Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-11

members of the House of Representatives
settle the matter once and for all
To some members of the House the re-
porting of the Adams bill appeals as
huge joke. To others it appears as a re-
Election upon the committee and upon Con-
gress that such a bill has lain for even a
brief period upon the business calendar
There are several members of the body
who have announced their intention of Of
fering amendments to the bill One men,
Der from a southern state says that he saw
enough OF the whipping post before the
civil war to last him all me rest of his life
and he suggests that in the bin the words
steam kicking machine be substituted for
whipping post and that the first man
called up for punishment be the author of
the pending bill. Another member has an
nOuEced his intention of Offering an amend
ment to the Adams bill, to put into use
once more all the various engines of re-
taliatory punishment which We're once in
favor and which have been rusty from dis
use these hundreds of years. Other men,
bers are primed on the subject and while
the bill may have some defenders-there
are those who have not given serious con-
sideration to the alternative proposition
offered to deal with the question of wife
beating-it appears from present indica-
lions that Mr.. Adams will have but for
loru hope to fight with him for the post and
the lash.
In view of all the discussion concerning
the whipping post and its virtues just now
in progress, II is rather interesting to turn
the yellowed leaves and view the post IN
its proper setting. 1t cannot be denied that
the post and the pillory were patr and
parcel of the old regime of retaltatory pun
ishments, simple and natural outgrowth
of the conditions of other times. 1t may
be said at least. that the system of pun
ishmcnt notable for its sweet SIM
plicity If q man took what did not belong
to him, his hand was Topped off. with the
idea that the manned stump would remind
him for the rest of his days that the way
of the transgressor was hard; If he offended
the second time and was caught. his other
hand followed the first and he was left a
helpless cripple for life II his hearing
proved too acute Mt the wrong time an ear
was sliced from his head on slight provo
cation the second followed the first.
If he talked too much the pincers tore
out his tongue; il his vision proved too
keen ar some unfortunate moment. red
hot poker destroyed his sight. And in ad-
| dition 10 these tridfng punishments for
| trivial offenses there were 200 capital
| crimes for which the penalty was death.
Certainly it would seem to the average
| man as II sufficient inducements were Of
! fered to the jewellers in those days to stick
| to the straight and narrow path. But evil
| IDENTIFY the desired end was not served. for
| In the face of all that long list of manning
and burning and branding and beheading-
| of fearful punishments without number and
| that beggar description--there Is no record
| that crime and license were any less preva-
| lent than at the present day.
| Prior TO the nineteenth century the whip
| ping post was an English political institu-
! ton OF great antiquity. the direct out
| growth of whipping at the carts tayle"
All through the middle ages II held sway