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

Maritally considered, the greatest
number of suicides are from the ranks
of the husbands. Bachelors come
next, followed by the old maids, then
the widowers and least prone OF all to
kill themselves, the widows. National
ly considered. the Americans commit
the largest number Of suicides the
Germans are next the English next
and then follow the Irish, Scotch,
French, Africans, Norwegians and
Chinese in the order named. The
average suicides in the United States
are said to be about 4 a day. When
we take into consideration that domes-
tic trouble leads to so much crime and
shame, we are made to wonder whether
this YVES the design that the All Wise
had in view when marriage was insti-
tuted. Did the happy couple that the
All Mighty joined together. as hus-
band and wife, have domestic broils
and wars ? We are inclined to think
not. Neither do we think that those
who come together according to the
Divine purpose, in our day, when
made one flesh by the law of marriage,
will ever be so divided as to quarrel
and fight with each other. Persons
who do not live together happy ought
to be divorced, for in their domestic
incongeniality they are bound to en-
gender in their offspring, the internal
cause of criminality. But you say :.
Does not the Bible condemn divorce ?
We answer The Bible does not in
any sense whatever condemn divorce
1t condemns divorced persons re-
marrying, and making it the crime Of
adultery, but never condemns persons
being divorced and living a single
life afterward.
Whether legislation can do anything
to lessen this leading cause of crime,
remains to be considered But if the
cause of crime would be looked after,
by our Legislators, and prohibited and
punished, as it ought, our criminal
cases would soon be less numerous and
human suffering greatly mitigated.
But what about the murderer Is
there any reason why men should
commit murder ? If there were No
reasons for which men commit murder,
they never would commit it. But
when We say they have reason for
committing murder, we do not mean
that the reason, or the cause, in other
words for which they do so justifes
the act, at all, but we simply mean
they are so constituted and of such
disposition, that they, at the time Of
committing murder, could not easily
have done anything else. Then you
say, if they could not have done
otherwise, why then punish them for
that which they could not hel p ?
This is done to protect the innocent,
and to prohibit the criminal from COM
hitting crime, at least for the length
of time for which he is imprisoned,
and this can be innocent only, when
the purpose is to prohibit crime, in
that way, until the cause may be dis
covered and when the cause is once
discovered and is not removed, the
punishment Of criminals itself is
criminal. Thus the sale of intxicat-
ing liquor, causes more crime than all
other causes put together, and in the
face of this fact, known by all, the
poor criminal, who commits crime.
doing just what the nature of the
drink leads him to, is throttled and
hobbled, by the officers of the law,
while the cause of it all is legalized
by the State and avaricious men are
smiling in each others face at the
profits of the work Of death in the
land.
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