Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-01-12

follows
"The clty Is over run with tramp
and burglarles are BY far TOO lrequent,
the police force is not sunclehe ~
protect more than the business part
~ the city. therefore, it behOOves you
IN device some more radical means oi
punIshment, which will rid the city
~ this undesirable element
Are we sure that this punishment
will stop the cflmee Of the so called
tramp since the very beginning OF
ancient history. all nations seem to
nave had supreme confidence 10 inn
pnsonment aud inhiction OF pain.
They have regarded punishment as
the shortest road to reformation, sud
that imprisonment. toiture, aud
death constitute truity under whose
protection society may feel SECURE.
In addition 10 these, nations have re-
lied on connscatIon, aud degreditl'n
on maIming, whipped, frauded and
exposed to public rldicule and cen
tempt connected with the courts %
Justice was the character Of torture.
The ingenuity of mau was exausted
in the obstruction Of instruments Of
torture that would surely reach the
most sensitive nerve. An of this
was done Ia the interest Of civilization
Tor the protection OF virtue, aud the
well being OF states. Curiously enough
the fact Is, that no matter how severe
the punlshments were the crimes In
creased 1t was found that the penalty
OF death made but little difference,
thieevs and hlghwaymen went their
way. IL was then thought best to-
ada to the torture death. And con-
sequently the convicted were punished
In every imaginable way, be-
fore execution. They were broken at
the wheel, their joints dislocated on
the rack, they were suspended by the
legs and arms, while great weights
were placed on their breasts, their
flesh was bruised and torn by hot
irons. they were roasted 10 slow fires,
they were given 20 wild beasts,
melted lead poured Into their ears
aud hundreds OF other punishments,
and stIll the crimes increased. Sup
pose the city does devise some radical
means OF punishment and IN this way
drive this element outS Have We
done anything TO reform these
trampsg Have We not made them
worse men by our punishment than
they were bcforeS They viii depart
with envy and revenge In their heaIts
20 return az some future time and
commit worse crimes than they are
doing now. These tramps are human
beings and we should treat them as
such. We can't tell what tempta-
tions these men have had. We don't
know what has brought them 10 what
they are. Perhaps the main cause Is
the unjust laws under which they
have 20 live; reverse the condition,
under which they live and the lives
Of these men viii be reversed. Treat
them ~ brothers instead OF devils aud
they viii he good citizens. Give them
work and a Just compensation for
their labor. II the money spent In
the last halt century 70 convict and
punish criminals and for building
ialls and penitentlaries, and the sup
port OF them beea spent IN making
lust laws for the citiEens 90 live under,
building factories, railways, street
rail says electric light plants aud
water works, and each for the en-
ployment of the people. THUS the
would be criminals and tramps would
have a chance % earn a living for
and families, instead OF
leading life OF crime, poverty and
misery.
According to the mayors message
the city paid sS,S5l.6s for their eleo-
trlc lights, a.ssl for their water
supply, which anlonnls 70 sdtsS2.ee
for 1850; this Is outrageous but where
the city made the mistake VAS
in maklng contract with
lhe light and water oompauissi
lhls amount Of money saved each year
lor 80 years wo0ld have
oallt the lighting and water plants,
a.-m-A city would probably re-
,slve ~h frOn the peOpie. tofpres-