The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1920-03-05
WHAT CONSTITUTES A CRIME

| 1T is we'll that we have been so taught
A criminal has shame and a stigma
sticking to him all his life that it
seems he can never get rid Of
This is the way we used to look up
on crimes and criminals, and that is
the way it should be. But since our
entry into the great war, times in this
respect, like in so many others, have
changed. So many persons have been
snter led to many years imprOson-
ment for offenses, which, when it COM
es down to the last analysis, were no
crimes at all. 1t has and it is going
so far that it comes to be looked up
on as no DISGRACE at all to be sent to
prison,-on the contrary, 1t would be
looked pom uas an honor to be sent to
prison and that not only by few, but
by a majority of the people, If the
facts concerning the case were pre-
sented to them impartially and not
colored.
That is the way it always and al
ways will be when justice is trifed
with, such as it is coming to be now.
When bunch of politicians, directed
by group of grafters, succeeds by
numerous crooks and tricks to get a
claw, as they call it passed, they are
not slow to round up all violaters OF
their Claw, and usually no less slow
in managing the affairs so as to land
their victims in prison.
In these times of turmoil and un-
rest, it may be we'll for us 10 pause a
moment and sec what a crime really
is.
A crime is violation of a law. The
law referred to here is law made by
man. Such a law is supposed to rep
resent the wishes of majority of the
people. In fact, il it is true law, it
must have the sanction of majority
of the people. II a law-making as
sembly should enact law which, a
majority of the people would be OPP
posed to, then such law would in
reality be no law at all, as a true law
is a rule of conduct approved of by q
majority of the people.
Among laws there are what we may
call strong laws and weak laws A
law that has the approval of practi-
cally all the people is a strong law;
one that is approved by Il mere ma
jority is weak law, while law that
would have the approval of minor.
ity only would be no law at all.
A crime is a violation of some suci,
law, and it is serious in proportion to
the strength of the law which has
been violated. If it is violation of a
strong law, it must be an act which
practically all thoeeplpe vbgokqcmfm
practically all the people would con-
demn. If weak law has been viola
ted, the crime would not be consider
ed so very serious, because there
would be very many pople who would
not condemn it. If law which would
not have the approval of majority
of he people is violated, the law vio-
lated was in reality no law at all and
the crime was no crime A crime is
serious in proportion to the number
of people who would condemn it, but
in order to be any crime at all, the
act must be condemned by at least a
majority of the people.
A crime is also serious in invense
proportion to the number of persons
who are to gain some advantage by
the act. The fewer the individuals
to gain advantage by the act, the more
the crime. For man to kill another
man for the purpose of getting the
other mans money is serious crime.
1t is serious for two reasons: /, the
law violated has the approval of prac-
ticaliy all the people. and 2, because
only one individual would secure any
by the act. To kill man
by hanging him after legal trial fol
lowed by a death sentence, is no
crime, bcause 1, it has the approval
of at least majority of the people,
and 2, the society at large is supposed
to be benefited by tn act. For the
leader of a band Of outlaws to kill a |
person in order that the whole gang
may secure a share in the booty is
not as srious crime as it would be
to kill for ones personal gain only.
To kill a person in order that large
may be benefited by the act.
such as is the theory and practice OF
the killing anarchists. does not indi-
cate as serious moral depravity as
the act Of the man who kill for person
al gain only. For q member Of a
band of insurrectionists IN the act of |
new nation TO kill ! man
who attempts to stop the insurrection
Z not q crime ati all Nth the inst, rrec.t