St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-02-07
PRESS COMMENT
Crime in Vermont.

Urine IN vermont.
There has been much newspaper
talk about a wave of crime" in
Vermont and the occurrence of
twenty homicides in the state in
last year, would seem to justify this
Characterization of the conditions.
This state of affairs naturally sug-
gests an inquiry into the cause and
the first thing that comes to ones
mind is the increase in our foreign
population. Of the twenty homi-
cides mentioned above, five can
properly be laid to this cause, but
in the case of the other fifteen, the
parties were Americans. A fourth
of the murders is probably greatly
in excess of the percentage of our
foreign population, but excluding
these entirely from our calculation,
fifteen homicides within twelve
months, in a population of three
hundred and fifty thousand, is al
together too many. This rate would
be equivalent to a murder list of one
hundred and forty-six in New York
city. 1t seems to US that this con-
dition calls for radical measures in
dealing with the criminal. That
these crimes follow so closely the
practical adjustment of capital pun
ishment, may be a mere coincidence,
but it is certainly worthy of note.
The fact that in one instance the
evidence in court showed that the
murderer inquired the day previous
to his deed, if capital punishment
had been abolished in Vermont, and
was answered in the Affirmative,
certainly indicates that this thought
!, II ut
least The duty of society is to ac-
complish the greatest good to the
largest number-to insure to the
law abiding citizen, safety in the
conduct of his legitimate business
and pleasure. We believe that this
right can not be safe-guarded with
out severe and summary punishment
for those who are guilty of murder.
There is much sickly sentiment
about capital punishment. The
taking of a human life is of course
serious procedure and should new
er be done without due delibera-
ton, but in this country with our
jury trials, where every man is
judged innocent until proved guilty,
where the burden is entirely upon
the state, and the rights of defence
are so carefully safeguarded, there
is little danger of an unjust convic-
ton. We believe that reluctance to
inflict capital punishment upon the
convicted murderer, oftentimes re-
suits in the loss of innocent lives in
exchange for the guilty and worth
less criminal saved. This applies
particularly to the degenerate Grim
inal-the being of unstable mental
ity, and inherited criminal instincts
the wretch for whom sentimentalists I
plead most passionately. The low
er down we go in the scale of men
tality, the greater part of the lower
element-fear of consequences
takes in the restraint against animal
tendencies. With the approach to
the animal, stronger and stronger
becomes the fear of bodily hurt. The |
abolition of capital punishment re-
moves entirely this, the strongest |
motive for restraint, and the Grim
inal instinct, the tendency to give |
way to animal passions and deeds of |
is more likely to gain the !
ascendency 1t is safe to say that |
long terms in prison, even a life |
sentence, have little terror for in
dividuals of this type. Prison con-
ditions are in good many cases an
improvement. The warm shelter, |
the good food, the easy work, to-
gether with the holiday celebrations,
which we see so we'll advertised in |
the papers, look actually attractive
to many. Moreover, there is the
biennial prospect of pardon and the
plans for escape, to add zest to the
of confinement. How
many life prisoners ever actually
die in prison? Furthermore, by len
ency to these criminals, on one plea
Or another, we are adding the fur
Their peril of the multiplication of
these defective and criminally in
clined. Acquitted, pardoned out, or
acquitted by reason of insanity, to
be later discharged from asylums as
cured, these criminals are apt to
Drocreate and leave behind them
more of the same class to be dealt
With by future generations.-tV YER
mont Medical Monthly.
Better than Barre as a Trade
mark.
We may pardon the Morrisville
Messenger for it's use of the express
ion, Better than Barre" in des-
riding the possibilities of ASBESTOS
development in Lamoille county, ap-
at the same time the val
lie of the implied compliment. But
We. say that the asbestos quarries
viii have to be superlatively good :
c