Evening journal., 1914-01-23
Peoples Column
MILLER ON WHIPPING POST.

MILLER ON WHIPPING POST.
To the Editor of THE EVENING
JOURNAL.
Sir: The writer OF the editorial
IN THE EVENING JOURNAL of the
goth inst. makes a broad statement
where he claims that there are not
enough voters I'm the three counties Of
this state who are opposed to the
whipping post TO make referendum
vote on the subject interesting; /
believe that he has no more statistics
or reasons TO support his statement
than those of us WHO believe the ma
jority Of the citizens, tand IN this
class / include our women are earn
estly in favor Of the abolition of this
inhuman punishment. / wish that
could secure statistics on this point.
If IL IS true that a large majority
Of the citizens of this State are in
favor of the use of the whipping post,
Il is a sad commentary upon their
physical and mental sensibilities. It
would seem. II this be true, that the
argument of DR. Robinson must be
true that the sensibilities of Della
wareans have become callOus because
of the fact that the whipping post has
been in existence in the State so long.
They have ceased to think upon It
with a shudder unless II should hap
pen that one of their own family or
friends should chance TO be the VIC
tim. And yet, somewhere in the past,
the sympathies and feelings of our
citizens through their legislators have
become so sensitized that they have
modified the penalty to the extent
that women are exempt from the in
fiction of lashes. Now, | certainly
do not want to have the women whip
ped, but where is the justice and fair
ness in relieving one-half of our citi-
zcns from the in1ictiOn of physical
pain and mental humiliation. and
degradation? IF a woman steals a
bottle of beer or loaf OF bread, why
should her penalty be less severe
than that of the man? Is not a big,
burly woman who beats her frail,
delicate husband as lit a subject for
the whipping-post as the wife-beater? ?
A prominent newspaper man told the
writer a few days ago that Sussex
and Kent counties would never agree
to the abolition Of the whipping-post
on account OF the negro. That the
lash was one of the most effective
means of keeping the negro in his
place. in subiection. And yet IL seems
to me / remember having read ac-
counts of serious conflicts between
the white and colored races Ia Sea-
ford. Lewes and other places in. the
southern counties of the State. Does
the fear of the punishment of any
kind, whipping-post or even the moose,
deter men whose passions are in
famed by race prejudice and conse-
cuent hatred.
Do We hear of more trouble with
the negro further down in the PENN
sula, in Maryland and Virginia. where
I trey have no whipping post? Are
conditions so peculiar and so differ
ent in this State from those in ad-
joining States that we have to have
a particular kind of punishment for
our colored citizens? No Maryland
and Virginia have the same problems
to solve that we have. aud they have
found no reason to re-enact laws
which long ago they decided were in
human. ineffective and degrading to
the victim. They have found the coll
cred man can he controlled by the
same laws as is the white man
Now, if the whipping-post is such
an effective method Of punishment,
( acts as such a deterrent OF crime in
I this State, why do not the other forty
J seven States in the Union adopt it at
once? viii the editor Of THE EVEN
( ING JOURNAL answer that question,
or will he kindly get the authorities
/ IN those States TO enlighten us? Will