The mirror., 1913-08-07
BREEDING CRIMINALS.
Judge Amidon, Of the U. S. District
Court, says Modern System Of Punish
ing Crime is 0ut Of Date. Firm Be-
Iiever in the Juvenile Court, Indeterminate
Sentence and Parole Law.

OVhtVuVV uuu VIVtV Iu"s
Within the past ten years America has
awakened to the needs of the administra-
ton of criminal law and has made three
great contributions to the subject of deal
ing with criminals--the juvenile court, the
parole and the indeterminate sentence-ac-
cording to Hon. Charles F. Amidon,
United States district Judge, Fargo, N. D.,
who delivered the address of the evening at
the sixth annual banquet of the bar associa-
ton at the Spalding hotel.
Judge Amidon took for his subject,
'sThe Criminal Law and Its Administra-
tion. The speaker deplored the present
administration of criminal law and declared
that Former President Taft was correct in
asserting that the criminal law as admins
tered in the United States was disgrace to
civilization. Gravel in any country in
Europe he said, 'sand you will be told
that we are stepping back into barbarism. >
''But bad as it may seem, dark as the
picture is, declared the speaker, yet |
believe that we have signs of encourage
ment.'' He then made reference to the
three great reforms-the juvenile court, the
parole and the indeterminate sentence, de-
claring that they were contributions to the
worlds best thought and practice on this
great subject. "Of course" he said,
''those are by no means perfect as yet
The medical science, declared the speak
er, has contributed much to the subject of
penology. cit has gone into the causes of
crime, he said, tsand IN some cases we
are now able to say what measures ought
to be adopted to prevent recurrence. Sci
enti6c inquiry which has been conducted
in number of states, has disclosed that
crime is biological rather than legal
problem. We find that today we are
breeding crime as accurately as a farmer
breeds Holstein cattle.
"The insane, the epileptic, the habitual
drunkard, and the feeble-minded breed
true to the type. In an Eastern state,
scientific research developed that $40 feeble
minde people could be traced back to a
common parent who was afflicted with in
| sanity.
ssGolden Rule Jones of Toledo, who
hung the motto, "a Criminal Act Does
Not Make Criminal, over his desk dem
onstrated the truth of his assertion. After
his death, in the safety deposit fault was
found list of ia names of men who he
had helped on their appeal when on the
verge of crime. All but two proved faith
full to their trust. The list was destroyed, ac-
cording to the wishes of Golden Rule
Jones, who only wanted to prove the
truth of his motto.
Gin the court room, criminal act does
make criminal. 1t is the duty of the
Judge to brand man as such. In most
cases, especially with the first offenders, it
is the worst thing he has ever done in his
life and yet the court brands him a crimi-
nal and declares to- the world that the
judgment is a true index to his character.
The speaker declared that criminals
should be treated as individuals, in such a
way SO as to first protect society, the SUI
preme end always o]be obtained, and sec
ond to protect the rights of the individual.
'.The court, he said, ''has no right to
indulge in sentimentality.@ If imprison-
ment will best serve the purpose and pro-
tect the rights of society, then let it be inn
prisonment, if parole will do it, then let it
be parole.
'sThe city and county jails, the jurist
declared, are but schools for the crimi-
| nal, into which first offenders and those
charged with misdenleanors are forced to
mingle among criminals and felons, to re-
main in absolute idleness and to think and
brood over their wrongs.
"There ought not to be another city or
county jall built insthe country. Instead
small structure to: restrain people who
are held for serious offenses without bail.
The trial ought to be speedy and prompt..
If the defendant is found guilty, he should
be sentenced to the proper institution. If
he is a.drunkard, let him be sent to an in
stitution which is equipped to handle such
cases, if he is predetermined, let him be