New-York tribune., 1912-02-17

neither death nor Imprisonment, as no" in-
hicted. possesses the punitory quality on
probably, the deterring influence OF the
harsher methods from which We have de-
parted. Indeed. a new purpose has entered
into the treatment of criminals, and may
perhaps now be said to be the chiel ann III
view-namely, to reform the offender
In all these years OF humane progress III
penology attention has been fixed upon lhe
criminals and what is to be done win ana
for them. There is another class ho"e'ei'
that is deeply concerned but mas ueeh
habitually overlooked. allude to the VIC
Tins of crime DR.. White also cites tneifi'
| echo DR.. Whites appeal for the Iaihilies
of those who become victims OF crime ou'
ask How are they to be succored Dy tdh-
, ing the lives OF the murderers! ouch
vengeance may be a sentimental sauslac-
| ton, but 1t is time to demand something
more substantial than that. The Ia" con-
| tains, so far as know, no remedy Tor these
grlevOus wrongs, except through civil proc
ess, which in cases like this is no remedy
at ALL The poor have not the means 10
bring civil suits nor the time to attend
them and nothing could be collected in that
crimes as I have described. The wife and
children Of the slain breadwinner may ne
saved from starvation by the Overseer OF
the Poor, like any other paupers, but the
state does absolutely nothing for them on
account of their criminal bereavement.
Now, protest that this is cruel and
needless wrong. The criminal law should
be broadened to include the idea of repaIa-
tion from the criminal to the injured parties
especially in cases where the effective oper-
alton of the civil law is obviously unaValI-
able. Let the state vindicate its majesty II
1t so please, but let 1t not stop there Ihe
criminal should be required 10 work at pro-
ductive labor until the proceeds thereon
suffice to reimburse his victim for the loss
or injury, or both, inflicted. II guardian
or trustee beggared the orphans left to his
care, some years of service might be re-
quired. | need not attempt TO prescrioe oe-
tails in order to establish the need or the
justice of some such course of procedure.
Provision should doubtless be made for
cases emitting the victims to reparation
where the offender has not been apprehend-
ed or for other reason cannot be made pro-
ductive. This would call for permanent
fund established and set apart precisely Tor
its specific purposes. This fund eventually,
IL not at first, could be replenished and
maintained from the earnings Of prisoners
not required for the relief Of their own
victims.
The effects of such a system upon the
prisoners themselves would he benenclal'
The danger Of idleness, that greatest curse
of prison life. would be lessened. The terms
might be heightened In some cases.
murderer with his victims family to pro-
vide for would not be released in three
or four years, and his life sentence might
be none too long for the task he had brought
upon himself. There would be no excuse
for releasing a prisoner merely because
there was no reason for keeping him In jail.
Prison labor is usually OF a monotonous
and purposeless character. a prisoner
knowing that his earnings were 10 benent
those in need would have chance TO teel
that he had an object in life. II there were
the STRINGS of conscience In him ne might
easily Nderive much satisfaction from the
fact that he was actually making repara-
ton for the damage he had done. Ths
knowledge would stimulate his seif'respect
and fortify his manhood.
The laws Of Moses provided reparation
for criminal injury and were precise and
strict about IL Is II not time-is not this
good time-to lift the ethical standards of
our laws 10 the level OF the lawgiver OF
Sinai? ]. ALBERT STOWE
Arlington. n. j., Feb, ~. 1912.