The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-04-03
4 TURN IN THE TIDE.

For many years false sentiment has
been growing up in this country in re.
gard 70 the punishment of criminals,
but it now seems probable that this has
reached its eliminating point. and If
healthy public opinion shall result
which viii exercise the average of COM
mon sense upon the subject there will
undoubtedly be stop TO the terrible
reign Of crime. This false sentiment
has practically abolished capital punish
ment in several states; has surrounded
the worst scoundrels with q sort of an
air OF heroism, and has made our courts
mere schools for disputing over technic-
aiities. Hundreds of notorious criminals
have escaped just punishment unless in
places where public sentiment has been
aroused to the pitch of taking the fearful
step Of executing the law by lynching.
This is a means of Kidding society OF
criminals which can never be justified.
and which ought never to be resorted to.
But still it must be expected when the
agencies for the protection of society
fail as they have in the case at CincIn-
natl. When we remember such cases
as the killing of a judge IN Kentucky
By client against whose supposed in-
terest he had made decision; when
we remember the oatrage and murder
Of Innocent children near CatTettsburg,
Kentucky; when we remember the RUIN
OF Mi9s- Mutt and the murder of her
father by Dukes and the latter's I'M
accountable acquital by q
jury; when we remember the three cold
blooded murders in onr own state with
IN the last few months, the one in this
city, and those at Paola and Frankfort;
when we remember the killing of the
Taylor family few weeks ago, near
Cincinnati, tor the purpose OF selling
the bodies to medical college, and that
twenty murderers are in the jsil in that
city, all ofwhich escaped adequate pun
ishment, we are not surprised that public
sentiment is awakening to the convic-
ton that there ought to be
change-that society ought
to be afforded some protection
more than is now meted out TO the worst
class of criminals. While mob law can
meyer be countenanced, neither can the
present condition of dealing with muir
derers be countenanced. Desperate dis
eases require desperate remedies, and
while the condition of affairs that has
relgued in Cincinnati since Friday
night is to be deplored, and while we
believe the remedy could have been ap-
Piled more effectuallY than by resorting
| to violence, we believe on the other hand
that public sentiment needed to be
| aroused to the abuses and corruptions
which are undermining the very founda-
tions of our courts.
The storm has been gathering for
years. From 1t should come a purified
atmosphere which will affect not only
public sentiment but the courts. We
trust these may be restored TO their old
place in the confidence of the people,
and that the causes which brought upon
US the disgrace of the Cincinnati riot
may be thoroughly eliminated. Let
that sickly senLimentalism which has
for years been preaching against
capital punishment, and advocating
leniency for the worst criminals, almost
to the degree of making heroes of some
Of them, especially the wealthy portion,
remember that it is not blameless; and
let courts and juries learn the lesson that
technlcaiitIes will not be taken for jus
tice any more than a stone will be taken
for bread.