Evening journal., 1914-03-16
CITY PARSON
FIGHTS ALONE
AGAINST POST
MethCdlStS Not Agreed on Mr..
DaWSOn'S ICea That Pun
iShment is Unfair
OPPONENT SAYS ONLY
FEW SUFFER IT

Methodist Preachers Association Ia
Grace VI. Il. Church.
Weeks ago the whipping post qucs
tion was set for discussion today. At
that time several preacheres objected to
the question being discussed. Mr. Daw
son. who Is one OF the curators pro-
posed the subject, but said that lac was
willing that another subject be takcn.
This morning he announced that Dr..
Vaughan s. Collins, another curator, had
decided upon the question. Dr. Collins
was not prescott.
There seemed to be general disn-
clination ON the part of the preachers
this morning to take part in the dis
cussion. Dr. George Edward Red and
few others arrnyed themselves on the
side of the post and Mr. Dawsdn at
tackled it as a punishment for "a certain
class. lie declared that should il ne
retained in Delaware, the punishment
should be given the rich as well as the
poor and for those with milneuea es
well rs for those without. lie urged
labor as a means Of punishment rlish
lbctter for the criminal than a lashing
which he said has been done away with
lhy almost every, State in the union.
"The whipping post is relic OF
ancient. at least medieval, cruelty
and punishment. That other states
of our Union have abolished It, is to
our shame" Mr.. Dawson said.
Secondly, this government can not
stand part civil and barbarian, part
of It with slave gangs and slave lashes
and the other parts free.
THE whipping post is not a method
of reform any more than the pillory.
At the most, it is only a punishment
The business of our courts is not to
make criminals but men, Pharoahs
herd tasks for the Israelites made
men of them. The negro slave in
America grew into a strong man.
THE argument that it prevents
criminals from coming to Delaware.
If you sit in court and hear the evil
dence Of the prisoners, you will find
that IN spite Of our contenient and
adored whipping post, men who are
criminals come to Delaware and
commit crimes.
"A flogging.' Mr.. Dawson said, at
the Delaware whipping post. "has the
4 madness in il which tends TO destroy
whatever of self respect the victim
might have retained previously.
The weakest argument for its re-
T. tention is the claim that we need it
4 for petty offehces. Here class legis-
iation has its climax with us as in
the former CENTURIES in England.
God has made a law said Mr.
Dawson. more universal and more
Applicable to all men than the law OF
punishment by any particular means
labor -all men shall earn, theii
bread by the sweat Of their brow. AL
agree that idleness is a mother o
vice. and that labor and honest en-
ployment tend to good morals.
"Our criminals come mostly from
the idle and unemployed. A whippins
IS a detriment and preventive; labor
is a much greater one. The Kent
county jail inmates are reported "a
1have cried through their cell door:
to visitors from the Levy Court. we
want to be put to work
Remove your dens of vice and
crime producer in New Castle county
and You will do much to empty the
sworkhouse and make idle the whip
ping post and lash.
rIf the whipping post" said Dr
Reed is a survival of the barbara
period, so are other forms of punish
meht. %However," said Dr. Reed, 3"
think the whipping post law SHOULD
be changed and limited to certain
3.crimes and not allowed to be admin
istered for petty crimes. It SHOULD
be limited to these crimes and as fai
as sclf-respect is concerned the mal
who commits these crimes has lost al
his self-respect
For the man with a family VIII,
goes home and beats up his wife
breaking her nose or injuring her.
think the whipping post is a mos
proper thing, and would put him il
+ a Diilory as Well" said Dr. Reed.
The Rev. ". A. Wise said he hal
been an eye witness TO many whippings
81 have never seen man receive an
undue whipping and J have never 'seei
any OF the marks that the newspaper
tell about. have seen the men ben
whipped laugh as the blows fell on thei
backs. ] have seen them do jig i
the yard after being whipped and sa
it was not bad" said Mr.. Wise.
Mr.. Wise said he had received lettc
from the west asking for the truth q
the statements in u newspaper articl
that went all over the United state.
which told OF the alleged mmman whip
ping given to two men at the workhous
when they were whipped mtil the bloc
ran into their shoes.
Mr. Wise said that in reply 10 thl
letter he said the statements were ne
true.
Preacher Admits Flogging.
Mr. Wise said he had been whippe
az the whipping post and knew what
was. The whipping was administere
by his father. who was iailer at Me-
lCastle wears ago. Mr.. Wise said he wa
placed ON a box and his hands put
the straps and the eat OF nine tails
applied, he said he also had stood
the pillory.
81 Dr. Reed Interrupted Mr.. Wise to "a
that the punishment seemed to ha'
worked wonders with him. DIR. Hoiieck'
called attention to the fact that a ma
may bctwhippcd in Maryland for wi
heatihs.
Dr. Adam Stenglc said he had no pc
sonal interest ia tine matter, as Mr.. Wis
= but he had witnessed many whipping
8 and as matter OF punishment il is
farce He declared that Few Ncrimina
n are, humiliated by a whipping
= Mr.. Dawson called attention TO III
, fact that the speaker hal not gotte
. all of the Adam out of him. Tn
!. produced a laugh.
In conclusion, MIR. Stengle said
n was heartily in favor of the post an
thought Il a great remedy for Grim
- Alr. Outten asked If the post is
- punishment or a humiliation.
Gentlemen, in the eyes of the law
- cafd Mr. Dawson who took the nOf