The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-02-13
HOME JOTTINGS.
The Law, Not Sentiment, Should Pros
ecute.

1utIOT FREE fTeSS:
The return of Geo. S. Powlison,
the clerk who so recently betrayed
the confidence of his employer, Mr..
Mcconnell, of this city. and abScond-
ed from entertainments of quite Sc
riOus nature. has renewed current
gossip, which had considerably sub
sided after the first act in this some
what sensational happening: and, as
Is customary in such criminal cases,
there is the usual fungus-like rally to
the defense. and a considerable degree
of that soft sentimentalism and blub-
bering nonsense is heard, which new
er fails TO spring up during the devel-
opment of every criminal action, no
matter how serious the charge, or how
dastardly the means employed in COM
mitting the offence.
This is not a new condition of
things. The history of every case of
a similar nature ever prosecuted, con-
tains this picture. 1t is usual in cas-
es of serious criminality for the pub
lie to reach two extremes: first, the
person or persons charged are the OBJ
jects of the most rigid denunciation:
second. after the authorities set the
machinery Of law in operation, sort
of reaction is witnessed and another
extreme in public sentiment is reach
ed. quite as unwise and unreasonable
as the first. Sympathy of a Temporal
ry and gushing character is so far ex-
ercised as TO convert the accused, for
the time being, into veritable hero,
and often has a great tendency TO
thwart the legitimate ends of society
in executing the laws against crime.
But there is wise, logical mean be-
tween these extremes which the well
fare of society and the ends of justice
demand shall be observed. The cases
are few indeed, where men charged
with crime are pursued for purposes
of revenge, and the authorities and
other interested parties rarely prose-
cute criminal action in any spirit
other than that which our laws, when
taken in their most fair and dignified
sense, contemplate, and which the
social fabric requires. 1t is not the
purpose of law to pour out walls of
wrath and burning revenge on those
who trespass the peace and dignity of
the state, but solely TO check, as far
aspossible, the wayward career of those
who disturb the serenity of the social
compact, and to demonstrate to 9TH
ers who may contemplate such
course. that the way of the transgress-
or is not pleasant and will not be toll
Grated if it be in the power of the
safeguards of civilization to cause
halt.
In view of these principles, and
looking from the standpoint of social
preservation. regardless of the inter-
ests of any individual, it is certainly
unwise, Illogical and unreasonable to
indulge in namby- pamby lionizing OF
the accused, thus advertising to
young, and, as yet, unsettled minds,
that the chasm between the social
popularity of one guilty of grave GRIM
inality and those who are not, is not
so serious as they have been led TO be-
lieve, and thus removing from crime
much of its responsiveness. 1t is al
ways proper and charitable never to
kick man when he is down; but for
any considerable number of a commu-
nifty to pursue this extreme policy,
lifting the guilty one to the plane of
a hero, and creating in him, by these