New-York tribune., 1912-02-08


Influence with our governors, and very fire.
huently TO others. Three of the worst mur
-aerers / can remember in the history OF
This state were pardoued within three years
after their crimes II would seem that al
most any American, be no even the trial
Judge or District Attorney. will sign a pet'-
ton for the release Of convicted muir
heYer, no matter how brutal. after two or
three years have elapsed since his trial
let me quote again the savirS of Judge
Riddle. that the tlking "a, lito FOR the
highest crimes, after du" process OF Law.
seems the only mcde OF taking life 10
which the average American has any ohJec-
Lon"
Not Mercy. But Cruelty.
Let me remind kind-hearted men and
ecmen that efforts Of theirs-hysterical
and other-for the pardon Of criminals are
not mercy but cruelty. Such efforts have
had a vast influence in this country TO en-
courage murder. In the light Of the above
statistics such so-called 'merciful" people
cannot he held gulltless Of cruelty, and
even crime. Take the case as 1t stands
to-day Apply 10 the columns of criminal
statistics in The Chicago Tribune" dur
tug the last twenty years that simple law
of averages 10 which Buckle called atteu-
tion fifty years ago. Under this scientific
law It is absolutely certain that in this
country of ours. between any and every
Gav Of this year and every corresponding
date Of next year. there will be about eight
thousand deaths by violence, and that at
least half, and probably more than half,
of these might have been prevented did we
rot give SO much scope To tonguey Crimi-
ma, lawyers, hair-splitting judges, plant
IL
rancid liberalism" Let me remind really
Jnerciful men and women of the myriad
wives and children who. by these thou.
sands of murders of their breadwinners,
which under the law of averages are in
ctitably TO come during the present year,
arc 20 be plunged into poverty and distress
Sud even crime These wives and children
should he the real objects OF our pity. NJ
own sympathy goes out 10 these women
and children, not 10 the dcEeHeTates, ruff
fans. ycggmcn and hold-up men who com
NIT these atrocities against them and our
country.
The only co0solins thing in all this rec
ord Of crime and imhecilty is the fact that
in various parts of the country virile and
sober minded men are beginning what looks
like a better state Of things. II IS pleas
ure 10 note that tho highest courts Of New
- York are no longer so receptive TO mere
bubbles as they once were, and that jury
men are beginning to show somewhat
irmer fibre. There are also indications OF
4 better leadership in this matter. Direct
ly to the point is Mr.. Roosevelts saying.
in q Chicago address, that some people
10 not feel the pain of the murderer's vic
tim. but DO feel intensely the pain which
the murderer ought to suffer for his crime
Very important also is President TaftS
denmciation of the folly OF our present
dealings with crime.
Movements in Right Direction.
Very useful have been the statistics fur
rished by Judge William II. Thomas. Of
Montgomery. Ala. steady and effective In
the right direction also are the arguments
Of Judge Amidon, Of the United States Dis
tr!ct Court Of North Dakota; the various
writings Of Professor Wigmore. dean Of the
Law School in Northwestern University, and
the recent books on needed reforms in our
laws by Moorcfeld storey and others OF
good omen is the founding Of The Journal
of the American Institute of Criminal Law
and Criminology." at Chicago, in which
large number Of our best Jurists, mainly
among the Younger men, are giving timely
facts and COgent arguments IN language
And last but 10y no means least very note
worthy arc tho articles by Carl Snyder In
Golfers Weekly" during the last three
ucnths. Granting that these latter aru-
. 1Ies show deep and bitter feeling, they are
7ndnc The less effective in calling the atten-
ton Of thinking men. especially the young
q men. 70 the increasing discredit OF our
.p~eseni administration Of the criminal law,
sIeo bT
forming. which, among other wild remedies
for tho evils above noted, demands such
formidable nostrum as tho recall of
judges
And now a FINAL question 10 our gov
.crUore and legislators Let me ask them
how If tho highest penalty he abolished,
they propose 10 protect the prison officials
arI inmates from the very considerable
number Of desperate burglars thugs. killers
and hold-up men who arc undergoing III"
sentence Murdcrous hatred, the passion
= for revenge and the desire 70 lord IT among
their fellows are shown frequently among
such criminals even now, but what would
,be. result hc were all their fear Of any fur
~ thcr PENALTY abolished? 40 further pun
ishment for them being possible they would
enjoy absolut" impunity To MAIN or murder
anv official attendant OF prison inmate for
whom they might conceive dislike. Such
are some Of the problems which are opened
~ Us by thoy. who. having been infected
by an oasygcing "phlanthropy.' care
crnTvthing for the criminal and nothing for
his victims.
Execution q Warning.
Their main arguments are generally such
pr.rc cant as the assertion that capital pun
ishIncnt is relic of barbarism," that the
murderer S. "the victim Of society that
The worst use YOU can make Of man Is
70 hang him"
The simple answer is that the lust ana
SOLEMN execution Of the murderer is the
yrry best use that can be made OF MIN.
lie thereby becomes Of use as warning
Is TO the charge that the murderers crime
is not committed by himself, but by SO
,iety. the same paper which contains the
statistics OF crime which ] have quoteh
gives also statistics which show continued
cIort for bettering and uplifting our peo-
lle such as no other country has ever eN-
lGbitcd in the history Of the world. Merely