Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-15

agement, crime is being crushed out,
but should turn to such document
as statistics of Crime, Suicide, In
sanity and Otner Forms of Abormal-
ity," being a report rendered to con-
gress in 1902.
Take Advanced Stand
The ordinary reader will be surprised
at the advanced views expressed at
congresses whose delegates might have
been expected to have exhibited the
most conservative bias. Take for in
stance the report of the proceedings at
the seventh international prison con-
gress, held in Budapest, Hungary
gathering composed mainly of noted
diplomats and high state officials. 1t
opened with an address by the Hun
garian minister of justice, who in his
second sentence told his audience that
punishment is a double-edged weapon.
Every blow dealt by the state upon
enemies of internal peace leaves
wounds upon the body of society. Rec
ognizing this the state is under an OBJ
legation to mitigate with humanitarian
sentiments the harsh coercive meas
ures Of the criminal law" And he i'm
mediately called the attention of the
congress to the fact that the most
marked tendency of the recent develop
ment of criminal law is seen in the
consideration that Is being paid now
adavs to "the preventive measures
which tend to the suppressing OF the
social causes of cr.minality"
The next speaker was the minister
of foreign affairs from Greece who, re-
viewing the past, said: "At that time
a different idea existed of prisons and
penalties from that which exists today.
The object Of the penalty was that so
cietv might revenge itself on the Grim
inal. He who built a prison only aimed
to raise thicker and higher walls, to
render escape more difficult. He who
pronounced penalties merely aimed to
render the life of the prisoner so hard,
the punishment so terrible, that he
who had been through 1t once would
have no desire to undergo it again, and
that he who might hear of or witness
these tortures might be forever after
intimidated. It was thought that So
ciety was thus protected against ele-
ments of disorder and against crimi-
nails who transgressed the laws. The
results obtained by this manner of re-
pressing crime did not cause it to dis
appear or even diminish"
In Shadow of Past
No one who has followed our let
ters could read the description or the
past without recognizing in 1t an only
too accurate photograph VI pllS -
dltions as they exist in the United
States in this year of grace.
In the report of this congress is 10
be found an admirable paper on the
Elmira, n. Y, reformatory by u. H.
BrockWay, for many years its super
intendent. The congress is further re-
markable for the full discussion the
question of Limited responsibility re-
ceived-a doctrine that is essentially
3, TO Of
tific thought, more particularly perhaps
in the field of psychology Thus DR..
Aug Forel of Zurich said: THE
traditional penal law starts from a
false point of View--that of the alb
solute free will of man and the re-
ligious idea of explation. The judge.
also a man, poses as divine instru-
ment to force the criminal to expiate
his crime, looking upon him as re-
sponsible in the absolute sense of the
term" And he continued: rs is not
shame for the twentieth century TO
condemn and send to the penttentiary
a number, more or less considerable,
of irresponsible wretches, victims Of
heredity, simply through judicial err
rors?" The report states that nine out
of the ten detailed to consider this
special phase of institutions for defec-
tives lndorsed these views, and the
proceedings of the congress seem to us
a remarkable testimony to the growth
of scientific thought as applied to
criminology. 1t will not be possible
for this nation much longer to ignore
tendencies without convicting itself OF
lnvincible ignorance and barbarism.
Literature Is Free
All government and state reports can
be obtained by application to rep
resentative, and the publications OF
such bodies as the American Prison as
sociation, Randalps island, n. Y; the
Massachusetts, Prison association, Sc
Pemberton square, Boston; the Central
Howard association, 100 Adams street,
Chicago; the National Probation
league, 323 Dearborn street, Chicago,
and the Board Of state Charities, In
gratis
On the subject of probation, which is
constantly forging to the front, the
journal of the National Probation
league always has matter that is care
fully. compiled and ably presented
None can write on this with more au-
thority than has Judge Cleland Nc
Kenzie of the municipal court of Chi
cago and his colleague, Judge stephen
A. Foster, delivered an admirable ad-
dress on that particular topic at the
Illinois State Conference of Charities
in October, 1907 Judge Arthur N
Sager Of st. Louis is much quoted and
Warren f. Spalding, secretary of the
Massachusetts Prison association, has
written clearly and forcibly.
Hand in hand with probation goes the
indeterminate sentence, the latter be-
ing. indeed, necessary to the scien-
tific use Of the former Amos W. But
Ter, secretary Of the Indiana Board of
State Charities, and Gov. ]. Frank
Hanly Of Indiana have delivered ad-
nirable addresses on this subject
which are printed in pamphlet FORM
The writer's and associations named in
the preceding paragraph can also be
consulted with much profit, the statis-
tics of results achieved being eXcep
tionally full and convincing.
In a word the prison question is
Banquo's ghost. Wherever sociolOgists
hold festival it bobs up, and it is to-
Gay regarded as a guest worthy of most
serious attention.
NEWS OF POMONA
POMONA, Aug 14,-Last evening the
local board OF education awarded the
contract for, tho ipctallp of now