Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-14
FEAR OF THE LAW WANING
Proportion of Homicidea in the United
states Larger Than In Any
other Land

Judge Thomas Of Alabama makes the
startling statement that in the year 1906
there were 11S homicides I'm the United
States for every million Of population. In
Germany there were but 46 to the million,
in Canada 1874 In Britain S4 The proper
ton in the United States is larger than in
any other advanced country why is this
so?
There will be many answers, but they will
gradually sift down to one, namely, that
the people OF the United States have not
been properly taught respect for law. either
human or divine. The law against murder
is primarily a divine law, but It is also a
human law in every civilized country I'm the
world. AS such it depends for it's enforce
ment upon human agencies, and upon the
cooperation of the people whom it protects.
So long as the consequences of the break
ing of the law are not certain. swift and
terrible, so long will the breaking Of the
law continue.
Here in the United States the chances
Of conviction are probably less than in any
other civilized country. In the first place,
the police organizations in our larger cities
leave much to be desired. The machinery
OF detection is less nearly perfect than It
Is I'm either London or Paris. OF the twenty
or more murders that happen every day in
this country IT Is probably quite safe to
say that five are not followed by the arrest
Of the slayer. OF the other fifteen ten are
not followed by conviction OF the last five
perhaps not more than half bring men to
the gallows or the electric chair.
1t is easy to adduce other causes, the
negro population, the mixture Of races in
the great cities, the ignorance and iliteracy
prevalent not only in the lower orders of
the cities, but also in large rural communi-
| ties, but these are very small contributory
causes. The quick temper Of the Italian
! immigrant might be adduced but for the
fact that even Italy has had, this last year,
a smaller percentage of murders than the
! United States The real cause must be
faced squarely. 1t is our national disre-
gard of law, perhaps one might even say
our national contempt of law.
The voice of the law is not sufficiently
terrible. Too many extraneous cOnsidera-
tons enter into the administration of this
terrible law which demands a life for life
Maudlin sentiment the plea OF a child, the
pressure Of a political machine, the 'un-
written law" If you will, the actual ex-
| penditure of money in large quantities, the
! agitation Of the press-all these and many
other similar agencies have suficed at
times, to turn aside the merited punish.
ment of the murderer
The murder rate is advancing in this
country. 1t is time to face the truth, to
put aside forever our halfway measures
In the enforcement Of the stern hard law
that is our only safeguard against the
slayer. II there be not in the United States
steadfastness, a certainty, sternness in
the enforcement Of this law, such as there
Is, for instance, in Germany or in Canada,
then the United States cannot hope to stay
/ this terrible retrogression. How many years
will it be before we sink to the level OF
Mexico, where nearly las men are slain
each year out Of every million inhabitants
Worlds Work.