The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1910. POWELKA'S POSITION.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 June 1910, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1910. POWELKA'S POSITION.

Peuhaps it is not 'to b'e. woniidcred at, this widespread symip.iltiiy for Powc-llca that is prevalent .to-day. A great section of tlio community believes that youthful criminal was driven into crime- by certain nnfortum.n.te domestic and other experiences that befel lira; and ' rijjjht along 'blie lengthy course of his mi.s-dem'-ennoiirs and escapades there have arisen numerous apologists for his actions. .lib may he that a good dea'l of csagßeiation has Lwn indulged in regarding liis domestic exporionces ,and other alleged causes lof his wrongdoing, but it slioukl l>e rernem'beiied that even were everythiing exactly as alleged, Powelka's crimes were sordid ami commonplace for the greaiter part. They gave indications, too, of beting the work of a .man wilfch mind uiiibalancod, 'oven in the -early stages wherein they were prejudiced to property only, and not to life and limb, as subsequently they becam'e. It seems to us ItOiat a great deal of the sympathy for Powelloa springs from emotional souirces, and that to a krge extent tliero is in operation the primitive passion which for ages past has exalted into heroism , the acts of anyone who sets his town indiv&huilily against the mighty forces of public oipinion as expressed in

Itihe provisions for enforcing ]«,w and order: forces tlwit are based upon the absolute necessities of every community. Thrft particular n.v peeb of tho case should be insisted ■upon; it is » fact not recognised a.s fle-arly as it .should be tUiat Powellwi was sentenced to imprisonment because plain "William Brown ■and Thomas Jones and Henry Thompson, and n million other citizens of Now Zealand, Imve said thaft tbn very few thousands amongst thorn who transgress eortian I:iavs made, for the protection of everybody must go to prison by way of punishment, and .also- as a warning to others who may ho hesifca'bing about comm.itline crimes. Powelka jiccording to several ' of his .apologists and ndmirers, wont abroad »teal'ine: furniture and fitiripping houses of their roofing because his marital exporie-np.es and resulting needs drove him to surfi n'ots. Tf tint- is rwilly the case, an unbalanced criminal disposition clearly remains to be reckoned with. Tf everyone whose marital experiences niv nut,, to his likin«: were 'to <ro out stiM.]ipiirg houses of their roof lend n. givab ninny <vf those exci.t-od people who are nt present .addressing public meetings ft "Wnnganui or sign-inn: petit ions in "Wellingt-oiu would , I)- , kept too busy spiiirrino; on Mio detectives and police to run to oiw'Hi the purlnincrs of their rooftrees t-t> hnve nny sympatUiy- to wa<de o-iv Powellca and other pro|X i rly treated Anyone whose memory is long enough to trace backward , ? tho criminal onreer of Powrlkn must know ft.bat he had shown decidedly criminal traits lone before he became- notoi'i'ous through osonpiiig from custody. His a-pologisfs say that the crimes lie cosinnit.t.cd subsequciirtly were <-hii'flv made compulsory bv hunger. It is true thalfc some 'f his robbo-rios wore of tin's category: but what nre we to pay to i-h' , cri"'" ci , .ni'son? , Fr-rim the f|iialifv of some of the varguments put forward by the Powelka apologists, wo are nlino.sfc prepared to hear one r;f them coint'e-nd, in regard to the wilful burn.ing of the Pal-iticrs<o-n North High Rfhool, that tho \)noY Iran had to get a fire somehow, t't '■■•](}k his ment by. This, if seriously oointemlerl. would b'e only a few degr-ees more nonsensical Ih.'ui ' p r>!tii' of iku n]i-nlcgies already imrle for ihc limn. Tnt-o tb'e- ques-t-ion -of whi-ther Mr Justice Cooper's s-.'-nlence was too severe wo do not prcpn-e to go, be-yo-nd saying flint His TTono.ur passed .sentence after having heard all the evidence and having triven consideraffion to all th-e police reports on. prip.'inc.r's chf-'-actcr and antece'h'llls. Kr-nvino; ih;\\, jnnVo for ■"! unvi'.vht. cons'-ionHoiiK nnd we ;uust, arid, in the light of his latest JMflicial ])ro.nounc<»nien.t a. morally courteous ma.n, iro are. o , :)indent, -to accejjt as quite correct his jiirlgiv.ent in Sentencing Po- : Wi'lka, the ani!;ul aii'l desperate crimiii.'il, to a term of twenty-one years imprisonment. The pronouncement w.as ii vimlic.nl inn nf the law. and an uiimist.'ikiible indication Ho weakniinrle:] yet lwadsifrong criminals in pfi«:?f that soficiy's safegu.-uxlfi were n<4. h, 1).. -!,rifled with undiilv and wifili impunity. A great deal of emotionil sympathy is being rriven ovniTKsioii In just now, hut it will be found in the enduring stages that tho deri) founded p,n<l seldom expressed for".- of legitimate public opinion will result- in a m.-iintenancc of the proper standards of right nud wrong in this ns j l|: var j, o , ls others, nnd that (he proper course o.f justici. will be left unturned in Kpifc-oftbefrollty phillipic.s of an ineonsiderable but noisy minority of tho pn.puhiif.ion.