The Washington times., 1904-12-31
CITIZENS OPPOSE
A WHIPPING POST
IN WASHINGTON
Expressions of Views on
Report of Grand
Jury.
JUDGE SCOTS OPINION
He Differs From His Asso-
ciate on the Bench,
Judge Kilnball.
JUDGE SCOTS OPINION


post, recently emphasized by remarks
in the Presidents message and recon-
mendations on the subject in the grand
and opponents of the suggestion com
bat it with as great vigor as its friends
use in its advocacy.
Judge Scott. Junior judge of the Po-
lice Court, who alternates with Judge
kfmball in trying cases in the United
States branch of the court, where wife
beaters are given hearings, was asked
What do you think of the whipping
post?
I'm forninst it, he replied in an
instant. You can adore that way if you
wish to. / am not in favor of heating
a man on his barred back because it is
barbarous and more iDhuman possibly
than the act which he committed. Set
the wife beater to work on a rock pile
or somewhere else that he will carr:
money. and give his earnings to his
wife and children. Ofttimes when a
man is sent tc Jail for beating his wife
he lives better than those who have
been deprived of his services. To send
a man to Jail works hardship upon his
family.
IF a whipping post were established,
| the fogGings would perforce have to be
public in order to have any effect or
serve as a warning TO others Take a
man who has father, mother. wife and
children. Fer no fault of their own
their names would be dragged into a
public ffogging, for everyone would in
euire as to what was the offense for
which the prisoner was being beaten.
This would humiIiate the relatives more
than the man who WAS being lashed,
And another thing, a man who would
go to the post once and feel the lash
would in all likelihood be 50 infuriated
| that he would either XIII his wife for
testifying against him or beat her worse
| than the first time, and then take a sec
| end punishment at the post without
| whimper. having been there before. and
! knowing that he was getting the beat
| ing as a result of having satisfied his
grudge. a whipping pest is not what
| We want here. but place where the
| man can be made to work for those
whom he has wronged-
| Has Had Great Experience.
/ Before cases of wife and Inocher- beat
/ ing reach the courtroom they are always
| heard by Assistant Dist-ic- Attorney
Ralph Given. who has charge 3f the
| prosecutions in the Police Court.
| Throughout his eight or ten years in
| the office of Assistant District Attorney.
| he has probably heard more cases of
| wife and mother beating than either OF
the judges, because oftentimes the cases
which he heard are Sufficiently ac-iJ us
to go to trial, but the relenting wife or
! mother refuses TO go into court 10 testi-
| fy either because of the publicity oI
notoriety or because the erriEg spouse
or offspring promises not 20 repeat the
! offense- Then again the judge shifts ey-
cry six months. and hear assault cases
only six months throughout the year
Mr.. Given has the same duty to perform
day in and day out.
From your observation in the Police
Court what do you think Of the whip
ping post as remedy for wife beat
ingz' ne was asked
mo" he said. shaking his head.
Washington nor no other city wants q
whipping post. It's the creation OF bar
barians, and we in these latter days
do not need il. I've read Il great deal
about the whipping post, and have
thought considerable about il, and have
reached the conclusion that IL is not
| what Is wanted now. If the whipping
post was all right. and proved effective
in curing wifc-beating. and proved 4
| success, why did they not continue tC
:. use it2 Why was any change made an
! less those persons in latter days were
wiser or more humane than the men
who established the whipping post? II
Is not only heartieSS and cruel punish
menI TO the man who Is stripped TO the
is humiliation and degradation tG his
relauYes, who should rot b. made Il
suffer because Of the conduct of Il
drunken sot, who StaSSeTs into his domI-
cile during the nocturnal hours. and in
a drunken frenzy and rage bella bors
! his wife or mother over the head with
a chair or the first thing his hands car
gel
Jail Not Sufficient.
Il do not think jail sentence is. sufH-
cient for wife heater For while he
eats regularly and sleeps sounlly II
jail, which is just the same TO him as
are more than likely at home SUFFERING
for want OF the bare necessities of life.
Give the wife beater baclc-brci Ixine
job such as cracking stone or worIina
on the road with a pick and shovel. II
he is man who has been accustomed te
anything other than handling such crude
instruments, on. dose will cure him. Fo1
his labcr let him receive II few paItry
pennies, while the greater portion. whicJ
should he sufficiently large 10 keep hi.
wife and children for one day, is turned
over to those he has wrOnged by hi.
reprehensifIe conduct. l have no sym
pathy with the wife beater. but l d,
not approve OF a whipping post nor d,
| think it will ever be restored in mi.
or any other civilized country
KimbalI Stanch Advocate.
Judge KimbaII is impressed with tn,
necessity of inficting some punishment
upon the prisoner other than fccarcer
ating him in jail, where he does no
kaye to work, but gets three meals 4.
/ day and a bed at night