The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-10-07
BARROW HITS
STERILIZATION
AS RIDICULOUS
Famous Attorney Declares
Morons BuIWark of
World Labor.
CHALLENGES DEFINITION
Points Out Many Families
Have Produced Idiots
and GeniuSeS.
BY N RUSSELL
United Press STAFF Correspondent

United Press STAFF Correspondent
Copyright. 1929. by United Press
LONDON, Oct. 7.-Declaring that
moronS are highly valuable to So
ciety and compose the class of any
population that does the mass of
the worlds most important work"
Clarence Darrow, noted American
lawyer, in an exclusive interview
with the United Press today, at
tackled and denounced the move
ment to sterilize mental and moral
detectives.
1t is the moron, he argued, who
shoulders, uncomplainingly, the un-
pleasant tasks of life. If any are
taken to prevent the reproduction
Of morons, many lawyers, doctors,
parliamentarians, preachers and
congressman would have to go to
work." DarroW commended.
Describing the propaganda for
sterilization of detectives as "im-
practicable, u%nscientifc and cruel"
Darrow said:
This is a new fad which I hope
will pass away. The idea that a
burglar will breed a burglar is ut
terly absurd. So far as heredity is
concerned, a preacher is just as apt
to produce a burglar as a burglar is.
The training that is given to the
individual after birth doubtless has
a good deal to do with it.
Points to Paradox
GAS to sterilization having any,
thing to do with preventing criminal
conduct, it is well to understand
the starting point. Technically,
crime means violation of a statute.
A man may be kindly and humane
and yet may violate a statute. He
may be cold, heartless. and crafty,
and yet he may conform to all
printed laws.
What sterilization fanatics really
believe is that they can get rid of
undesirables by this method, but
who are undesirables? Are they only
burglars, pickpockets and killers,
necessarily"
barrow argued that it was most
important to be more specific in our
definition of crime.
For instance" he added, "wes
speak of murder and put people to
death for killing. There are all
kinds of murders. AS a rule, this is
n Of the most insignificant of
crimes when measured by it's fire.
quency, the results and the attitude
of mind of the killer.
Broadly speaking, we may divide
murders into two classes. First, the
killing in passion which concerns
sex affairs and second, in sudden,
intense anger which no kind of pun
ishment affects because these kill
ings are perpetrated under circum-
stances where the killer does not
consider the circumstances.
ITO prevent this sort of nantes
tation simply means that we should
~sterilize the oversensitiVe and emo
tional individuals who as a class
include the worlds great artists and
poets. The result of undue emotions
or the turn these people take de-
ponds on their training, their sur
roundings and their life.
Killing Incidental
1.-The largest class of killings grow
from such things as burglary and
robbery. And the killing in this
case is done to prevent arrest. The
offense contemplated being burglary
Or robbery, the killing is incidental
to carry it out. There is no possible
way Of telling what is going to be-
fall any one, unless we know the
circumstances of his life.
Some people favor the ~steriliza-
ton of the unfit. But what is meant
by the unfit? In every country there
is a very large population that lives
very close to want. Most of these
people are not Intellectually strong !
and can be characterized as morons, !
but morons are not all In the lower
classes. Amongst the titled and the
rich there r many whose imbe-
cility is hidden by training and
wealth. Many of them have sat on
thrones and other high places with
out tumbling.
"As a rule the ordinary moron
works. Should we sterilize the mo-
ron workers? Somebody must work
in this world. We all can not live
by u wits and good fortune. The
mass of the worlds most important
and also most disagreeable work is
done by morons or others Closest to
the line.
IF a person really is intelligent
the first thing he does Is so to ar
range his life so somebody else will
do the work for him. If we were
to get rid of all the morons, many
lawyers, doctors, preachers, parlia-
mentarians and congressman would
be obliged to go to work.
Havoc In Church
IF we had no morons, it would
interfere seriously with the paving
Of streets, building of sewers, run
ming of arilroads, factories and other
industries and also raise havoc with
church attendance.
But the world as it now exists
could not be run without them. This
probably always will be true, for
there always will be a wide gap bel
tween the most and the least ir
Lone Bandit Robs Druggist