ten thousand deaths. Those States where the death penalty is inflicted
have the least number of brutal murders, in proportion to their
population. The dread of death is a better protection to society than a
life of imprisonment. The fiend with murder in his heart thinks "while
there is life, hope remains," and if he is sent to the penitentiary for
life he may get a pardon after a time. But if he is aware of the fact
that if he strikes the fatal blow he must atone for his crime on the
gallows, he is more liable to think twice before striking his innocent
victim once. There should be no such a thing as a life sentence. No
criminal should be sent to the penitentiary for a term longer than
fifteen years. The suffering he endures during this long sentence is
enough to atone for any crime he may commit aside from a brutal murder,
and for this he should be hung. Fifteen years of imprisonment is
sufficient to break down almost any constitution. Having spent this
length of time behind prison walls a man is a physical wreck, and,
having atoned for his crime, let him have the last days of life in
the world of freedom. The greatest desire of a life man in our
penitentiaries is to die outside of prison walls. No criminal should be
sent to the penitentiary for less than five years. After giving him one
fourth off for good behavior, he has but little more than three years of
actual service. This will give him plenty of time to learn a trade, so
that when he goes out of prison he can make a living for himself and for
those depending upon him. For crimes that require lighter sentences of
imprisonment let jails or reformatories be brought into requisition. In
the eyes of the world a jail sentence is not so disgraceful as one in
the penitentiary.

The plumage of a jail-bird is not so black as that of a penitentiary
bird. The disgrace of being sent to the penitentiary for one year is as
great as being sent for five or ten years. Whether he goes for one or
five years, for all the future he is set down as an ex-convict. People
do not stop to inquire as to the length of his sentence. The main
question is: Was he in the penitentiary? If so, he wears the mark of
Cain--the stamp of disgrace. Not so, if he simply has been in jail.
There are a great many young men, while surrounded by bad company, yield
to temptation and commit crime. A dose of jail service will do them as
much good as a year in the penitentiary. After they get out they do
not f