The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-21
srAMp1NG OUR THE THuG.

At last Chicago alderman has sue
self in some other way than through his
boodling operations. He has sprung into
passing fame through the Introduction
of an ordinance which provides a reward
of $500 for the capture red-handed of
every hold-up man. The ordinance has
been fruitful of general discussion and
will doubtless help in having adopted
some more effective method of dealing
with highwaymen than now prevails.
The capture Of highwaymen in the &C
tive pursuit of their occupation is not to
be regarded as a particularly inviting
task. Occasionally one of the fraternity
runs up against muscular Christian and
gets the worst of the encounter, but 1t Is
not at all probable that lying In walt
popular calling. No matter how caught,
the highwayman needs to have dealt out
to him a much more effective punishment
than society now has in store for him.
He usually succeeds in his undertakings,
unless he happens to attract the attention
which 1t is necessarily his study to avoid.
With a police administration such as st.
Paul is blessed WITH his calling is a spe-
cially safe one, and ordinarily quite proht-
able. His capture in this community is a
matter of such impressive rarity that
the plan of the Chicago alderman Will
never suggest itself to our people as an
especially desirable piece of local regula-
ton In communities, however, wherein
the chief of police is not officially
stranger to the appointing power, or
where police officials have never found 1t
safe and profitable to invest their capital
in the maintenance of a local headquar-
tiers for thugs and confidence men, the
advisability of enacting some such meas
ure as that suggested by the Chicago
alderman is quite clear.
We pay a bounty for the capture OF
wolves The capture of the human wild
beast while in pursuit of his prey might,
with some moral effect at least, have
money, premium attached to 1t. Its eff
The head of the Pinkerton detective sys
TEN has suggested that whipping is the
true punishment to deal out to these ma
RAIDERS. Another police expert has sug-
gested that by making the vagrancy law
mora cevara and we SI1nnose more elas-
TIC the desired end might be secured.
There is something in each Of these sug
gestions, but the first of them will never
be adopted in the present condition of
public sentiment, while the latter is one
which might be made an engine Of infinite
wrong to many deserving but unfortunate
men.
The housebreaker and highway robber
are two of the most dangerous pests of
society. Those who are such from choice
are quite as untitled to be at large as
the leper. Like lepers. they should be
segregated. A man convicted of high
way robbery or burglary, and who is
known to the police to be criminal.
should under no circumstances receive
a sentence of less than twenty years du-
ration. Prison regulations should operate
to put him at the hardest physical labor
done within prison walls; and If Sec
ond conviction were to be followed by i'm
prisonment for life, the evil would soon
find an ending.
1t is well known that states which
provide the maximum of punishment for
such criminals are comparatively free
from crimes of this character. These
criminals soon learn of the provisions
made for their entertainment, and they
are careful to remain outside their limits.
The subject is not one of local regula-
ton. 1t should be taken up by state legis-
Iators. 1t is only by the adoption of the
most drastic system of punishment that
such crimes will ever be stamped out.
That Chicago alderman, however, has
rendered substantial service to society
by bringing the subject under general
discussion.