AMERICAN JUSTICE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1264, 20 October 1911, Page 5

AMERICAN JUSTICE.

DISGRACE TO CIVILISATION,

Dj TolecrODh—Press Association—Oopyrl-cht New York, October 18. At Omaha, Judgo Do Courcy, of Massachusetts, speaking beforo tho Prions Association of America, denounced tho United States administration of justice as a disgrace to civilisation. The number of homicides in 1910 had, he said, exceeded 8000, an incroaso of OOfl compared with tho previous year. Only ono in oighty-nino murderers had been punished. Tho Judge commended tho English methods as being infinitely superior, and snowed that oven Italy led Amena 1 . in regard to the apprehension of criminals. LAWLESdNESS IN AMERICA. HOW CRIMINALS ESCAPE SCOT FIiKE. Writing of tho lawlessness of the United States recently, Mr. 11. B. Fuller said in tho course of a striking article in the "World's Work":Judgo George C. nolt has recently collected reliable statistics on felonious crimes. He declares that of the 300,000 nersons who have participated iu lynching in the past forty years 100,000 are still living—"approximately 100,000 unhung murderers of that particular type.' Lot tu »ko a singlo inslanec. In November, 100'J a mob gathered at Cairo, 111., and lynched two men confined in the local gaol. A grand jury was convened to investigate tho affair. After careful investigation it brought in this more or loss consolatory report: "We believe no innocent man met hit. deatu at tho hands of tho mob." The report further declared that nono of tho "lawless element" were concerned in the lynching. No one was prosecuted for this crime against law and society. From such imperfect statistics as I have been able to gather, approximately 9000 murders and homicides aro committed annually in the United States. Less than 2 per cent, of these criminals pay the penalty fixed by law. Wo have already gained the stigma of a nation of mankillors. To-day we have in the United States 115 homicides per million inhabitants; Italv has 105 per million; Germany, 13; France, 19; and Great Britain and Ireland, 27 per million. Hie answer to these startling statistics is not difficult. Eurono's comparative freedom from homicidal crimes is « result of its habit of making quick disposition of murderers. The courts there pay closor attention to a prompt and decisive visitation of punishment. In Great Britain one in every four homicides is promptly hanged. In tho United States wo execute on the average only one out of overy fifty. Certainty p.nd celerity rather than severity of punishment is desirable. This docs not exist in America.