The Inquiring Mind
Thi MriM of articles, en many different subjects,
results from work by senior students at the school of
journalism at the University of Oregon. Each is a con
densed Torsion of a full-length thesis written as partial
requirement for graduation at the school.
ABOLISHING PUNISHMENT
OF CRIMINALS
Br4 Jack Sweet
Public ideas and attitudes
are changing all the time. For
instance, there is a theory that
punishment of criminals even
tually could and should be
done away with. This is so
tartlftg a concept that furth
er explanation is demanded.
The theory goes something
like this: Punishment is noth
ing but vengeance, benefiting
no one and causing irrepara
ble harm to the criminal. The
criminal can't be allowed to
remain free in society as long
as he represents a danger to
that society but he should be
helped, not further warped by
a vengeful penal system.
In most cases the law-breaker
could be reformed by com
petent guidance. If emphasis
were on this reformation rath
er than on punishment, all
that would be lost would be
the satisfaction, some people
get out of seeing "sinners"
suffer.
Gradual Drift
' A gradual drift away from
punishment as such is taking
place now. We have begun to
consider a criminal's mental
state before we decide wheth
er to- try to cure him or to
punish him. Psychiatric aid is
replacing solitary confine
ment, though slowly, to be
sure.
Under a certain age, crimi
nals are called "juvenile de
linquents" and every effort is
made to turn them into use
ful, happy citizens. If we
could keep raising this arbi
trary age level we might one
day consider all people eligi
ble for our sympathy, under
standing, and help.
Removing the concept of in
tentional punishment would
not mean letting criminals
roam free. If it is found that
(fc person cannot be reformed,
then that person must be seg
regated from the society he
CDdangers. He need no be
locKed in' a barren cell but
anerely kept away from the
community. This might be ac
complished in such a way that
the) law-breaker would be re
ceiving no more punishment
han a person confined in a
mental institution or one de
ftfhed in quarantine with
Dmt communicable disease.
Ivery means would be taken
& effect a "cure."
Punishment is definitely a
means of combatting crime.
But is it necessarily the only
means? Surely society can
find an alternative to ven
geance.
State punishment is an as
pect of rule by fear. It tends
to make cowardice a virtue,
in that fear promotes honesty.
If we train our people in fear
who will protect our nation in
time of war, when cowardice
becomes a contemptible
crime? We ask too much in
desiring a man to fear no
enemy but to fear his own
legal system. .
It sounds impractical, per
haps completely unrealistic;
to say that moral standards
must be sterengthened to re
place government by fear.
However, much in our society
is based on man's fundamen
tal honesty. -
We must so often rely on
cooperation and decency. It is
almost certain that some men
will refuse to give this coop
eration and will break the
established laws. But it isn't
essential that Justice must
draw her sword and revenge
society. If the criminal can be
reformed into a good citizen,
society should not demand
some arbitrary pound of flesh.
Worse Than Crime
The punishment, in so many
cases (if not in all), is worse
than the crime. If, say, a fit of
jealous anger causes a man to
commit murder, in his crime
any worse than the crime of
society which will treat its
erring citizen like a caged ani
mal for thirty years, or long
er?
To punish ' wrong seems
such an ob'ious and natural
rule to most people. It fits
in so well with their view of
their God's intentions. But is
is not also the will of this
God to reward virtue, and
who talks of a court of justice
for that purpose? Why is such
a pleasant notion rejected
while the vicious notion of
punishment is taken for grant
ed? Necessary Evil
When we get right down to
it, the best that some might
say for criminal punishment
is that it is a necessary evil.
But is it necessary? For thous
ands of years we have tried
the brutal use of punishment
for crime. Crime has not van
ished by any means. Our sys
tem is not perfect.
Perhaps we should try a
They'll Do It Every Time
" t'yyi op My mino.'.'i
. tEr DOtf T HAVE TIME J .
J MVSH-P OR THE J 1 1 .- I
- L
By Jimmy Hado""
The mama
WITH ONE
LITTLE MD TO
TAKE CARE OF
CAN'T KEEP UP
WITH THIN6S-
rr's much too
MUCH FOR
HER
r T I
Sali ft 1353. Cm Fatur Syndicate. Ink. W Pt aJl
But the
OF EIGHT ALWAYS
LOOKS LIKE A
. MILLION BUCKS,
AND SO DO THE
KIDS AND ALSO
THE HOUSE
HOWCUM ? WE
REPEAT"
70 MUTER
AtSMUE.,
MmsYjMX
Bill Isaacs Gets
$500 Scholarship
Bill Isaacs, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Richard Isaacs, 1120
Bellview st., Ashland, former
Medford residents, has re
ceived a $500 national schol
arship award by the National
Council of State Garden
clubs.
He also has been named a
research assistant under a
grant by the University of
Washington for work on a bo
tanical project next Septem
ber. He will be a senior at the
University of Washington next
year. .'
Young Isaacs is now attend
ing the summer session at the
University of Michigan bio
logical station as an assistant
to Dr. Alexander Smith, head
of the Mycological department
at the university. '
system which, involves in
sight, understanding, and com
passion, rather than punish
ment. Such a system, being
run by men, would surely not
be perfect. But our present
system too is unsuccessful.
Even if a system without
punishment should be no more
successful in preventing crime
than a system with punish
ment, at least we will have
a more humane system.
If, as individuals, we can
not refrain from an occasion
al criminal act,, we can, per
haps, as a society, abolish the
crime of punishment.
