Evening journal., 1913-12-20
pELAwARr,s MnIPpING p0sr.

nUR esteemed and abIy-edited contemporary the
Chester Times, does not sympahize with Rep
resenatve Evans and others who have indulged in
much hair-trigger criticism of Delaware because of
its maintenance of the whipping post as an in
strumen for the punishment of criminals. It says.
editoriay:
Delaware, good neghbor, which has a habit of
minding It's own business and feeding a large part Of
the continent at the time has been the target
legislators and editors for number Of weeks because
It insists upon keeping the whipping post and pllory
But in all the lampoonng of writer's and orators
one OF them mas yet shown gleam OF appreciation
OF the real Delaware sticks the lash as one
of its forms Of punishment.
To outsiders there is aspect of barbarty in ap-
plying the whip to the back an offender against
the law but the number who fail to get the lash is still
ancient institution. The criminals who escape the
post and the pi0ry are the who leave the little
commonwealth after they know the police their
track and in that and by that simple process Della
ware gets rid of many of its undesirables.
Society in the Diamond State finds its welfare pro-
NOTED by the whipping post, for bad dread that
punishment more than any other penalty that
court could impose. That is why they get And
the of Delaware is not great II becomes nee
essary for the criminal TO quit the borders of the State
he would certainly be found by the police unless he
got across the line. Unless he has committed very
grave crime, the Delaware authorities do not follow
him. The community into which he igrates can look
after the fugitive arrest him and be taxed keep him
IN jail II he commits any infracon of the law. There
is method after all in the alleged barbarism of the
prosperous and thrifty commonwealth on the South.
Yes. there is method in the so-called barbarism rep
ieaehtcu ny tle use OF the Whipping post. thousands
of American criminals who feel more at home within
prison cell than outside it and who do not finch at
Incarceration when detected their crimes do ninch
at the thought OF being whipped prblc. II is not
the physical suffering enaied by punishment that
affects them. because the lash are regulated and the
public con ertion of the pain inflicted is greatly ex-
aggerated The criminal dislikes to be looked upon
| by the world whipped He loses caste even
in he underworld. after he has been whipped There
fore, if he has within him even a shred inherent
self-respect and pride he behaves himself while in
Delaware remains away and confines his operations
to Montana other States whore he profits by the
maudlin sentiment OF like Representative Evans
who eynce greater sympathy for the despoiler than
| for the despoed.
There those. however, who trhe with Delaware
law and think they escape the penalty therefor.
AS a rule they disllusoned sooner or later and
realize, greatly to their discontinue the literal mean
ing of being whipped by justice. The only comfort
they find is in having maudlin-mnded men of the
Evans type spread oratorca save upon the stripes
across their backs
AS the Chester Times asserts Delaware has a habit
Of minding its business. Part of that business
is to protect its citizens against the activities of crooks
and particularly against professional crooks few of
whom belong within its borders. So long as the
whipping proves its effectiveness as protective
and punitive agent just long will State continue
to use it. We would remind the Chester Times how
that the pillory longer used in our State