The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-06-07
ARE WE MAKING CRIME RE.
SPECTACLE?

e are making crime reSpecIdOle,
that's the trouble, and as long as we
do that, we will never get anywhere.
1t matters rot what the crime is,
whether it is defrauding the poor,
stealing, cheating, making or selling
liquor, it should be tried in the court
Of public sentiment. As long is peo-
pie can commit crime and keep their
standing in the community, there is
not much hope. The disapproval Of
public sentiment must be stamped on
the lawbreaker before we can check
lawlessness.
This is paragraph from the
charge of Judge H. H. Watkins in the
federal court, to the grand jury just
the other day, in which court there
were several hundred cases against
breakers of the law as to S1aking and
selling liquor! The seeds of lawless-
ness are being sown and they will
bear fruit in the generations yet un-
born, unless something is done to
create a sentiment in favor of law
and order. We must set up STAN
dard and then work to it, but so long
as we go along and condone the law
breaker, it matters not what the Of
fense may bS, we are sowing seeds
that will bear fruit to our undoing;
we will leave heritage for our chill
dren that will not be to our credit.
This is not only true as to The civil
laws on our statute books, but it ap-
plies as we'll to our conduct and the
standard that we set up of right liv-
ing and right thinking.
Judge Watkins says further in this
same excellent charge: "Let US have
a standard in our community and let
it be so high our children will not
reap the seed of this lawlessness.
Those veterans who wore the Grey
returned from the conflict law-abld-
ing, God-fearing, debt paying citizens
and that is the heritage they gave
US. What heritage are we leaving
for our children?" That. is very i'm
portant and a very solemn question
which it would be we'll for every good
citizen to ask himself. What heritage
are you endeavoring to leave to your
children? What are you doing to set
.up the proper standard of living IN
your community? What are you DO
ing to help mould that public senti-
ment that will stand for righteous
ness, and that will be so strong that
the lawbreaker will not have his
standing in the community, whether:
it be the breaker of the statute law or
the laws of society.
Speaking of "forceful charges" by
the Judges, both state and federal, the
Abbeville Press and Banner makes
this comment: what does the man
who makes two thousand dollars IN
five months in the pursuit OF crlml-
nal avocation care when he may with
a part of his ill-gotten gains pay the
laws penalty
That may be one way OF creating
healthy public sentiment against law
!essness. Bat there mus be rlgh5
thinking ard right standard set up
TO which we will endeavor to live be-
fore we can get the right sort of pub
lie sentiment, and even heavy penl-
tentiary sentences will not deter the
criminal, though we saw it stated tina:
crime was lowest in percentage among
the Chinese of any other nation, and
it NAV be that the old custom among
these peoples of the infiction OF the
death sentence for all crimes was
strong deterrent to crime. The be-
lief that punishment is certain Will
act very strongly as a preventative.
No doubt about that. And 1t may De
that in many cases our judges have
been too lenient in the imposition OF
sentences. But the surest preventive
is hearty and wholesome public SEN
timent in favor of right living.