Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-01-04
Drunkards and Crime.

One ofthe most mischicvous and i'm n oral
decisions ever pronounced In a court Is re-
ported from Philadelphia, where u judge
mas declared that drunkenness is comps-
tent defense against the charge Of EN- pez.
element. The particular case which gave
rise to this amazing dtctum was that OF a
man who had taken the collections he had
nude for the firm by which he was en-
ployet and spent them on liquor. More
rational 10 his sober moments than tho
judge, he had admitted his crime and
pleaded guilty. But the court ordered him
to withdraw the plea and to enter one OF
not guilty, and then said:
Where hrm intrusts with money n
person whom 1t had reason to suspect OF
Incorporate habits and he does not appro.
pirate the money OF his own use or make
of with 1t otherwise than to indulge in the
qualification OF his habit, employers must
understand that 1t is extremely doubtful
whether the crime OF embezzlsment can be
made out under such circumstances.
Bad In law bad in logic, bad In morals is
the none too sweeping condemnation which
the wholly iudefensible opinion calls for.
The law has always been that drunken-
ness Is no excuse for any crime, and so far
as we know 1t has never been seriously dis
puted. sentimental plea of paliation Is
sometimes put In for the drunkard who is
continually receiving an Cndeserved sym.
pathy, when what he needs most Is disci.
plne and punishment. But this Is quite
different matter from absolvlng him en-.
tirely.
As for the logic, the Judge contradicts
himself by au utterly impossible distinc-
tion. He admits the definition OF embez-
Element when he speaks OF the appropra-
tion of another's money for ones own use,
and then says that embezzlement Is not
embezzlement II the embezzled funds are
devoted to the particular use of purchas
ing whisky to crafty q worse than Seaslly
habit. IT, then, the embeazler will begin
operations bv going about with whisky
breath and will celebrate his crime by
glorious drunk his escape from the peni-
tentiary Is assured.
Morally the decision is an outrage which
should come as a shook to the community
in which 1t was rendered. II 1t were gen.
orally followed In principle and ths drunk
ard were considered absolutely irre4ponsi-
Bile there is no crime which he might not
commit with impunity. He should have
no such announcement, but should be- held
rather to Il greater accountability than has
ever been demanded of him. One great
defect OF the temperance crusade hitherto
has been that 1t has given him its tears and
directed its hatred, scorn and Indignation
against the saloonkeeper. We are not con-
cerned with the latter's defense, but the
coddling OF drunkards Is a grievous and
fatal mistake. 1t puts them In mood to
excuse themselves and to calculate on
further Indulgence. No one appreciates
50 SuTeWuIy us tueS tne tehuehcy Vi Tue
pleasing doctrine that they are not re-
sponsible.
We speak for countless thousands OF
suffering families, for distracted, despair
ing women, for shamed and hopeless chill
dren when we say that the drunkard
should be judged as strictly for his offenses
as though he had never tasted drop OF
liquor. He Is to a great extent the prod
uct of that misplaced sympathy which re-
lakes the ordinary rules OF human conduct
in his favor aud substitutes q petition for
command which should ring out with all
the authority of the deoalogue. e.-E ditorial
in the Chicago Times Herald.