St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-08-10
The Epidemic Of Crime.

-
by published details, we reproduce
the following editorial on the SUBJ
ject from last Tuesdays Pieayune
as being of interest:
"The epidemic of violent and
most fiendish crimes that is sweep
ing over the country is one OF the
most startling features of this
much Wanted age of progress and
prosperity.
Murder and rape make up the
chief items in the record and the
conditions attending the commission
OF these crimes are attrocious in the
extreme.
The most frightful reports come
from New York and Chicago, but
there is no part Of the country free
from them, and New Orleans has
it's place in the record. Many OF
the persons arrested for the crimes
in question are foreigners, who are
crowding into the country at the
rate OF a million a year; not a
few of the most dreadful crimes are
charged upon natives.
e'The chief reason why rape and
murder are so rife in this country
ia that they are seldom or never
| punished adequately. An idea has
cotton hold upon the American
people that crime is not the ex-
preston of any malicious intention,
but is the result Of a disease, an in-
trinity, and it therefore ought not
to be punished, but the perpetrators
should be treated as invallds and
| coddled and cured. The result is
that capital punishment has been
banished from the criminal codes OF
| not a few Of the States, and 1t Is
seldom inflicted in others. In our
own commonwealth the verdict by
a jury giving death sentence IS
little more than a mere threat; a
threat which usually means nothing.
eff in place of the death sentence
solitary confinement were substl-
tuted, every demand of justice
would be satisfied, for that would
mean punishment. But where the
intention is to turn loose the most
frightful criminals after few years
or monthss confinement, any real
punishment is out of the question
"When we learn, in addition, thai
life imprisonment means only 8
brief term Of years, with the hope
that never leaves the inmates OF
4 our prisons that they will be able
to release themselves before even
the popular sentimentality that con
gtantly coddles convicts, can avail
10 secure their freedom, it is easy
to understand why men who Wan'
to kill and ravish are so ready to
= take the risk. They are almost
sure that they never will be pun
D ished, or If they are it will not oe
e very serious, and SO they do moi
e hesitate at any atroclty that they
e may choose to attempt
cit is the American failure o.
justice that is a cause OF grea'
e deal of the crime. If punishment
: were SO sure and terrible that es-
I cape would be difficult, many
+ man who now does not hesitate
= would be deferred. But the failure
to punish is only because the PEG
4 pie in mass do not want any pun
r ishment, except IN some rare cast
= when public opinion happens to bt
i aroused. The people choose those
who make their laws and. those WHIT
'- administer them, and we may b'
: be sure that they get just what the!
l. want.
o "There is no remedy possible il
: any popular reform. Beform II
i usually only skin deep. 1t doe
q not strike into the heart and COZ
science. But every evil, if allowe'
II to run its course, brings its Owl
j relief. When what is now an cpl
II demic of crime becomes a reign o
o terror the people will rise up agains
}. it and clear out laws. lawmakers
a courts and organized government
" and drench the land with blood
Then society will be reorganize'
II and start in again to 60 the roun
e to which all institutions are con
Ie demned.
When the water works were pa