Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-09-24
Misesllansuus 8sading.
DEBT OF THE CONVICT.

DEBT OF THE CONVICT.
What He Owed to Society, and His
View of 1t.
A man who had committed q crime
some years ago, and who had escaped
from prison, was rearrested in Kansas
City the other day and taken back to
serve his unexpiated sentence, says the
Kansas City Journal. He had lived an
exemplary life here and elsewhere Tor
years, and on the eve Of his departure
for the scene Of his offense he remark
ed, Its tough to have to go back to
Jail after living a decent life for years"
The man was only half right In his
view of the matter, but his view is
that of a great many persons, both In
and out Of Jail. Very frequently we
hear of prisoners complaining Of jail
fare and the lack Of conveniences In
connection with their Imprisonment.
Yet there Is something Of the impu-
dent, IL not of the ludicrous In q man
who has offended against society COM
planning Of treatment which Is much
more considerate than his own treat
ment Of that same society. Modern
criminology represents an incalculable
advance upon the old Mosaic law, and
yet there was a profound psychology
in the exaction of an eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth. The Mosaic
is simply the Golden Rule in another
form. The Golden Rule bids us do as
we would be done by. The Mosaic law
did to people as they did to others. 1t
embodied the elemental law Of COM
pensation, retribution and restitution,
and no new dispensations can entirely
abrogate the principle in theory or
even in practice.
So that it was not entirely tough"
in the sense that 1t was unjust for this
man to be compelled to pay his debt
to society. We have not very mate
rally improved, in theory, upon the
so-called barbaric tribes which exact
reparation and restitution, where
ever possible. from those who Of
fend against the rights Of per-
son or property. Civilization locks up
a thief for a certain length Of time, but
the person who has been despoiled OF
his property rarely recovers 1t, and the
idea of restitution does not enter into
our theory Of punishment. In punish
ing the guilty we punish the innocent
family Of the culprit, and appropriate
all his labor for the benefit Of the state.
Neither the victim Of the crime nor the
family of the guilty one gets any bene-
fit from our system Of furnishing Often
ders.
But there Is glimmering Of justice
in insisting upon the full payment OF
the obligation to society, and with this
explanation all concerned must be sat
isfied. Certainly the guilty party has
no valid complaint to make, for If there
Is any lesson in good citizenship 1t
Is that Of present loyalty to all the
claims which society has upon the cit
izen, plus the payment Of all back
debts. The moral statute Of limita-
tions never runs in favor Of a criminal,
and not until the last farthing Of obli-
CATION has been discharged may he
dare to look society in the face, and say
that any treatment Is tough" which
compels him to expiate his sin. Even
then the honest man, who has not yet
yielded to temptation, and who has
done his duty toward his fellow men,
has an immensely stronger claim to
their consideration.
Pushed to Mosaic extremities, this
would discount sincere repentance, If
not entirely disregard it, and this is
where the modern dispensation is an
Improvement on inexorable exaction Of
equivalents. The Mosaic law was JUS
tice, but 1t was justice unbandaged.
Modern justice has her eyes shut, the
oretically, but tempers her DEGREES with
mercy. So long as men commit crimes
there must be expiation. The old way
failed to stop crime and the new way
has not prevented the multiplication OF
criminals, but the new way is infinite
ly better. If we err on the side Of kind
ness, If We feed and house our prison.
ers better than they are fed and housed
when at liberty, in the majority of in
stances the mistake does credit to our
hearts, If not to our heads. When men
were hanged for scores Of offenses the
gibbet was never idle, but the palatial
prisons of today must not be consid-
cred in any sense palliations Of crimes.
Society demands its own today just as
in the days Of Moses, though in diff
ferent way. No man has any right to
call the enforcement Of the demand
tough" 1t is for society to COM
plain when payment Is evaded. That
Is the only tough" feature Of the
case.