Quotes From the News
By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
, London-Mrs. Bessie Braddock, Laborite member of Par
liament, replying to a fellow Laborite who asked that a select
committee be named to investigate physical damage sustained
by prize fighters:
"No boxer is compelled to box. It is a completely volun
tary matter, and if it is a question of looking at the things
that hurt people there are many other things that may be
looked at to more advantage that kill people off much more
quickly.": .
: Little Rock, Ark.-President Everett Tucker Jr., of the
Little Rock School Board, after a federal court killed two
Arkansas anti-integration laws which Gov. Orval E. Faubus
used to close four Little Rock high schools last fall:
"I see no alternative but to proceed with some plan of
integration."
New York-The appellate division of the New York State
Supreme court, in a decision holding that a person who used
a coin-operated laundry machine on Sunday was not violat
ing the Sabbath:
"Committing one's own wash to the automatic laundry
machine is labor-saving and is not inconsonant with the pur
pose of Section 2140 to promote rest on the Sabbath."
Denver-Chairman Thruston B. Morton of the Republican
National commtitee, telling a group of young GOP party
workers to attract more young .people to the Republican
party:
"I am convinced that literally millions of young people do
not participate in the political activities of either party for
the simple reason that no one has ever encouraged them to
do so." , ' ."
PEEPER' NEARLY BLIND
Milwaukee, Wis. - (DPD - El
mer Mueller was fined $25
Thursday on conviction of be
ing a "peeping Tom." Mueller
is blind in the right eye and
has very limited vision in the
left.
New York-(DPD-Gov. Nelson
A. Rockefeller announced
Thursday night that he had
effected another $500-a-year
saving in the state budget, by
eliminating state payments
for calling cards for deputy
superintendents of the state
Department of Insurance.
You 11 get the best deal
right now during
Buick Bargain Days
FINEST DEALS - V
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SEE YOUR BUICK DEALER TODAY AND SAVE:..
Medford Man In
Plumber Contest
Ronald Bertram of local
418, Medford, was one of four
plumber contestants in the
sixth Oregon State Pipe
Trades Apprenticeship contest
at Oregon State college re
cently. The event is planned by the
international union to assist
in "the making of all-around,
better qualified journeymen
for the plumbing and pipe
fitting industry." .
Eugene Halverson, local 51,
Portland was winner in the
plumbing division and Terry
Lee Howden, local 235, Port
land, was winner of the pipe
fitting division.
They will enter the interna
tional contest at Purdue uni
versity Aug. 10-14.
Shady Cove Youth
Arrested by Police
A 17-year-old Shady Cove
resident is in the juvenile de
tention home today charged
with burglary, state police re
ported. The teenager is charged
with burglary on Medford
Corporation property about a
half mile west of Butte Falls,
officers said. Property stolen
was valued at $92, but most
of it was recovered with the
youth's arrest by state police
last night, police said. The
property included miscella
neous hand tools, fire extin
guishers, some gasoline and a
five gallon can of oil.
The property was reported
stolen about May 23, state po
lice said.
Ashland Council
Adopts Amendment
Ashland - An amendment
to Ashland's city zoning ordi
nance allowing owners of
non-conforming properties in
residential areas to install
parking lots was adopted by
the city council Tuesday
night.
Attorney Sid Ainsworth,
representing landholders in
the area of Beach st. and Sis
kiyou blvd., opposed the
move. Market owner Everett
McGee is planning to install
a parking lot adjacent to his
business in the Beach st., Sis
kiyou blvd. area.
Ten Area Boys Are
Named to Offices
Corvallis - Ten boys from
Southern Oregon schools have
been elected to offices at Am
erican Legion Beaver Boys
State at Oregon State college.
More than 450 high school
youths are attending the
week-long session in citizen
ship training.
Among those elected to city
offices were Kirby Fox, Med
ford, mayor of Applegate; Ray
Konopasek, Medford, recorder
for Whitman; Jim Schmidt,
Medford, and Nathan Parrish,
Crater High school, Miller
councilmen; Pat McLaughlin,
Medford, and Burton Deakins,
Medford, Lewis councilmen.
Trip Hammer, Cave Junc
tion, Astor treasurer; Sam
Knudsen, Talent, Meek coun
cilman; Jerre Randolph, Med
ford, McLoughlin mayor; and
Tom Tomjack, St. Mary's, Mc
Loughlin treasurer.
Eads Is Meimjei
Of Allied Lines
Eads Transfer and Furni
ture company, 123 South
Front st., has been named to
membership in Allied Van
Lines, Inc., the firm an
nounced today. '
As an Allied member, Eads
will be able to provide world
wide moving service. Richard
LaBelle, Allied -president, cit
ed the new membership "as
another in a long series of
service improvements by the
company over many years of
service to Medford."
Eads, founded in 1904, is
headed by Leon L. Evans.
MAIL TRIBUNE, MedforW, . f
Fricay, June 1, 1959
MATES ON JURY
New York - (UPD A hus
band and wife were picked on
the same jury Thursday, (6
circumstance which involved
their coincidental selection in
four separate processes from
the entire New York county
jury list. It had never hap
pened before in the memsrf
of court attaches.
EASTMAN HEAD DIES
Rochester, N. Y. - (DPD -"Wil-liam
G. Stuber, 95, who -was
chosen by the late Georgp
Eastman to be third presi
dent of the Eastman Kod$
Co. died here Wednesday.
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