Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-08-29
SOCIETY'S CRIMINALS.
EXTRACTS FROM AN INTERVIEW
WITH COL. ROBERT G. INoeRsoLL.

WITH COL. ROBERT G. INGeRSoLL.
We Arc Well, In . Measure. Responsible
for the Existence Of Felons--The Bur-
glare Beginning-No Reforming Power
I'm Revenge-Another View.
The probability is that society raises its
own criminals 1t plows the land, sows the
seed and harvests the crop. believe that
upon the earth. believe the time will come
when we will know too much to raise Grim
inals-know too much to crowd those who
labor into the dens and dungeons that we
call tenements, while the idle live in palaces.
The time will come when men will know that
real progress means the enfranchisement Of
the whole human race, and that our interests
are so united, 30 interviewer, that the few
cannot be happy while the many suffer; SO
that the many cannot be happy while the
few suffer: SO that none can be happy while
one suffers. In other words. it will be found
that the human race iginterested in each
individual When that time comes We will
stop producing criminals; we will stop pro
ducing failures; we will not leave the next
generation to chance; we will not regard the
gutter as proper nursery for posterity.
People imagine that if the thieves are sent
to the penitentiary that is the last Of the
thieves: that il those who kill others are
hanged society is on safe and enduring
basis. But the trouble is here: A man comes
to your front door and you drive him away.
You have an idea that that mans case Is set
tied You are mistaken. He goes to the
back door. He is again driven away. But
the case is not yet settled. The next thing
you know he enters at night He is . burg
lar. He is caught; he is convicted; he Is
sent to the penitentiary, and you imagine
that the case is settled But it is not. You
must remember that you have to keep all the
agencies alive for the purpose of taking care
Of these people You have to build and
maintain your penitentiaries, your courts Of
justice; you have to pay your judges, your
district attorneys, your juries, your witnesses,
your detectives, your police-all these people
must be paid. So that, after all, it is very
expensive way of settling this question.
THE BURGLARS BEGINNING.
You could have done it far more cheaply
had you found this burglar when he was a
child, had you taken his father and mother
hoin WIG 'e"e'i'ohs .o"So, VI hou you eoin
peled the owners 70 keep the tenemeht cieah;
or II you mad widened the streets, II you mad
pianteu lew 'rees, II you haa naa piehty Oh
oatns' !! you mao nao scnooi IN tne heign-
oornood. you mao 'aSen some interest IN
TINS iamiiy-soine interest III TINS cniid-ih-
stead OF breaking int' houses ne might nave
been builder of houses.
inere Is anu u cannot Dc saio 700 oiteh'
no reiorming innuence IN Punisnmeht' no
reforming power IN reVehge. oniy tne oest
Oh men snouid oe In cnarge OF pehieehuaries'
only the nooiest MINDS and the tenderest
nearts snou'o nave sne eaie oi efnlinais.
Criminals should see from the mrs. moment
tnat tney enoer a Pehteh.iary .na'
nlieo win tne ar OF Nnoness, iuh Oh tne
hgnt OF nope Inc ooJecI snouia oe 70 con-
vince every criminal tnat ne mas made a
mista.e' tnat ne mas taken .ne wrong way
tnat tne HgnS way Is tne easy way anu 'nat
the path OF crime never oia ana never can
'eaa 70 nappiness' 'na' 'nat iuea = q mistake
ana .nat 'ne soVerhinent WISHES 70 conNihee
MIN tnab ne mas hiaoe q 'niseake' WISHES 70
open ms ih'eleesuai eyes wishes 70 so edu-
cate MN, 70 80 eieSa'e niii' tuae ne VIII ioos
oacK upon "nat he nus oohe ohiy WIN
horror.
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