Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-02
WAR HAS BEEN DECLARED

he Old South Church in Boston,
Sunday, he severely criticized the
public for it's failure to punish crime.
His long years of experience and
Of men leads him to con-
clude that strong men will take the
law into their own hands unless
there be change for the better, and
then would come "the worst of all
sbcial woes, anarchy.
He declared: "There can be no
sIrer sign Of the degeneration of a
state than the failure adequately to
punish crime. Doubtless in the past
laws have often been too severe, and
the apportionment Of penalty to the
unlawful act has been unjust. We
have swung to the opposite extreme"
True, every word of it. And soci-
ETY. is to blame for it. It has not
maintained its power of control OF
crime commensurate with its devel-
opment in other respects. No civil
lized nation is so careless of human
life as we are. Neither have we in
diligently dealt with causes or re-
suits. Our penal institutions have
too often been schools Of crime.
! The average Of intelligence as
shown by tests among criminals is
not appreciably different from the
average of intelligence among those
outside the penal institutions. The
criminals as a whole, often members
Of criminal organizations ramifying
in all directions, make it a !, life
study to prey on society. Society
does not make it a life pursuit to
prey on criminals, although some
members Of society appear to do so.
The war is on between society and
the criminal. 1t was declared by the
criminal. 1t is a war of defense on
the part Of society. The criminal
will resort to every device. If So
ciety does this it will relapse to bar
Harisn, to the days of inquisitional
fortunes, to the wars when prisoners
we're impaled alive on sharp stakes
and left to perish in excruciating
agony. That sort Of procedure
would soon turn the human race
back to savagery.
Society has shown itself capable of
conducting decently great war. 1t
did not depend on terrorizing the foe.
It.. depended on overwhelming him
With superior force Of men, material
and mind-and it succeeded. To ac-
complish this the people We're arous-
ed, youth We're trained, disciplined,
orders We're obeyed, slackers met
with short shrift. Sacrifices were
made to do this and they were ac-
counted patriotic. Those who secret
ly favored the enemy were brought
to book. Those who would shuttle
on behalf Of the enemy were sharply
reminded that if there were snuffling
to do it better be for those striving
to restore violated peace.
But We are not doing that in this
war declared against society by the
criminal, who is organized and cap
italized, and armed and equipped
with the most modern inventions,
and holding society in contempt.
The thug arrested by the brave pa
trolman threatens him publicly In
the court room and in process of
time the thug gets him.. Nothing
is done about it.
Here is an incident showing why
the criminal organization has notlr=
ing but contempt for society's organ
ization for defense. A well-to do
family in great city sought a clean
home where the little children might
be brought up uncontaminated. One
OF eight years finally revealed that
Tor more than a year a wealthy, in
f1uential degenerate had been guilty
of a loathsome crime from which
the child had contracted a horrible
disease. Was that offender brought
to Justice. He was not. His friends
saw to it that he was not. A civic
organization failed to get a hearing,
the case being postponed on one pre-
text or another.
What would have been the psvcho-
logical effect CT mailing the fiend to
the court room door? Some day
resolute human beings will try it out.
That will be sorry day. There
should never be occasion for f.
There Will not be if society resolves
to war upon crime as it resolved tn
war upon the Germans-and persists,
Tor 1t will not be settled with one
battle; 1t will not be settled so long
Ias the criminal has reason to scorn
pciety.
He scorns the life of the law
abiding and he thinks he knows of
a short cut to happiness. In some
ways the criminal Is the most guilt
be dupe in the world. An eminent
cfimtnologist speaking out Of years
OF experience says he never knew a
criminal who got real happiness out
Of crime, but there are few If any
who are not bewitched by that fool
ith notion. He has confused fever
ed pulse with that of Astounding
health. A way must he found to