Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-12-06
Interesting Lectureby Rev.
Luther F. Mckinney.
hght & Heat Co. Now Located
In Its Fine New Quarters.
Accident to Mrs. Hannah Page
Funeral Of Mrs. G. F. Barber.

care Our statute Laws in Harmony
with the Laws of Christianity was
the subject of the lecture delivered
last evening at the Universalist church
nv the pastor, Rev. Luther +. Mckin-
new. The speaker took the position that
thew are not, although we are sup
posed to live in Christian country
and world. The laws, according to Mr..
Mckinney, are supposed to be found
ed OH Justice, but the principles of
Justice without Mercy are unklnd.
They must go together or else justice
fails in its purpose. All agree that
there must be code of laws by which
people are controlled and it is neces-
sarv to have them.
Mr.. Mckinney took up first the Old
Mosaic law of sacrifices IN tue tenn
pies and the penalties attached 1or
breach of the laws. He asked nov lar
we had gotten away from the Old law
of an eye for an eye. life Tor a LIE.
That was called Justice in those days
ard the speaker declared that we were
living under it largely today.
IN sncaking of the law of capital
punishment in states for. the crime OF
murder the speaker declared that only
three states are Christian, Maine,
Rhode Island and Michigan. as they
DO not kill ncn by law.
"Wn put men in prison, feed him,
ministers make a Christian of him
and then we kill him. We call it Chris
tianity. | call it the old Mosaic law"
The speaker gave as the reason why
the law authorizing hanging
was rr,,calod in both Maine and Rhode
Island was because men condemned
Cor murders and hanged were after
wards found to have been innocent.
"In the state of Massachusetts, called
the Huh of the Universe and the Attn
ems Of America, every little while they
Kill man by electricity. Is there any
thing more brutal than killing man
because he killed someone else? There
IS no Christianity in it, was one
statement made by the speaker.
But he noted that some advancement
was being made, especially with the
young people and spoke of the prOba-
ton courts The government, accord
ing to the speaker. made more crimi-
nails of boys through prisons and re-
4 form schools than the boys have them
lnhelvcs Whereas il they were treated
xe human beings they would make
GOOD men and women. Mr.. Mckinney
cpokc of the juvenile court of Judge
1 Lindsey in Denver and the good work
l he is doing, with it and gave several
L illustrations of the results obtained.
| During the stories he spoke of "the
/ third degree" and said that he was
/ down on it with all its meanneSS. He
/ declared that our laws allow a man
| to "snitch'' on a fellow criminal and
remain free and that that is the way
our great wise men deal with scamps."
The speaker stated that in the priS-
ons The mon are abused like Il william
but that it wouldn't make better men
OF them as ii isn't human nature and
you can't abuse man into goodness.
Mr.. Mckinney took Il position as being
opposed To certain terms of impriSon-
ment FOR certain crimes. He asked If
any judge can tell how long it would
take to reform a man in the peniten-
tiary.
Taking the crime of burglary as an
example the speaker said that if he
had the making of the laws he should
send man to prison but have d
board to decide when he had been suf-
fcientlY punished and then send him
out on probation with the understand
Ing that if he committed the crime
again he should be sent back to pris-
on without a trial. Taking up the
selling of rum the speaker asked if a
furlSe'!cr was ever known to be cured
Dy sending him to Jail? He stated that
the rumscller left d man to sell for
MIN while he was in Jail. He advo-
cated sending him to Jail but not tell
Nim how long he would be kept there.
The laws. lie declared, were all
wrong and not in harmony with Chris
{lanity. That the laws were brutal and
f they were brutal then the people
would be and that they must be
changed. Unless they were and we
chanSed our course and had more
ympathy with criminals We multiply
mem year by year. Speaking of the
hardening OF criminals. the speaker
told of William Mckinley during the