Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-08-16
Law and Order.

HrOI. II. bIeIel, Va
the Columbia schools was one of the
principal speakers at the unveiling OF
the Sumter monument at Stateburg,
Wednesday, and devoted himself large
" to a discussion of the necessity for
religious and moral training in the
schools. His address was based large
" on the fact of the present lawless-
ness in South Carolina, which was most
|alarmingly set forth as follows:
Without law and order civilized So
cety cannot exist; wise laws properly
respected and enforced are the bull
warks of civilization. When the law
becomes imperative, when constituted
authority is powerless to enforce its
mandates, the individual usurps au-
thority, anarchy prevails lawlessness
triumphs, violence reigns supreme, and
murder stalks abroad by day and by
night until finally society is conquered,
subdued and utterly destroyed.
AS the government derives its pow
er from the people by whom and for
whom it exists, each individual being
a constituent part of the government,
is partly responsible for its enforce
ment. When the government fails to
perform it's proper functions, the peo-
pie and not 1t are to blame. In pc
culiar sense this is true of republi-
can form of government, and for this
reason an educated citizenship is nee
essary to the perpetuity of such gov
ernment. Hence its citizens should re-
ceive the most liberal education possi-
ble Schools and colleges should be es-
tablished in large numbers, in which
the principles of government and the
necessity for law and order should be
taught, beginning with the common
schools and continuing through the
colleges.
In this country, in view Of our wide
spread disregard for law and order and
our appalling indifference to the value
of human life, simple statistics In re-
gard to the prevalence of crime should
be compiled and also taught in our
schools.
To illustrate: The population Of
South Carolina is approximately 1,5OO,-
900: last year the attorney general re-
ported 303 homicides, which gives
twenty for every 100000 inhabitants
and one every twenty-nine hours. In
1904 there were 203, and in 1905, the
number was 262.
In the state of Maine there is only
one homicide to every 100000 inhab-
itants; South Cardinals ratio would
give that state 120 a year. instead or
five or six as is now the case.
The state Of Massachusetts has only
one-third of a homicide for every 1O0,-
600 inhabitants, or 10 year; South
Cardinals ratio would give Massachu-
sets 600.
In Montana the average is IL for eV-
cry 100000 Of population, or 80 each
year: South Carolinas ratio would
give Montana 60.
Florida is in a worse condition than
South Carolina, the number of homi-
cides In that state being % In every
l0O, 900 inhabitants. The actual num-
Der of homicides in Florida Is l3S:
South Carolina's ratio would give Flor
ida 120.
London, with a population of more
than six million. has on an average
about 20 homicides each year, or one
third for every 100000 of population.
South Cardinals ratio would give Lon
don 1900 annually. Again, the popu-
lation of North Carolina, South Caro-
lima and Georgia combined Is about the
same as that Of London, but II the peo-
Dle of these states were as law apid-
ing in respect to human life as they
are in that city. there would be only
20 homicides in them, whereas the act
ual number is nearer 1,200.
Life is ten times safer in Japan than
in our own country.
Tahiti, one of the Society Islands,
with a population of 1000. has one
homicide every four years South Car
Olina's ratio would give Tahiti more
than two a year, and yet we are accus-
toned to think of that island as being
only half civilized.
If the truth must be told, when 1t
comes to taking human life. We are
the ones who are only half civilized,
but the saddest part Of it is we don't
seem to know 1t. If ever campaign
of education was needed in South Car
olina and other sections OF the country.
one Is needed at this time against the
prevalence of murder and other crimes
now so common as to excite almost no
comment. Practically all the daily pa
pers of the state. and some of the
weeklies, are laying these astonishing
and appalling facts before our people,
but as they reach only a small minor
| ity of the population of the state, the
results are meagre and unsatisfactory.
1t is clearly evident that something
more definite Is needed-something
that will reach most of our people In a
few years time Human life. the most
valuable asset Of anv state. Is far too
cheap in South Carolina. Your time or
mine may come next: who knows?
In conclusion Mr.. Dreher urged the
necessity of emphasizing the Bible
teaching as to the difference between
"mne and thine" and the necessity for
law and order. He was sound in all
he said: but improvement will come
only slowly if we have to wait the
process of teaching in the schools.
Something should be done in the way
of sending thieves to chaingangs and
penitentiaries and murderers to the
gallows. Until there is a development
of rigid integrity in the enforcement
of the laws, the children of the schools
will profit little by moral suasion.