The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-15
Drunkenness and Crimes of Vio-

Hence.
In the Medico-Legal Congress in New
York the other day member argued that
for crime committed by an intoxicated
person the punishment should not be
equal to that for crime committed by So
Der person. The argument was that intox-
ication was analogous 70 insanity in the
perturbation of the intellect which it pro
duces, and that a drunken man, like an
insane man, is unaware of the nature of
his act and therefore should not be held
to the same responsibility as a sober man.
1t is gratifying to state that the propo-
sition was strongly combatted in the
congress-
The wonder is that there should be in
such an assemblage as the Medico-Legal
Congress men willing to point out to Grim
inally inclined persons how to screw their
courage up to the point of murder, and
then to offer apologies for murder COM
mitted under the circumstances suggest
ed. 1t is a pretty well known fact that a
great many crimes of violence even now
are committed by persons who fill them
selves up with whisky for the especial
purpose of nerving themselves to the
deed. If drunkenness were made an ex-
cuse for such crimes, it would be Of
fering premium upon violence. The man
or woman with a grievance would feel
comparatively secure in getting drunk and
killing or manning the person against
whom the grievance was harbored.
Drunkenness in the vast majority of in
stances merely accentuates the evil in
ones disposition. 1t is itself a crime.
1t is debasing and terrible. There
is no excuse for it, and it certainly
should not be considered as an excuse
for any other crime. The laws do not
recognize drunkenness as in palliation
of crime, and the laws are right.
Savannahians do not have to go away
from home, or out of their way to wit
ness races; some of them close and more
| or less exciting to persons watching
them, Notwithstanding the racers them
selves seldom or never known that they
are in competition. There are trolley
lines on West Broad, Barnard, Whit
aker, Abercorn, Habersham, Price and
East Broad streets. These streets run
parallel with each other, and in the order
named they are separated by only one
to three blocks. 1t frequently happens
that cars on two or more of the lines,
within sight of each other as the inter-
secting streets are passed, start in the
same direction at the same time The
sporting passengers take notice of the
fact. and then the fun begins Small
wagers are laid on the question of which
car will distance the other, and the ex-
element grows intense, in small patches,
as the unsuspecting motormen drive their
| whizzing cars along. The matter of stop
| ping to let passengers on or off is an
unknown quantity in the race, which
! frequently makes the car that appears
to be a dead sure winner the loser; and
that element of uncertainty is nuts to
your true sport
The capital of South Carolina is stu
ated on the boundary line between Rich
| land and Lexington counties. The city of
| Columbia is in Richland, and its chief sub
urb, Brookland, is in Lexington. There
| appears to be a great craze in the state
/ for new and smaller counties, hence the
possibility that when the shutting and
cutting are over, the capital will be found
in some other county than Richland. 1t
may indeed, transpire that the "domi-
nant element" in the constitutional con-
vention viii seek to honor their leader by
/ forming a new county with Columbia in
the center and calling it Ben Tillman
l county.