand he
plunges his victim into eternity with
out moments warning or prepara-
ton. What right has murderer Of
this description to take his ease in his
prison for more than year-as is Of
ten the case-and be surrounded by
good people, be prayed with and for,
by Ministers Of the Gospel, and during
this time be given three or four trials?
And if at last he is convicted of mur-
der and is hung, he marches out to
the scaffold, arrayed in Sunday gar
men5s, surrounded by Ministers, and
his death is made to assume the air of
martyrdom.
Were the laws vigorously enforced,
without any unnecessary delay or os-
tentation, there would never be such
a thing as mob dreamed of, much
less organized. If murderer is gull
ty, he is guilty; and all the lawyers
in the universe cannot make him in
nocent. And if he is guilty, he ought
to be put out of the way, and the At
torney who goes to unreasonable
lengths to save the murderer from
punishment, is morally-or, rather,
immorally-condoning the crime.