The Republican journal., 1905-01-05
"GoNE OUT OF THE BUSINESS. ~

To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL: "He
has gone out of the business therefore his
case should not be prosecuted further" Sc
been in the rumselling or gambling bust
ness and who when hard pressed has claim
ed to have gone out of the business. It is
argued by some that the purpose of the law
is to prevent rumselling and gambling and
if this man is out or is going out of the busi-
ness, that is all that is required. "Surely
we do not want to persecute this man. "
"Mr. Attorney, please mol pros his case"
Can any person show why, in all fairness,
| the same reasoning can not be applied with
, as much good sense and logic to persons
guilty of any other crime for example that
of robbery or embezzlement. The man af-
ter committing the crime many times over,
peace and safety, is at length caught. He is
in the hands of the law, and the Jail or
prison stares him in the face. In this
! emergency he decides to go out of the busi-
ness. Stolen goods may be found in his
possession and many thousand dollars
worth may have been exchanged for cash
which he has invested or upon which he
lives in fine style; but he seems sincere in
his statement that he has gone out of the
business, or is going out as soon as he can
adjust his affairs The purpose of the law
is to prevent this crime, and if this man is
out of the business that is all that is re-
quired, tive do not want to persecute this
,,,ap o1 H.;
case"
If the rumseller and gambler should not
be punished for the crimes they have COM
mitted for the reason that they have gone
out of the business, then why should the
robber or any criminal be punished if they
say they will not do SO any more? Does
not the application of such principle safe
guard the criminal? The only peril it
places before him is that if he is hard
pushed he may have to go out Of the busi
ness, for little time, at least.
/ Is it not the purpose of the law to prevent,
not this person in particular, but any per-
son from committing crime, by the certainty
of punishment if he does?
An English minister visiting America
preached in one of the large jails, and after
the service visited some of the prisoners in
their cells He became especially interested
in a man of good education and address,
and seemingly of abilities fitted to COM
mand success in the world. The minister
gave vent to his sincere distress at finding
such man in such place. The prisoner
cut in with the remark that he believed in
England they were fond of fox hunting
The preacher, regarding it as broad hint to
change the subject, assented. ''And, may |
ask" said the prisoner. "when a man gets a
fall does he give up hunting?" On receiv-
ing a negative reply, he added, 81 have had
bad fall, and no mistake, but l count on
better luck another time" This case is
suggestive and typical of large class
There are thousands of men living criminal
lives because they deliberately feel that
they can afford to take the risk. If risks
were greater they would live honest lives.
If everylfox hunter ended by breaking his
neck, fox hunting would be stunned save
by few desperate men; and if rumsellers
were hunted down with relentless honesty
and determination multitudes of men would
be saved from such lives and society from
the injury they do. CITIZEN.