New Britain herald., 1925-06-30
THE LASH AS CURE

OIlClaIS or the New ork I. M. C. A.. in advocating the establish ! mont of the whipping post in New York as a means of throwing the 1 facr of punishment into criminals, touched upon a subject that is pro- vocatiye of serious thought in spite of considerable prejudice against applying the cato mine tails to the bare backs of anybody in the twentieth century.
 There ts this much to be said in favor of the "cat" when swung by a strong armed official of the law - it gets results; at least, in Dela- ware, parts of Virginia and Mary land, England and Canada, where there are no compunctions about giving a criminal something to re- member, the experience so affects the disposition of the victims that they take care never to visit those sections again. It is a matter of rec ord, it is declared, that in no in stance has a violent lawbreaker who has felt the electric shock of the "cat" in those districts ever been before the bar of justice as second offender. The curative power of the lash seems 10 be undisputed.
 Judgs w. M Gammill and Mar GUS Kayanagh of Chicago, who are members of the committee on law enforcement of the American Bar association, have been quoted as strongly favorng the whipping post for criminals, Supreme Court Jus ticc L. L. Tawcett of Brooklyn, and Justice J. J. Freschi of New York are of a similar opinion,
 Of course, there is sentiment against the whipping post upon the grounds of humanity; it is termed barharous and inhuman 10 whip person with a lash even crimi- nal. Upon this point there is cer- tainly room for disagreement. The acts committed hy modern crim- nals are more inhuman and bar barous than such whIppings.
 Only yesterday, among the three brutal murders committed in New York. one of the victims was the father of family Of seven chiI- dren: ant the murder was over a trivial card game, Can anyone imagine that the whipping post is any more brutal than this?
 The experience Of Liverpool Eng and, appears 10 bear out the claim that the "cat" is a genuine corrcc- tive of crime, The English city once was as crimc-infcstcd as New York or Chicago; but the judges began sentencing criminals 10 receive 2l lashcs; one" thirty gangstcrs were treated 10 whippinEs at the same time. The outlaws IIhed the treat mcnt so well that practically all re- formed; they told of their terrible experiences to the dolaens Of the underworld and in the course Of less than year the city was Urtu- ally cleaned of crime. And in peia- ware, where they apply the lash there have only been three robber- ies in r years! In Canada serious offenders against women and hold up men are given 2o lashes when they enter prison and 20 as re froshcr" when they are released; and there are few such crimes.
 Tublic-spirited men in New York arr d>ocating life sentences for robbers - or the lash. The former would be expensive for the state; the latter much cheaper and more effective. Whether the lash will be adorted in more American states is rrohlema'ical, as sentiment against tms type Of punishment remains strong; ypt there can he little dis
 agreement about the result - the man who gets lashed is changed for .rhe better ever afterwsrd.
 Jp 10 little more than year aeo one of the last r'maning whip ping posts was Uproctod in Farm ington. where it had been grim but unused reminder for genera iions. The carly settlers Of Counec- ticut had no computations about
 using the lash: and according 10 many viewpoints tho time may come when We will have to return to first principles in deaiing with protcs- sional criminals.
 SOFT COAL INDU STRY
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