Newark post., 1911-05-17
OBJECTS TO The
WHIPPING POST
An Interesting Letter Published Re.
Gently In Evening Journal

spent praCtCal all my years III Dela-
ware, and, on most occasb bpns, am
proud 10 acknowledge it and assert It.
But olttlmes the mention OF my native
State abroad, that is, outside the State,
has been the occasion if not of cha
grin, at least OF controversy. Most OF
the criticism levelled against US is
jocular and arises from the territorial
smallness OF De aware Yet one can't
help feeling there is a remnant OF this
criticism, after the trivial and jOvial
have all been culied out, that is deServ-
ed There is no need TO rehcarse one
political scandal that hung over us like
a reeking log for decade. We have
rid ourse.ves OF thar fog. il not OF the
blight it lett And still there remains
another Jog lowering over us, surely
not so thick but jusr as blighting |
refer to the survival, in our punishment
of criminals, of that crude relic o. bar
barsm-the Whipping
Wei do | recall my first serious ac-
quaintance with this reformatory me-
thod OF dealing with offenders. AS a
boy | had always been highly interest
ed in politics; in Delaware every male
old enough to talk is a politician, !
asked father whether John Doe, a
particularly meek and inOffensive white
farmer, was Democrat or Republican.
He replied, neither; he can't vote. On
hearing this | was puzzled, for | knew
that every negro OF age, however, illlt-
crate or degenerate, voted; ! had even
seen aged negroes, too feeble to walk,
carried TO the polls in the arms o. white
district worker" Father went on TO
explain that when a young man, John
Doe had been whipped for sealing
chickens and deprived OF the fran
chise. ! thought. but couldn't think it
out. Today John Doe is a minister
and head shouter' in Kent county.
All the boys in the village looked
forward, as to a holiday, to the public
yer. One Saturday a number OF them
went to see the 'niggers ger cow
hlded' | was not permitted to go.
But | had ample opportunity TO Judge
of the effects on them. The next Mon
day morning at school recess i was
attracted by the shouts and laughter
from around the back OF the school
building, The boys were reacting the
exciting melOdrama for their OWL
benefit A dog securely fastened by the
four ieer to small tree was the VIC
tim. Each boy took HI sturn at p ay-
ing sheriff.
My first actual witnessing OF this
uplifting spectacle was OUT at Green
bank three years ago The law re-
quires, | believe, that The ceremony be
public. The one sided bouts were
scheduled to be put on at 1890 a. m
In spite OF a drlzzling rain, an hour
before that time there was crowd Of
about 200 pushing, showing and climb
ing to vantage points. There were but
two Classes in The mob; The curious, tC
which | t1atter myse 10 have beIong-
ed; and he viciOusfaced unemployed
who were out lCr Roman holiday
The talk in the crowd was imprint.
able. Directly a half dozen guards
with loaded rifles came and perche 4
On TOP OF the circular walled enc Osure
where the show was to he Doubles IS
they were present TO preserve taiI
play. Necks were strained toward the
opening OF an underground passage
Soon there appeared TWO deputies posi-.
lively dragging manacled, brutlSl
negro stripped to the waist. He was
quickly clamped into a stretched posi-.
tion and the fiogging commenced. My
position was poor and only once aite'
about the fifteenth ASH did | see the
victims back. Each b ow had eft {
long crooked white seam. The per.
formance, SHE disappointed mil
hand next me sad, was outrageous
tame. The negro hadn't cried on
once. only mutt1ed groans, no bloot
had been drawn, not even did he have
e,n,,,rh .Il
iainr Wait for the next one, he's go,
ing to get 80 for sea ing corn" No,
wormed my way out OF the crowd. Or
my way in town on a car my neighbo,
mumbled, that was nothing, ought Il
have seen the time we burned White
To enumerate the obvious demoral
izing influences OF such cruelty legal
lied by the social sanction OF the stat,
is superfuously flippant. No civilize,
social body OF the Twen ieth centur,
would wantony torture its members
There must be and are arguments il
support OF this form o. punishmen,
The reasons advanced by Justice Com
eggs years ago no longer hold. In re
cent years the Honorable Chief Jus
tice Lore in an open letter to a Phisl
delphia journa has urged the sanes
and most convincing arguments in ia
for OF retaining the whipping pos,
They reduce themse YES to Two niail
ones: First, we must have some quic
and effective means OF dealing wit
our large percentage Of negro crimi
mails ,partcu arly those guilty OF pert
larceny. Secondly, that, situated as W
are, right in the midst o. the larg
seaboard cities, our lit state woul
prove a convenient stopping-off p,ac
for The professional light fingered gen
try unless we had some unusual dras
tic mode OF punishment.
The first argument, it seems to me
must be answered on broad. human
tartan grounds. No one relishes see
ing white man whipped, except thos
convicted OF wife-beating; in fact, e
day only the more degenerate white
are sentenced TO The whipping pos
R,,t ,,ar-a ;c p