Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1924-10-03

uanlaEe Tue pdNtnftHR.
No automobile traffic will be per
mitted for at least two weeks, accord
ing TO City Engineer Fred Lohmann.
he finds himself behind the bars. Only
then does he begin 10 think seriously
of punishment.
Perhaps thought of the death PEN
atty prevents more murder than We
think. II every man were a law unto
himself many would kill at will. for
the nature of the corrupt human
heart is to kill.
But sentiment argues that hanging
is only another form of murder, and
that the state has no right TO kill.
Sentiment places hanging in the cate
CORY of war where laws respecting
the sanetity of life aye waived.
In all probability if the laws of this
commonwealth were rigidly enfoYced
with respect to lesser crimes there
would be no need of capital punish
ment as a deterrent to crime. Ma
tions where few murders are record
ed have long since adopted policy
of law enforcement from justice of
the peace courts to supreme courts.
Justice is executed in minor offenses.
As a consequence the major otfenses
do not occur
Here in America we let practically
every criminal off with the minimuin
sentence. Fines are not what they
should be. Prison sentences are of
brief duration. Paroles and pardons
are an everyday occurrence, and for
these reasons lawlessness is rampant
and does not stop at murder. The
way to law abiding citizenship is
strict law enforcement by heavy PEN
alties in minor as well as major
crimes, and to supplement this pro-
gram with consistent efforts to re-
form the criminal. The latter method
is the work of the church and a SYM
pathetic state.
The Retail Merchants bureau at
Murphysboro passed resolution ask
ing newspapers to refrain from print
ing crime stories and TO devote more
space to constructive news.
The point is well taken, yet the
members of this bureau might be sur
prised if they were to actually figure
the percent of space devoted to crime
stories in comparison to that de-
voted to other news.
Not many newspapers dwell at
length upon crime. Rarely does a
county daily spread petty crime news
over its front page. A few metropoli-
tan dailies are the worst offenders,
and their practice gives bad odor to
the press in general.
Perhaps the merchants of Murphys-
boro read the more sensational news
papers and exclude papers of the bet
ter class.
Yet it must be confessed that news
papers are made to sell. They are
established for the purpoes of making
money. The newspaper is a bust
ness institution. For these reasons
the average newspaper will cater
largely to news matter which inter
ests the public, and when has any
topic been as interesting and enter
tanning as the latest sensation? The
reformation of the press will come
with the reformation of the public at
titude toward topics of sensation and
gossip, but the editor who adopts a
policy of excluding sensation alto
gether will, under present conditions,
awake to find his circulation falling
off, his advertising rates diminishing,
and his newspaper wrecked.
Recently a kincaid, ILL.,, banker
drove away seven bandits who were.
intent upon holding uu his bank, and
saved $4,000. Three men entered
the bank and one choked a woman
cashier. This apparently aroused
the ire of the banker more than the
anticipated loss of $4,000.
The robber who forced him into
the vault neglected to lock the door
and the banker emerged shooting.
Coward-like the bandits fled after
pouring round of ammunition into
the bank windows.
Three years ago the bank was
robbed of a 100000 payroll. Five
men were convicted of the robbery
including deputy sheriff. The ban
dts are serving terms in prison.
Washington was alarmed last week
when workmen entered what they
assumed to be a tunnel in the very
nedfl Ol the HdliOtlal NdpIloi.
A litter of German newspapers and
a profusion of bottles gave rise to the
belief that the tunnel had been used
in the promotion of various lawless
enterprises.
Now an aged scientist comes for
ward and declares that he dug the
tunnel for exercise as some men play
golf. His wife corroborates his
story and the authorities at Washing
ton evidently believe him, though
they have not yet found an explana-
ton for the presence of newspapers
and bottles.
Frey Heads Ohio Labor
Columbus, o hio, Sept. T.-With