The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-12-04

uoWH only Dy the SeYerest methods
rs is too much to say if the courts
are not ready to apply these, the peo
viii? The people who may thus brine
some ruffian to his death will no;
be the best people in the community
They may occasionally seize the wrone
man. But has conviction ever vel
been had in the United States of any
one of mob of lynchers for HANGING
negro accused of rape?
THAT crime does a wrong to WON
an which many of them have deemed
worse than death. Such a man ia mr.
tit subject for an indeterminate sen.
tence. He has proved his inherent
weakness of will power In every
clear case of rape, in my Judgment
there should be an operation of ster.
ilization."
Modern Penology.
In discussing what he termed the
schools of modern penology, Cover
nor Baldwin said:
Modern penology, in both schools.
has accepted Imprisonment as the
main method of punishment. The old
plan had been to use capital punish.
ment very freely; bodily mutiliation
occasionally; flogging often.
Capital punishment, which in Black.
stones day, England inflicted for 100
offenses, is now universally restricted
to very few, and has been totally
abolished in many jurisdictions. Wis.
IDLE, bodily mutilation has also dis
appeared. Flogging remains only in
exceptional cases, as for children. So
far, 1t seems to me, that it should he
preserved.
"A prison, do what you will. is a
cheerless place, and its associations
It's maintenance brings
a large expense to the state. which
the earnings of the prisoners. in most
cases, are quite inadequate to meet.
particularly when they are serving
short sentences. The indeterminate
sentence is the remedy for this, at
present most popular But for certain
classes of offenders, it hardly fits the
case.
Wife-Beater Should Suffer.
"A wife-beater, for instance, or the
burglar who uses torture, to compel
his victims to produce their valuables.
ought to suffer a certain punishment
which he may know beforehand. 1t
seems to me that the prospect of a
course a moderate and
private one-woud often best answer
that purpose. have myself, when
serving on the bench, more than once
sent culprits to Jail where it would, I
think, have been Of more good to the
interests of public justice to inflict a
shorter in duration and
sharper in pain.
Particularly is this true of boys. A
sound whipping is a remedy that the
world has always recognized as be-
longing to their time Of life. In the
great schools of England birching has
been freely dealt out by the best teach
ers, and it brings no shame, unless
there be a want Of pluck to stand it
bravely.
1T is, in practice, often inflicted
in an irregular way, under authority
Of a court, upon young offenders. The
choice is given 10 boy, or perhaps
mis- parents, whether he shall be SEN
fenced to fine or Imprisonment, or
whipped by, or under the eye of,
court officer. l think this is often a
iudicious method to pursue, but it
would be more satisfactory If there
we're a statute to authorize it, and also
f this authority were not dependent on
lnybody's consent.
"There are two objections, and :eai-
y but two objections, to reinstating
he ancient penalty of sterilization:
It involves an act which might be crit
cised as cruel; and its effect is to
over a human life, beyond recovery.
Vascetomy Is Not Cruel.
GAS for the cruelty of it, the same
iegree of suffering is inflicted. for a
purpose in one respect not dissir1i-
ar, on behalf of our larger domestic
We do not deem 1t cruelty
o them. So far as vasectomy is CON
it has recently been pro-
by the supreme court of
Washington, and in several states
here are laws authorizing the opera
ion upon degenerates IN almshouses,
isylums or prisons.
There is a crime still meaner than
hat to which have alluded, that a
nan can commit towards the weaker