The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-02-11
Property Versus Life.

Since last May no less than six
teen bank robberies, We are tod,
have occurred in Oklahoma. During
the same period many more than six
teen coldblooded murders have taxi
en- place in the State and many more
than sixteen murderers have made
their escape.
The Oklahoma legislature, now in
session has made an appropriation OF
$4,000 to be expended in rewards
for bank robbers, payments to be
made at the rate of $1,000 per rob-
| ber, and irrespective Of whether the
suspected robber is brought in dead
or alive. For the apprehension and
conviction of murderers Oklahoma
| offers rewards also, but in no case.
it seems, does the offer exceed $500;
and even then it does not authorize
that the suspects be brought in dead
or alive"
The Houston Post thinks that the
conditions here illustrated. which are
by no means peculiar to Oklahoma,
but more or. less common to the
country at large, ''call to mind how
much more concerned people are
about the taking of property than
about the wanton taking of life
adding: d.
eve shall have advanced far on
the road to civilization when men
begin to regard life as the most sac
red of all possessions, when the man
who wantonly takes what can never
be restored is held to have commi-
ted a greater offense against society
than one who merely takes another's
property. ...e-
The fact is that in the theory Of
the law he is now so held, but, un-
fortunately, such is not the case in
practice. In the vast majority of the
States of the union the penalty pro-
vided by statute for murder is death,
while in the others it is term in the
penitentiary ranging from specified
| number Of years to life sentence.
But, be it said to our shame, the pro
visions of the criminal law in this
country are one thing and their en-
| forcement quite another. Carefully
compiled statistics show that of those
who wantonly take human life a
large proportion are never detected
and brought to bar at, all, while OF
those who are arrested and made TO
stand trial only a comparatively
small percentage are made to pay the
penalty of their crimes. The imposi-
tion of capital punishment has come
to be conspicuous chiefly by its alb
sence. while the interposition of all
sorts of legal technicalities. and the
delays incident. to our complicated
court procedure operate more often
than not to reduce to comparative
minimum the sentence imposed IN
cases where convictions are secured.
The unpalatable truth is that We are
not only not Jealous to hunt down
murderers, but we are also both slow
and squeamish about inficting pun
ishment upon such of the takers Of
human life as are called upon to an
swer to the law for their crimes. IN
such circumstances it is not surprls-
| ing that hcmicides should have be-
come so prevalent that the United
States today holds the record in this
regard among all the worlds civiliz-
ed nations, barring none, and SO 1t
will continue to be until we have 50
amended our methods Of admlnistra-
ton in connection with criminal law
I to render it both swift and sure. If
to that end was devoted one-half the
time, energy, ingenuity and intellect
now expended upon efforts to suppress
small vices or comparatively inno-
cent customs, it is safe wager that
there would soon be 4 decided falling
off in the murder industry in every
section of the country.--Norfolk Vir-
ginian-Pilot.
L 4 80