The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-01
FRON OTHER PENS
RICH MEN AND THE LAW.

New conditions, at times require
new remedies. The offenses recog-
nized by the criminal law are mainly
| such as have been common in society
for centuries. With the advance of
civilization, it is no longer considered
necessary to punish sheep-stealfng
with death. The tendency has been
toward mitigation of the penalties of
the law.
But. with the increasing completely
of social relations, new offenses
against the moral law appear for
definition by the legal code. One Of
the most difficult roblems in modern
criminology is to ind the most eff
hcient way of dealing with predatory
wealth. Shall we fine our Rockefel-
lers, or send them to jail?
Judge Ben Lindsey, of Denver one
of the foremost students of criminol-
ogy in the country, declared, the 9TH
er day, that men like Simon Guggen-
helm, who bought his seat in the
United States senate, are worse than
bomb throwerS, and should be hung.
Senator Cullom's opinion, that Mr.
Hartman should be in the peniten-
tiary, is shared by many. But the
plain fact is that we have no laws to
reach the Guggenheims and the Har-
rimans. And the most that Rookie
Teller may dread is money fine,
greatly less than the sum filched from
the pockets of the people.
President Woodrow Wilson. of
Princeton, in his Fourth of July adj
dress at jamestown, expressed the
view which amounts to popular con-
viction, when he said that, for the I'M
lawful acts of corporations, men are
responsible, and men, not the corpora
tions, should be punished. Why inn
pound a LOCOMOTIVES, because the en-
gineer has been guilty of criminal
carelessness? Lock up the engineer.
President Wilson adds:
zone really responsible man in jail,
one real originator of the schemes and
transactions which are contrary to
public interest legally lodged in the
psnitentiary would be worth more
than a thousand corporations mulcted
in fines, # reform is to be genuine and
permanent
Fines are commonly regarded as
license paid. If the money to be made
by. breaking the Law is greater than
the proba BILE penalty, the law will. con-
tinue to be broken. But once place
Hartman, Gould and Schiff behind
the bars and there will be no more
Alton deals, even with $23,O00,000 as
the stake.
Twenty-three millions suggests the
predicament of twenty-three leading
business men of Toledo, o., who have
been sentenced to six months in Jail
for violating the state law against
&C nspiracies in restraint of trade.
There will be no more such cases for
the courts in Toledo, in many day.
Such a law, when enforced is In strik-
ing contrast with our national legisla-
ton along the same lines. We will
not go quite SO far as Judge Lindsey,
mans and Rockefellers. Stripes and
prison fare will be sufficient.-Los
Angeles Times.
COSTS LIKE 1T.
War is not only hell. as General
Sherman said, but it. is an expensive
hell. The world is today paying for
the cost of two recent and highly ex-
pensdve wars, and yet some persons
wonder where all the money goes.
The South African conquest cost
Great Britain a cool $1,000, 900, 900,
and the Beers must have spent sixth
as much more in defending their lit
tie republic. To get a foothold in
Manchuria and drive back the Rus
sian armies took a tidy $1,1OO,000 900
from the Japanese treasury, while the
ambitions for a greater empire cost
the car S1,500,00O, 900. In these
two wars. not counting the many mill
lions which Germany is still paying
out in southwest Africa, the stipend
Gus total of $4,000, 100000 was ex-
pended. A large part of this may be
set down as utter waste of capital
philadelphia Press
THE FORCE OF EXAMPLE.
Vestryman August Belmont urged
the members of his church to give up
some of their expenditures for pleas
ure in order that they might be able
to raise the insufficient salary of their |
clergyman. After which Mr.. Belmont
departed for Europe, regretting that
other expenditures made it impossible
Tor MIN to contribute to that good
Dispatch.
A GOVERNMENT WORTH WHILE.
In the French army no less than
15,OOo soldiers are unable to read. In
our own army there is not one litter
ate. See what comes of having a gov
eminent that is worth while.-Brook-
Ign Eagle.
A DEMONSTRATION.
anyway, there are a lot of people |
In Europe and Asia who know now
that Uncle Sam has fleet of eighteen |
nrst-class battleships, who didn't know |
IL three weeks ago. That is worth |
SO Observation-Disclosures Snringa- Ga