El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-07

them you have the mineral below as
we'll as on top"
Jarilla, July 6.
FAVOR WHIPPING POST
Grand Jury May Again Recommend
One In Washington.
1t is rumored that the grand Jury
will for the second time shortly recon-
mend the establishment in Washing
ton of q whipping post, says the Wash
inRton Star, for the punishment of
persons convicted of certain crimes.
The question Of lessening crime oc-
cupied good share OF the time of the
members of the association of chiefs of
Chattanooga. Tenn. and Chief Dolan of
Wilmington, DEL, read q paper on
s'The Delaware Whipping Post and
Pillory" which attracted much atten-
ton.
In part Mr., Dolan said: GAS eac b
state has enacted laws relating to the
punishment of crimes, they differ but
little, "a they all infiict imprisonment
and labor as the proper way to deal
less than murder in the first degree,
exec pting the state of Delaware. which
administers corporal punishment in
addition to imprisonment for certain
felonies. viz. Burglary larson, attempt
ed criminal assault and larceny. This
mode of punishment existed during
colonial times and has been wisely con-
tinued during statehood.
wilmington, the metropolis of the
state which have the honor to re-
present, contains about Il, 900 inhabi-
tants, or nearly two thirds OF the po-
pulation of the county. and about
one fourth the number in the state,
aud according to statistics we have q
less percentage of crime of felonious
character than any other state in the
union, and it is greatly owing to The
salutary effects produced by that much
criticised instrument, the whipping
posi-.
"Although it does not entirely pre-
vent the commission of those acts OF
lawlessness for which it is administer
ed, it reduces it TO minimum. There
never has been but one attempt at bank
burglary in our state, and, fortunately,
that proved unsuccessful, as the perpe-
traitors were eppreteDded, arrested,
convicted, and sentenced to, ten years
imprisonrnent, forty lsshes and one
hour In the pillory, and q fine of
$1,000 each.
"We have no penitentiary in our
state. but movement is now in pro-
gress to erect q workhouse, the funds
for that purpose having been appropri-
ated by the late assembly. and it re-
mains to be seer whether it will be an
Improvement on our present system,
which consists of county Jail only,
in which an average of It's prisoners
are confined, the major part of
whom are being held for non-payment
of fines and costs, and short term pris-
,3Al~
the long term and life prisoners being
about 30 per cent.
'Instead of giving q prisoner con-
victed of larceny two, three or six
years. imprisonment, as IL due in other
states, and keeping him At the public
expense, We give him notsless than five
nor more than forty lsshes Grading
the punishment) and . short term In
Jail, and turn him loose at its expira-
ton; and the occurrence Is rare indeed
when he comes under tina lash q second
time. he either gives up the habit or
leaves the state.
''1n many instances the Grim inals
have reformed and engaged In honest
pursuits and become law-abiding citi-
zens. I could mention q number of
these.
an impor tant feature of the subject I'M
der consid Grafton, the whipping post
and pillory have saved our state large
sums of money by deterring criminals
of other states from visiting us: by
preventing in q great measure the COM
mission of crimes for which the pun
ishment Is meted out, by ill-disposed
persons in our own community, and in
many instances reforming those who
have experienced the unpleasantness
produced by this mode of punishment.
81 am we'll aware that this method
of dealing with criminals is not in
good odor with citizens of other states.
We are called barbsrous, inhuman,
benighted, aud are almost ruled out of
| the pale Of civilization on account of
it, and we have within our own g. ate
an opposition to its application by
| few sentimentalists who pose as hui
manitariaus, but they have never been
able to have it eliminated from our
statutes. Sentimentality will never
prevent crime, whatever it may do to
foster it. Nothing but drastic treat
ment such as fits the crime will have
the desired effect; and for the crimes
that have before mentioned nothing
Is better than that we administer,
what we have learned by long ex-
perience to be the only method by
which we can protect ourselves from
the criminal classes. viz, the whipping
post and pillory.'
Summer Rates.