The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-01-21

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To the Editor:
In the recent series Of letters on
the subject of capital punishment,
which you invited your readers to
contribute, it is significant that the
majority of your correspondents
quoted Scripture to justify their
opinion. Those who quoted from
the Old Testament were upholding
capital punishment, while the sup
porterS of the New Testament were
of course, against it. To quote Scrip
ture merely turns the question into
futile argument, for each side can
find innumerable quotations to sub
Stantiate its claims. Besides, it
shows that the question of crime
and punishment is not properly I'm
derstood.
Two many law abiding citizens
take it for granted fthat a criminal
is person solely in need of religious
reform. They do not realize that
crime is a social disease, and that
the criminal needs clinical atten-
ton and not sermons. He is inca
pable of digesting a sermon. A
criminal of the dementia- praecoX
type, for instance, can no more con-
troll his criminal instincts than a
typhoid patient can control his
fever. Both need specialized treat
ment. The law-abiding citizen be-
lieves that we're he to commit a
crime, he would voluntarily surren-
der to the police and expect to pay
the penalty due his crime. He is
quite right. The normal citizen
would do just that, but he forgets
that it is not the normal citizen
who commits crime 1t is the alb
normal citizen. OF course, not all
criminals are defective or insane,
but, a large percent of them are.
The fear of capital punishment
does not act as deterrent to crime,
but the fear Of prompt conviction
or imprisonment does, as is evi-
denced in England. Here, at pres
ent, only one malefactor out of
every twenty is brought to the bar.
The city of Chicago alone has more
murders each year than the entire
English nation. However, we must
remember that the English are of
unexcitable temperament, and have
an ingrained respect for the law.
Because Of this, their police are
never armed.
We, on the contrary, are the melt
ing pot for a medley Of excitabIe
races, and we have. absolutely no
sense Of respect for law. Even the
normal. law abiding citizen (who
feels himself superior to the GRIM
inaD, laughs at law. and. In his de-
mand for bootleg products, directly
supports the underworld Of crime.
The normal citizens record Of hav-
ing ruttlesly killed $4,000 people by
reckless driving. in 1926, stacks up
pretty neatly in competition with
the crime record Of the criminal.
And again, 1t is evident that insane
violence Is not confined to the GRIM
inal alone, as was demonstrated in
Los Angeles when a mob Of law
abiding CD citizens attacked a petty
thief that an ofncer was arresting,
and nearly killed him because 1t was
imagined that the thief was Hick-
man. When that mob finished with
that victim, he was glad to commit
suicide within the safety Of his cell.
Had the citizens actually succeeded
IN killing their victim, no one would
have even suggested trying them for
the murder Of an innocent man, vet
every member of that mob was a
potential murderer and 4 menace
to any community.
All Of which goes to show that
temporary insanity" irresponsible
ity'' and criminal violence exist in
the groups Of so-called normal citi-
zens as well as in the underworld.
1t is only by accident that they
are detected.
To protect intelligently q COM
rnunity from the criminal, it is
necessary to initiate reform as early
as the school room, for the diff
cult" child Of today is usually the
criminal Of tomorrow, and only
through permanent segregation of
the incurable type, can society be
protected.
For the law to resort to capital
punishment as a cure for crime, is
as stupid as for a doctor to attempt
to arrest q typhoid epidemic by
merely treating the victims. The
source Of infection and pollution
must be discovered and eradicated
In both cases.
Thank you for your recent excel
lent editorial on the subject. L. P.
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