Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-22
SINFUL HUMANITY.
Invs~solI's Apology for the De-
PRAYED Of Mankind.
SOM ORIGINAL VIEWS OFFERED.

Rent Denounced-Reform in the schools
Moral Defamation.
ALBANY, N ", Jan 22-The State Bar
association met here yesterday with a large
attendance Of the most prominent lawyers
in the state. The feature Of the days ses-
sion was the address of Robert G.. Ingersoll
ON "Crimes Against Criminals, and in the
course of the address no made some very
radical recommendations In his most elo-
quent vein the colonel recounted the cruel
treatment of criminals In past times and
drew attention TO the fact that the more Sc
we're the punishment the greater the increase
In crime He attributed this TO the brutal
iEation of the people through the infection
and contemplation of such punishment He
then suggested the inquiry why men should
commit crimes at the risk of torture, or
death, or degradation. His answer was that
mems minds and natures may be so deformed
that IL Is Just as impossible for them TO do
good as IL is impossible for some men TO be
sculptors or philosophers. The criminal
should not be punished any more than the
mon physically deformed. But society must
protect itself against criminals, though it
should not punish them.
Increase OF Crime and other Evils.
Here Col. lngersoll gave some statistics
showing that while in 1850, with a popula-
ton OF % 0O0, 900, we had between 6, 900 and
1000 prisoners, in 1880, with q, 0O0, roo popu.
lation, we had IS, 900 prisoners In 1850 we
had 1900 insane, in $780, we had 81, 900
insane. This shows that our system of
punishment is not preventing crime and
insanity from increasing faster than the
increase in population. In 1880, too there
were $1,000 homeless children and GO, 700
paupers in aims houses. Was there any
connection between this fact and the number
OF prisonersi
Hypocrisy of Human Nature.
The speaker, after arguing that degra-
dation of prisoners is almost certain 10 pre-
vent reformation, went on to say: rs it not
possible that brute force and cruelty, and re-
venge, imprisonment, torture and death are
as impotent to do away with vice as to de
stroy vir tuei To me II has always teen q
mystery how the average man, knowing
something Of the weakness of human nature
something OF the temptations to which he
himself has been merchandising the
evil Of his life, the things he would have
done had there been opportunity, had he alb
| solutely known that discovery would be i'm
| possible-should have feelings of hatreC
| toward the imprisoned. Is 1t possible that
| the average man assaults the criminal in 4
| spirit OF self-defensei Does he wish to CON
| vince his neighbors that the evil thought and
impulse were never in his mindi Are his
words shield that he has TO protect him
self from Suspicion
Wages for Convicts.
| After portraying the pitiable condition Of
the ex-convict in his struggle TO get work
and live an honest life, and picturing the
usual resuit-exposure, discharge, renewa
of crime and return to prison, the speaker
asked: why should the state take without
compensation the labor OF these men; anC
why should they, after having been i'm
prisoned for years, be turned out withou
the means of support Would it not be fal
better, far more economical, TO pay thes'
men for their labor, so that when released
the convict will have several hundred dollar
OF his own, enough TO make IL possible fol
him 10 commence business on his owl
account, enough TO keep the wolf of Grim,
from the door of his heart
The AID vantages Claimed.
suppose the convict comes out with 5000
This would form breastwork, fortress
behind which the man could fight tempta
| ton. II this were done thousands of con
victs would think the pententiary plac,
in which they were saved They would feel
that the verdict of guilty rescued them from
the abyss Of crime. The heart Of the poor
convict, instead Of being filed with malice
would overflow with gratitude He would
feel the benefits of this course and the result
would be good not only TO him but TO the
nation. II the convict worked for himself
he would do the best he could, and the wares
| produced in the penitentiaries would not
cheaper the labor of other men.
| What tn DO with Professionals.
| There are, however, men who pursue
crime rs vOcation-as profession What
shall We do with these men aud womeni Put
| 1000 hardened thieves on an island-compel
them 20 produce what they eat and use.
Those who worked would not permit those
who did not to steal the result of their
labor. Such u community would be self
supporting Let women of the same class
be put by themselves. Those who are be-
| yond the power of reformation should not
have the liberty TO reproduce themselves
They should dwell apart, and, dying, should
have no heirs
| Opposes the Death Penalty.
Col Ingersoll then argued against the
death penalty for murderers, and gave
striking instances showing that judicial
killing not only does not deter from murder,
but inspires TO further murders He also
remarked that such killing encourages mob
violence, as the mob reason that the crimi-
nal should be killed anyway, and might as
well lie killed without trial Us with.
Poverty a Perpetual Menace.
Returning TO the question of reforming
criminals, the orator said; If we are to
change the conduct of men, we must change
their conditions. As long as children are
raised in the tenement and gutter, the
prisons will be full The gulf between the
rich and the poor will grow wider and
wider. One will depend on cunning, the
other on force. 1t Is a great question
whether those who live in luxury can afford
to allow others to exist in want The value
of property depends, not on the prosperity
OF the few. but ON the prosperity of "a very
! large ajority The poverty OF the many
Is perpetual menace IL we expect q
prosperous and peaceful country, the citi
tens must have homes. The more homes,
the more patriots, the more virtue, and the
more security for all that gives worth tC
| life.
The Land Question Discussed.
I'VE need not repeat the failures of the old
world To divide lands among successful
generals, or among favorites Of the crown
| to give vast estates for services rendered in
| wars no worse than to allow men of great
wealth to purchase and hold vast tracts OF
land. The result is precisely the same-that
is TO say, nation composed of few land
lords, and of many tenauts-the tenants no
sorting from time TO time to mob violence
and The landlords depending upon a stand