The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-08-23
This paper is Democratic IN principles
and is Independent IN dts Giesos On OIL
local questions.
MODERN "Just1ce.''

MOuef JUSTICE
What a. strange commentary the
newspapers of this morning afford
upon our modern methods of admins
tering Njustice." In one column wefind
the CHASTITY details of the last hours
spent ON earth by four wretched men
who had taken the lives of their
fellow men. Side by side with
this we find the still more awful par
ticulars of a midnight crime, perpe-
trated, it would seem, almost with de-
liberation by a desperate for whom
the NOV of excessive villainy had
more joys than death with ignominy
had terrors.
That this typical ruffian, McElwain,
should cynieally choose such an hour
for his opening feat in crime, raises in
every mind the question whether the
punishment of death has any terrors
for men bent on evil. All expert
ence proves that neither it nor
any other penalty will counter
act the promptings of passion
once aroused. Jealousy and anger
cannot be stayed by any other force.
That is automatic. But there seems
to be good reason to believe that even
the promptings of criminal greed,
coupled with a certain natural bent or
fault of education, are all too strong
for the influence of the law to quell
them.
And yet, if the punishment of death
is unavailing, what are we to substi-
tute? 1t is very certain that prolonged
imprisonment in great hives of crime.
such as our jails, is still more i~neffect-
ual. The amount of reform effected
in those who undergo it is almost a
minus quantity. In fact, the bal
ance falls that way, for we
believe that if one man in a hundred
ZONES back to freedom bent ON hon
esty and industry, n~inety-nine some
out more hardened in the ways of evil
and more accomplished in its methods
than they went in.
The punishment of transportation
is probably the best, SO far as the ac-
tual criminal is concerned. 1t gives
him a certain utility and interest in
life, and it takes away much of the
opportunity of wrong doing. But it
is questionable whether it would have
any more deterrent Influence on
contemplated crime than any other
system. Certainly, in the face of
raging passion, it would have no force,
and it is doubtful if the criminal of
heredity and education would be
greatly affected by it.
All this tends to put us in a di
lemma. One punishment is more
worthless than another; what are we
to do ? Perhaps nothing. Keep on
just as we are going in the one direc-
ton where we are weak, and attack
the evil Ia our midst vigorously
in other directions. Education
of the people, betterment in the phys
cal surroundings of the masses, the
repression Of toughism, and the cult
walton of the spirit OF peace and order,
by increasing the general enjoyment
of, life-these are the true remedies
for crime, and we believe that in pro-
portion as they prevail, deeds OF
violence, at least, become infre-
quent. We will never be able, we
suppose, to eliminate crime from ou1
midst, SO long as human nature re-
mains as it is, but at least we can
greatly reduce its extent and reduce
its horrors, and to such IN end the
u~nceasing energies of all good citizens
should be directed.
How unkind the Newark Press
~. A -.