San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-22
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WHEN WE DO NOT BOAST

Approximately 1850 people were muir
dcred in the United States in 1922. and
it is possible the record for 1923 may
be even greater. This is something of
which we do not boast when we dis
cuss the superiority OF American insti-
tutions as compared with those of other
countries. There is not benighted land
on the face OF the globe that anywhere
nearly approaches this murder record.
We stand alone, entirely alone, with
this unenviable distinction.
In juAtaposition we also hold the belt
for the most divorces of any land in the
world with pagan nation, Japan, as our
only real rival in this respect. In these
two directions, we are striking at the
very foundations of civilization because
a civilization that does not guarantee Sc
curity OF life and sanctity of the home is
only hollow pretense.
The murder record of the United
States is something appalling. When we
pause to contemplate the fact that two
motives stand out in the larger percent
age of murders-money and revenge we
again uncover the nasty fact that these
are two of the basest of human traits.
Naturally. our thoughts turn to the
corrective for such situation. The
American Bar Association not long ago,
urged that arms be made more difficult
to procure. But that is twaddle. The
fact is that the cure for murder is to be
found only in. reverting to that COM
mandment WHICH says "Thou Shalt Not
Kill"
1t is a divine law. Man-made laws
say the same thing and go even further
because they say that for murder, the
life of the slayer must be forfeited. But
unfortunately, as in the case of most
man-made laws, we do not fear the
penalty greatly because it so seldom is
imposed. Only small per cent of the
nurderers are hanged or clectrocuted an
nually. Figures are mot available but
perhaps so per cent OF the men and won-
en- who kill, are turned loose through our
courts.
That this condition exists, is due in
large measure to the methods of Our
trial courts and the interpretations of Our
criminal statutes. We have too many
technicalities. Self-defense, according TO
law, has been stretched to cover a multi
tude of murders.
The only real self-defense is where a
man shoots or strikes to save his life
when being actually assaulted but that by
no means covers the situation in legal pro-
cedure. Men are acquitted almost every
day on self-defense pleas who never
were in actual danger of being killed
by the person or persons they killed in
"self-defense."
But that is merely one phase of it. The
true solution for murder and the true
solution for all the other ills that we
have is to put into the hearts of men,
real religion, true love for Our fellow
men, correct conceptions of justice and
4 right idea of the sacredness of human
life.
Just as we are drifting away from the
primal teachings of religion, Just that
much are we lowering Our standards OF
living in all directions. We have tried
to substitute legal code of morality for
a personal code of morality and we have
not made much of success of it.
We have enacted laws covering al
most every detail of human activity in
the United States bur with what result?
The answer is to be found in the death
toll, 1850 people murdered in a single
| year.