The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, January 30, 1925, Image 7
NKB1) ENFORCEMENT
? inn ? immmu.h t?
Hunter A. (*ibbett in Address
to Columbia Club
(Sunday's Columbia State)
??The Need lor. More Kffeetive I.aw
nforcement" was the subject of an
ddres* by Hunter A. ibbes, at a
went meeting of the Forum club of
olumbia. The material presented so
impressed members of the club that
1r. (Jibbes.vvas requested to furnish
digest for publication. The paper
?I lows;
In commercial, mechanical, indus
ial and agricultural enterprise, the
Jnited States has outstripped all oth
nations. In science, art and liter
ture we have progressed in a satis
.u-tory and creditable manner. The
ale of living in America is higher
Gained
Ten Pounds
Mrs. George S. Hunter, of
Columbus, Ga., says she suf
fered severely with female
troubles.
"I had to go to bed and
stay sometimes two weeks at
a time," says Mrs. Hunter.
"I could not work. My . . .
were irregular and I got very
thin. I went from 126 pounds
down to less tharf 100. My
mother had been a user of *
CARDUI
The Wo man's Tonic
and she knew what a good
medicine it was for this troub
le, so she told me to get
some and take it. I sent to
the store after it' and before
I had taken the first bottle
up I began to improve. My
aide hurt less and I began to
mend in health. I took four
bottles in all during the last
ten months. Cardui acted as
a fine tonic... 1 am well now.
I have gained ten pounds and
am still gaining. My sides
do not trouble me at all and
my . . . are quite regular. I
know that Cardui will help
others suffering from the
same trouble."
Take Cardui.
E-101
Begins His Sentence
Columbia, Jan. 25.?Sentenced to
spend the rest of his natural life
behind the bars of the state peni
tentiary, Asbury Wessinger, fourteen
year old boy, convicted of the mur
der of his aunt, Mrs. Lina Wessinger,
with an axe, today spent his first
full day of his term in the main
building of the state prison.
The boy was brought to the prison
late yesterday by Sheriff T. Cromer
Oswald. His last visit to the prison
was made last September shortly af
ter the murder in order to identify
the negro, who he claimed, assaulted
kis aunt with the axe and knocked
her three children unconscious. This
account he later admitted was a fab
rication.
Young Wessinger was found guilty
last Friday, the jury recommending;
mercy, and was sentenced by Judge
J. H. Johnson to life imprisonment.
GETTING UP NIGHTS
Can be stopped often in 24 hours.
To prove that you can be rid of this
strength sapping ailment, have more
pep, be free from burning sensation,
pain in groins, backachre and weak
ness I'll send you Walker's Prostate
Specific free and postpaid under plain
wrapper. No obligation. No cost.
If it cures your prostate gland trou
ble, you can repay the favor by tell
?ng your friends?if not, the loss is
mine. Simply send me your name and
prove that you can feel 10 years
younger and be rid of prostate trou
ble. I. B. Walker, 2488 Gateway Sta
tion, Kansas City, Mo.
FINAL DISCHARGE
Notice is hereby given that one
month from this date, on Monday,
February 16th, 1925, I will make to
the Probate Court of Kershaw County
my final return as Administratrix of
the estate of Samuel Page, deceased,
and on the same date I will apply
to the said Court for a final discharge
** ?aid Administratrix.
WILMER BLANCH PACK,
Administratrix.
? amden, S. C*, January 16th, 1926.
ADMINISTRATOR'S SALE
State of South Carolina,
County of Kershaw.
In The Probate Court
Under and by virtue of an order
granted by Probate Judge W. L.
McDowell, dated January 16th, 1925,
1- as Administrator of the estate of
J. E. Jeff era, deceased, will sell at
public auction to the highest bidder,
at 12 o'clock M. on Monday, Feb
ruary 2nd, 1925, in the town of
Blsney, S. C., the stock of merchan
dise and store fixtures .belonging to
tfco estate of the said J. E. Jeff erg.
Terns of sals cash.
"" T. JEFFERS, -
than in any other country. We are
spending far more money per capita
on church and missionary work and
religious and secular education than
any other nation. In the general
evolution and progress of the world
in things material there is no doubt
that we have contributed our share
in intelligent and successful effort. In
many respects our record is one for i
pride and self-congratulatibn.
On the other hand, however, Kur6-1
peans accuse uS of being sordid, ill j
mannered, lacking .ih courtesy, diwre '
gardful of contractual obligations,!
and altogether tho most lawless of
civilized nations. The distressing
fact is that there is some truth in
this criticism. Our record in crime
alqne is appalling. Here are some of
the disagreeable facts which should
receive Our intelligent consideration
and study: -
During the year 1923 in the United
States with a population of 100,000,
000 there were 10,000 homicides. En
gland and Wales have a combined
population of approximately 50,000,
Q0& During 1923 their homicides
numbered only 200. There are more
homicides annually in the cities of St,
Louis, Chicago and New York than in
the United Kingdom of t^eat Bri
tain and Ireland. SroMiJBLhn a
! population of 5,000,000. in
Scotland th<?re were only Up homi
cides. South Carolina has a popula
! tion less than half that of Scotland.
| Yet in South Carolina during 1922
, there were 281 homicides. It must
be frankly admitted, however, that
in 1923 we South Carolinians caught
ourselves napping, waxed exceed ing -
ly careless and closed the year with
, the disgraceful and mortifying record
I of killing unlawfully only 254 citi
zens. It is interesting to note what
became of these 254 cases. The re
port of the attorney general shows
that there were 66 convictions of
1 manslaughter, 65 convictions of mur
der and sixty death sentences.
