Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-08-15


awakening, There is too much gener-
al sanction Of overt acts outside the
prison walls, for the outside to forever
sit in judgment on those within. We
are beginning TO see, a little at time
that our system Of penal servltude is
not exactly what II appears to be on
the surface.
The vicious decree Of capital punish
ment is finding obstacles in the light
Of modern thinking. We will set 1t
aside before many years. Having done
so, we will then commence to analyze
the lesser crimes and correct nefari-
Gus laws concerning so-called infrac-
items. A new spirit of humanity will
predominant. Abstract consideration
win yield to concrete phases Of indi-
rect responsibility We will learn
some time, that with many a poor dew
II. whose life has been one Of extreme
poverty and hardship, the rope about
his neck was the softest thing that
ever touched him in his whole life.
That socletys inflexible economic law
OF the survival Of the fittest" is as
hard as It's metal dollars and cents,
will engage our attention. We will
also remember that It was mob"
that tore down the Bastlle in France,
erected to the majesty of the law.
Throughout 1t all we are to deal
with the criminal instinct. Steriliza-
tion is offered as a remedy We de-
prive the victim of his natural life and
inalienable rights. We assume that
his offspring will be criminal in. ten
dency But will it2 Who knows? You
would suppose that the children Of
lepers would be leprous. But 1t is
wen known that a certain substantial
per cent Of them are as pure blooded
and without taint as the best Of u.s.
Here we see that nature sets aside
our established law of heredlty. There
are good sheep in bad families as well
as the proyerbial bad sheep in good
families. We must delye deeper into
these social questions. The tigerish
feroclty of the Humphreys case, cited
by observer" merely attracts our at
tention because accompanied by vio-
lence, We will, after awhile, open
our eyes to the real causes and not be
blinded by the shocking effects which
paralyze our senses.
observer" would deal with causes.
Sterilization Is remedy after the
crime, which remedy should have been
applied before. 1t purports to save
further progeny, assuming such to be
lnoculated with characteristic traits.
Biographical sketches of the worlds
great and little men do not substan-
tiate this theory of descending ten
dencies. If there were no exceptions
TO the rule OF heredity there would be
no reasonable objection to the plan.
We propose to act in extreme cases,
after 1t is too late. We encounter the
stubborn maxim which says that "ev-
cry dog is entitled to his first bite"
precluding our acting upon anticipa-
tlon. A study of the mental makeup
of mankind would help considerable,
because our actions indicate our
thoughts, and our thoughts can
be read in the face. Charts Dick
ems illustrates the complexity Of mem
tai and physical man, in his story of
BIZ Sykes, who, after killing the girl,
risks his life over and over again in
a burning building, not because Of
high motives to save, but in compensa-
ton for his dastardly crime. Thus
we see that the same mind that would
ruthlessly slay an innocent one can in
stantly thereafter reach into the realm
Of martyred saints. Monkeying with
ancestry is dangerous thing, Some
of our most effeminate constitutions
have descended from flre-eating war
rlqrs. Jack London says the animal
in man is gradually dying out. we
knew exactly where the animal in
man is located, other remedies might
appear as expedient as sterilization.
The law of heredity has too many gem
eral exceptions to risk the future of
the race upon such extreme measures
as proposed
CLOSE STUDENT.