21 functions, and even down to the present day, whenever the necessity of government is spoken of, its function as supreme judge is the thing implied. "Without a government men would tear one another to pieces," argues the village orator. " The ultimate ena of all government is to secure twelve honest jurymen to every accused person," said Burke. \Vell; in spite of all the prejudices existing on this subject, it is qn:te bme that anarchists should boldly declare this oategory ot laws as useless a.nd injurious as the preceding ones. Firs_t of all, as to so-<oalled "crimes "-assaults upon persons -it is well-known that two-thirds, and often as many as threefourths, of such "crimes" are instigated by the desire to obtain possession of someone's wealth. This immense class of so-called "crimes and misdemeanours" will disappear on the day on which private property ceases to exist. "But," it will be said, "there will always be brutes who will attempt the lives of their fellow-citioons, who will lay their hands to a knife in every quarrel, and revenge the slightest offence by murder, if there are no la.we to restrain and punishmenh; to withhold them." This refrain is repeated every time the right of sooiety to ptmish is called in Question. Yet there is one fact upon tbis head which at the preser;; time is thoroughly established; the severity of punishmeo,t does. not diminish the amount of crime. Hang, and, if you like, quarter murderers, and the number of murders will n:ot decrease by one. On the other hand, abolish the penalty of death,. and there will not be one murder more; there will be fewer. Statistics prove it. But if the harvest is good, and bread cheap, and the weather fine, the number of murders immediately decreases. This again is proved by statistics. The amount of crime always augments and diminishes in proportion to the price of provisions and the state of the weather. Not that aU murderers are actuated by hunger. Tha.t is not the case. But when the harvest is good, and provisions are at an obtainable price, and when the sun shines, men, lighter hearted and less misei-a.ble than usual, do not give way to gloomy passions,. do not from trivial motives, plunge a knife into the bosom of a fellow creature. Biblioteca Gmo Bianco
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