During the ten years ending with
the year 1921, the average homicidal
mortality in the United States was
7.2 per 100,000 of population; in
Quebec and Ontario 0.5; in England,
Wales and Ireland it ranged from 0.4
to 0.9 per 100,000. In Australia and
South Africa the average was 1.0. In
South Carolina during the same pe
riod we forced ourselves into the lime
ligh't with the appalling record of
killing unlawfully 16 citizens out of
every 100,000 of population each year.
Prior to alleged prohibition our aver
age was well over 22 per 100,000 of
population. Our present average is
more than double that of continental
United States and more than 30 times
greater than that of England. If any
one should offer an atiti-peace prize
we would probably enjoy the unique
distinction of winning it each year.
Possibly in off years we would wax
degenerate, sit supinely by and allow
the palm of victory to go to the state
of Georgia.
Our record of crime against prop
erty is equally bad. The official re
ports show that in England and
Wales during 1921 there were 95
robberies. In New York in 1922
there were 1,445 robberies and in
Chicago 2,417. In South Carolina in
1923; the attorney general's report
shows, there was an appalling num
ber of prosecutions for crimes against
property. However, figures do not
'tell the whole story, for the reason
that there are many petty thefts and
robberies which are not reported to
the police. They are so common
that no mention of them is made in
the public prints. Thousands of
cases remain unsolved mysteries and
hundreds are settled out of court.
It has become entirely too safe and
altogether too respectable to commit
murder, steal an automobile, perpe
trate graft, commit a breach of trust
or rob a bank. The weight of public
opinion against crime is not suffi
ciently great to be effective as a de
terring influence. As a result there
is no improvement in our record of,
crime. The records show that crime |
is on tho increase in America.
In the matter of contractual obli-1
gations we are also wofully deficient. |
There is vastly more litigation in
the United States conccrning business
contracts than in England and Euro- j
pean countries. Even in the record
of divorco we lead the world. The
American people, generally spaking, |
do- not seem to have caught the j
spirit of the sacrednesfc of a business j
obligation. Quite a large number of
very respectable people have no hesi
tation in employing a lawyer for the
sole purpose of using every possible
strategy to avoid the payment of a
perfectly just obligation. The sacred
observance of contract is often the
exception and not the rule.
It is important for us to learn the
cause or causes of these weaknesses,
in American life, and, if practicable,
devise some remedy. Perhaps under a
democratic form of government the
tendency is to devote too much atten
tion to oar rights, and become heed
less of the obligations of good citi
zenship. Certain H is that the parson
"
ftrn aifdr m
getting what he conceives'to be his
rights acquires a selfish point . of
\ 11? w and loses sight of th?^ more im
portant thin# in life, his obligation*
as a man and a citizen.'Such a per
son shows a gross deficiency in ethi-j
$Bt and moral training. It may bo
that the trend of both legislation and
education tends to emphasize per
sonal rights at the expense of per
sonal obligations.
It has often been stated with pride
that the plane of living in America
f". the masse* is higher than that of
any other nation. It is quite truo
insofar as creature comforts are con
cerned. Hut is this condition a de
sirable one? Certainly not if it be
at the expense of character and the
preservation of life and property.
Plane of living is essentially a thing
which abould be earned. It is never
created except artificially. Many of
the planes of living we see aroupd
us are created artificially, and not
earned. They are paid for by the
grocer, the butcher, the bank, the ga
rage, and sometimes by the unlaw- j
ful use of trust funds. Such a plane
of living, too high and beyond the
means of the liver, only too often re-(
suits in poverty, dishonor and crime..
Ignorance often leads to poverty,!
thence onward to crime. The foolish
or ignorant spendthrift who lives on (
a plane of living not actually earned ,
and beyond wliat he can honestly af
ford,. is surely on the toboggan slide
of poverty., He is not used to pov
erty, knows not its language, and as
a logical sequence dishonor and cringe
result. In his wake there is a trail
of unfulfilled contractual obligations.
The American people are of a
spectacular turn of mind in business,
The gambling spirit is well develop
ed. Perhaps this is born of a desire
to live on an increasingly higher
plane. Great risks are frequently
taken in business and speculative pro
jects. Perhaps too little thought is
given to the fact that speculative
risks ofen find an investor under sud
den financial embarrassment, and he
is tempted to do the improper "thing
under financial pressure. Human na
ture is weak. Therefore one should
strive to avoid financial embarrass
ment, and thus avoid the temptation
to do a dishonest act. It is easy
enough to act farly under favorable
conditions, but is takes strength of
character of a high quality to act
honestly under the pressure of strong
?temptation. In a word, the important
thing in life is not to allow oneself j
to get desperately hard up.
