Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-09
THE WHIPPING POST
What Various People Think of Its
Merits.
| MINISTER GIVES IT APPROVAL
While Two Lawyers Oppose Its
Revival.
THINK IT IS TOO SEVERE

I'm discussing this matter of the whip
| ping post" said well-known Washington
| ian to a Star reporter this morning, at seems
| to me that the most important point of all is
| overlooked. Everything is said as TO the eff
rect whipping may have on an individual
| but they leave out of the question altogether
| what effect it will have on the morals and
| general welfare of the community. II it
succeeds in making crime unpopular and
1nfrequent it is a success, no matter what
| the criminal may think of it. Punishment
Tor crime is but an act on the part of the
community looking to its own interest and
defense and the question whether or no,
| the whipping post is desirable depends on
whether 1t is or is not a deterrent to
crime"
| Rev. Francis J. Grimke, pastor of the
| Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church. col
ored. said to a Star reporter today:
I have not given the matter very serious
consideration. but at first thought am in
clined to favor the recommendation of the
grand jury. I read the interview in The
| star last evening, or rather the discussion
! between Rev. DIR. Johnston and Rev. Dr.
Brown on the subject. and it seemed to me
that DR.. Johnston had rather the stronger
end of the argument. I think that the
whipping post as punishment for minor
offenses would be powerful agent for
L
| should be taxed to support. these offenders
in idleness in Jail while their families arc
left dependent on their friends. or on the
charity organizations Of the city. If q man
who had laid himself open to punishment
| by his voluntary acts were given taste
| OF the lash and then let go, l am strongly
| tempted to believe he would remember the
| incident and be very careful not to let it
occur again. Crime should be made Of
| fensive. The way of the transgressor Is
hard the Scripture tells us, but we spend
altogether too much time trying TO make
! mfr Grimke' said the reporter, "the
| objection has been raised that the whip
| ping post is intended as punishment for
| the negro rather than for the whites"
IF the law is impartially administered, I
| cannot see that that would be an objection
| of any moment. The law would apply to
white and colored alike. and if more col
ored men than white choose to make them
i selves aInenable to its action. that would
| be their fault, not the fault Of the law
| The remedy is in their own hands; let them
avoid breaking the law and they Will not
get into trouble.
Mr.. MulIowny Opposes 1t.
Among the lawyers there is a diversity of
opinion, but the most of them seem to IA
yor the establishment of the whipping
post There are others, however, who OPP
pose it, as heretofore published in The Star.
Today a Star reporter conversed with Pros
ecuting Attorneys Mullowny and Pugh,who
prosecute offenders in the Police Court
| During the course of year these prosecu-
| tors have fully $4,000 cases before the
court involving all classes of onenseS, IN
| Guiding a.es Of wife beating, and it is es-
| timated that there are about $50 OF this
| class of cases in court in twelve months
Many of these. however. are dismissed:
In addition to the cases of wife beating
| there are fully 800 cases of men beating
women.
eff l answered off-hand is the whipping
post the proper punishment FOR the wire,
beater?'' said Mr.. Mullowny, Il should
say yes. because ii is the only punishment
| which fits the crime. The offender is the
Only one who suffers and rot the wife and
stances where a fine imprisonment is
| imposed. but when you consider the condi-
| tiCns of man in society. the peculiar family
relations, the disposition of man as
husband and that of a woman as wife,
consider the present mode of punishment
the best. In our own country as well as in
that of other countries experience has
taught us that no punishment, no matter
how severe, will deter man who is so
| low and base that he cannot control his
passions and either from fiendish delight or
revenge beats his wife.
1.-The Object of all legal punishment Is by
example to deter others from crime. All
punishment, no matter of what character,
is degrading and demoralizing to the self
respect of the individual, but when 1t is
not only degrading. but also notifying
| and tends to make one subject OF ridi-
cule and contempt. the effect of such
punishment upon the mind of man who
is british enough to beat his wife would
make him more of an outcast, more of
cur and coward; he would be released, with
the sting of the lash upon his back and
filled with passion return to his nome, and,
in its seclusioD, seek revenge, and in many
ways the law does not notice, make the
lives of his wife and children miserable.
The advancement CT man in civilization Is
his education by example or otherwise to
10
man is self-reliant enough to govern him
self by the good that is in him the wife
heater will continue to exist.
Not. n Remedy.
From my own observations 1 have
found, to the praise of woman, that true
wife seldom appeals to the law unless her
love is dead or she still loves and is goaded
on by sheer desperation, having exhausted
sll other means, to make complaint. If her
| love is dead TIE satisfaction of seeing her
| husband reprimanded, fined or imprisoned,
is revenge enough for the physical pain he
has inflicted upon her; on the other hand if
a wife-beater loves in his brutal way and
mis- wife loves him. no one can understand
her feelings nor so readily find an excuse
| for his actions .
1.-THE wife-beater Is generally afflicted
with all the vices of man and adds little
| to the support of his family. They are bet
ter off without him. The moment tn ay
| dread is when he obtains his release from
| prison, but then he has had time to reflect
and returns to his home subdued and hum
| ble, glad to be once more installed into the
bosom of his family In the majority of
| cases she shrinks from the notoriety and
| publi ,ation of her Woes and when her
husband is arrested pleads and begs for
| his release
1.-The whipping post as punishment she
| would hate and despise; it would deter her
from seeking redress and cause her to
| suffer more than she does now in silence
| rather than degrade the man whose name
! she beers to such ignominy'
MIR. PuEh's Opinion.
1.-THE experience I have had in the Office of
prosecuting attorney for the District salts
| fies me that many fnisdemeanors are COM