Newark post., 1912-03-06
THE WHIPPING POST AND RE-
FORM

letter to the editor of the Every
Evening concerning the Delaware
whipping post. is Of especial in.
terest. Rev. c. l.. Candee. pastor
OF the Westminster Church. vii.
mlngton. discusses the question
after witnessing the whippings
last Saturday. in answer to re
quest for the truth from Mrs
Maud BaIlington Booth. who has
given her life to the work OF
prison reform.
OF course we all agree that there
has been done very great injus-
tlce to the fair name Of our State
and that IA journalist should stoop
so low as to thus pervert and dis
tort is Il matter OF great regret.
Let me state that |. Of course. have
no word TO say Of criticism OF the
officials of the WOrkhOuSp nor Of
the judiciary whose duty it is to
administer the law as it stands
upon the statute books. What
say is in criticism Of the laws as
they are and of the people who
will so imdiifrrcntly allow those
laws to remain. Delaware is get
ting great deal Of the unenviable
sort Of reputation by this matter
and deservedly SO to Il great ex-
tent. That this State should re-
tain this sort of punishment is not
at all to her credit. When we at
tempt to Justify ourselves concern
ing it. we are seemingly forgetful
Of the fact that the other States
have almost universally thought
whipping method both useless
and inhuman, and have adopted
other and better methods for cor
rection.
1t is, of course, problem of
penology. Now. there are differ
enceS of opinion as to the purposes
OF punishment. Some people think
that It's chief purpose is the pre-
VcntIon OF crime. Some few now
adayS think that it is retrIbutive
in character. But these are few.
indeed. Even for murder there
is an increasing number who think
that retribution is unjuStiiiable.
All. | think. are agreed that it is
for the purpose Of reform. The
other two elements may enter to
greater or lesser extent. but all
crlmlnOiogiStS are most earnestly
striving for the reform. and that
is, by far. the most important clp-
ment. Retribution is 50 difficult
to administer with justice and
with wisdom that it would seem
almost as if it could not find any
place justly in the theory of crimi-
nology. OF course there may be
some crimes that are so offensive
that some sort III retributive pun
ishment must be administered.
and that alone could accomplish
the purposes. There are some
criminals that come to us who
are so deadened in their sense of
moral right or wrong and so hard
ened in the feelings that the only
thing that may perhaps reach
them would be the whipping posts
that is to my mind retributive
in character and only so. 1t is al
most never corrective and seldom
deterrent. There, Of course, may
be difference Of opinion about this
matter. | cannot see that it is so.
True, it may be that there are
some professional crooks who are
deferred from coming into our
State because of fear of the whip
ping. But that is a thing difficult
to prove or disprove. 1t is fact
that the population of the work
house is today. less than it has
been almost at any time in its his
tory. but | do not think that the
whipping post is the explanation
for this. nor does the warden OF
the workhouse ..
We know that the policy OF the
JllllcldiH lbt tiit l'oHi i'N ,'"i .
. has been to act along the line of
the parole as far as they could un-
der the existing laws. This is the
chief reason given for the dimin-
ished numbers at the wOrkhouse.
This seems to be unquestionabiy
in favor OF the argument for refor-
nation and not for retribution,
nor so much for the theory of pre-
vention. 1t has not been the
whipping post that has caused the
diminished numbers. for there
would have been this effect years
and years ago We're that the case.
Indeed, the fact Of the fewer pris-
oners must be attributed to some