It is perhaps trite to say that crime i
is due to the lack of proper home J
training and home environment. No
doubt home training is elemental and (
by far the most important factor in
the development of character. The
problem of home training is one of
serious importance. It is elusive and
difficult. It may be that in the gen
eral devolpment of education an im
provement in home influence can be
accomplished in the future. The im
provement of character through the
home would doubtless improve our
brime record. In the meantime it
must be frankly admitted that the
influence of homo and church has
failed to stem the tide of the steady
increase in crime in America.
It may be unfair to emphasise the
shortcomings of home ami church.
Possibly our appalling crime record
is due more largely to so?mv> of the
vital economic ' and psychological
| cause# herein enumerated, or not y<H
discovered, too powerful for the coun
teracting: influence of home and
church. ,
While it is important to ascertain
the causes of crime, it is equally im-.
perative to provide an efficient sys
tem of justke for the punishment of
the criminal. The certainty of swift
and adequate punishment is no doubt
of large influence in the preservation
of law and order. The early settlers
of America came to this country on
account of religious persecution and
the gross infringement of personal
rights. Therefore, when the federal
constitution was adopted, religious
liberty and the rights of the individ
ual were of paramount concern. As a
i t suit our systejn of justice is largely
framed with the view of safeguarding
the rights of the individual. In thus
-preserving personal liberty we went
too far by making it easy for the
criminal to escape punishment. The
processes of both the criminal and
civil courts should be speeded up and
simplified. Cumbersome technical
procedure could be abolished with ad
vantage. This has already been done
in England with considerable advan
tage to the prompt administration of
justice. Our judges should be given
mote power and the jury system re
vised. Under our system in state
courts in the trial of a criminal or
civil case the judge is prohibited by
the constitution from charging the
jury on the facts. Would it not be
well to change this so as to give the
jury the benefit of the advice and the
opinion of the judge on the facts of
the case under trial ? . Surely the
judge could aid many a perplexed
jury. in arriving at a just verdict.
This reform has been found to work
satisfactorily in England. It is now
the practice in the federal courts of
America. As a result there is more
wholesome respect for the cburse of
justice in the federal courts than in
the state courts. Such a reform in
state courts, however, would be most
difficult to accomplish. It would be
opposed by the criminal classes and
?those in sympathy with them. The
influence of the lawyers with crimi
nal practice would also be against
any change.
During the summer of 1924 there
were two celebrated cases of murder
in England. In each case within 60
days after the commission of the
crime the murderer was apprehended,
tried, convicted, the appeal disposed
of, and the defendant hanged. This
remarkable speed and sureness in the
administration of English justice is
the rule and not the exception. The
wheels of justice turn more slowly
and less surely in South Carolina and
in the states generally. Surely it is
possible for us to learn some things
worth while from the British.
There is no doubt that the admin
MEDICINES PRESCRIPTIONS
TOILET ARTICLES
? * ? '? ' - ? '? ?ti- r" ?' ;? ?. \
W. Robin Zemp's Drug Store
PHONE 30 PROMPT DELIVERY
istration of justice by the state's is a
failure so far as the suppression of
crime is concerned. If this lack of
efficiency on the part of th?? states
continues it will not be long before
some one will be proposing another
amendment to the 'federal constitu
tion. This proposed amendment will
doubtless seek to provide for the trial
of all criminal cases in federal courts.
If crime continues to increase there
will be ultimately a considerable pub
lic sentiment in favoi%.of such an
amendment, It will bo a sad day for
the states of the union if they aru
required to go completely out of the
business of trying to keep order and
trying to suppress crime. Would it
not be well for the individual states
to forestall any such movement for
increasing the power of the federal
government'by actually suppressing
crime? The inefficiency of the states
has already actually resulted in the
humiliating loss of power bestowed on
the federal government. Why not at
least try to be efficient? At present
the efforts of the states in this dire
tion are practically negligible. It
would really be a fine thing to do,
and if the states be successful they
would savo a lot of mOney by it. It
has been estimated that the cost of
crime in tho United States for
was $10,000,000,000. This is two and
one-half times the national receipts
for 1023, and about 12 times the cost
of our army and navy. If one-third ol'
this hutfe sum could be saved an
nually it would, be well worth while.
In many other respects also the sup
pression of crime would be of groat
practical and economic value.
We love to prate about liborty, but
too often confound it with license.
Instead of being the font of liberty,
we are really the font of license.
Daniel Webster once wisely said that
"liberty exists in proportion to whole
some restraint." We should Cultivate
a wholesome restraint and insist up
on it. The only way to insist upon it
effectively is to provide an efficient
system of justice which will command
the wholesome rospect of all classes.
There is no magic in the word "law."
The Big Man
# ?
Some Day
This bank is not only interested
in big men, but it is even more
interested in those who are go
ing to be big men some day.
Maybe this is you. Line up with
us and let us help you.
The First
National Bank