Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-11
Whipping-Post Opinions.

The communications and haphazard in
terviews concerning the whipping post
published in today's Star, throw light upon
some interesting phases of the subject. Inc
secretary of the Associated Charities, Mr..
c. F. Weller. whose training and experience,
involving both the profound study OF the
theories of penology and close observation
of their practical application to men ana
women give impressive weight TO MS
words. outlines the method of dealing er-
fectively with the wife-beater which Is
commended by modern progressive thought
He repudiates utterly the whipping post
as a remedy drawn hastily "out OF the
scrap heap of discarded punishments. He
suggests compulsory labor. the earnings
being paid in some part at least to the de-
pendent family. This logical, civilized and
Christian cure OF the evil, giving at least
the promise of beneficial results for tne
WIFE, the husband and the community. has
been opposed with the contention that Or
ganized labor would be hostile to any such
form of convict employment. The state
ments of Mr.. GOmpers, president. OF the
American Federation of Labor, show
clearly that 1t would be easy to arrange
hard productive labor for the convicted
wife-beater which would be, not merely not
hostile to. but in full harmony with or
ganized labors view Of the proper treat
ment of convicts.
There is a disposition on the part OF
some of the labor leaders to question
whether it would be wise to separate wife
beating In Washington from other crimes
of violence and brutality. and to provide
for it special punitive treatment, even that
of compulsory labor. They fear that any
such proposition may give widespread i'm
preston that wife-beating is so peculiarly
and fiagrantly prevalent at the national
capital as to demand for a characteristic
local evil a special and heroic remedy.
They recognize that the whipping-post pro-
posal has already caused the local commu-
nifty to be showered with slurs and insults
appearing in American newspapers. to the
discredit and material injury of the ma
tional capital. But the feeling Of abhor-
renee for the whipping-post ON principle is
strong with them, and the very general
sentiment among them Is that If any spe-
cial treatment is provided for Washington's
brutal wife-beaters 1t should be along COM
pulsory labor lines, and not by way of the
whipping-post.
These expressions of public opinion, taken
In connection with others that have appear
ed in print, show clearly that there is no
such local demand or local need for the
whipping-post as would justify the Dis
trict's legislature in imposing 1t upon the
people of Washington to their humiliation
and injury. The interesting statements
from ill-treated wives which The Star has
printed suggest strongly that they as a
rule see no remedy at all for their ills in
the whippingpost. Students of modern
penology condemn it. OF the police court
judges. who would direct the application of
the whpping-pos one favors it (the idea
having been his hobby for years., while
the other is vigorously opposed to it. The
prosecuting officers as rule do not favor
it. The people of Washington as a whole
are undoubtedly opposed to the resurrection
and erection at the national capital, to the
city's disgrace, of the Anticipated whipping
post. after 1t has been tested and discarded
in the neighboring states. in the United
States in general and practically in the
whole civilized and Christian world.