The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1875-01-29
CAPIrAL PUNIsHsIENT.

been commuted TO lie imprisonment,
has elected an unusual amount Of dis
eussion upon the subject Of capital
punishment, and we observe that
several of our newspaper exchanges
are urging the abolition Of the death
penalty from our Statute books.
As an argument in favor of this
proposition Salem paper asserts
that "a large majority Of the people
Oregon are opposed to capital pun
ishment.@ The only facts which we
are able to get at, without an ex-
preston Of the ballot box will not
warrant such an assertion. Only
last fall a Legislature, fresh from
the people, peremptorily refused by
an overwhelming vote, to entertain
a measure providing for the abroga-
ton Of the death penalty, and this
Notwithstanding the fact that an ex7
traordinary amount of lobying and
honey-fugling was resorted to by
outsiders to accomplish the passage
Of the measure. The case of Ger
rand stared the Legislators in the
face. He was then incarcerated in q
felon's cell at the capital, under the
sentence of death, with no hope or
prospect Of reprieye and as q means
of saving him from the gallows the
most urgent appeals were made to
the lawmakers to abolish hanging.
But all to no purpose. A large ma
jority Of those members had long
resided on the Pacific coast and had
been too long familiar with crime in
all its most hideous features to favor
the abrogation Of the only whole
some check upon the murderer's fell
designs. They well knew that the
condition Of society in our sparsely
settled State would not admit of
such modification of tie only just
punishment for the reckless taking
Of human life, and that they would
not be sustained by their constitu
ency in such enactments. Nearly
all Of the older States, with society
evenly balanced, with courts COM
pletely organized and justice most
rigidly enforced, have found it nee
essary to retain the death penalty
upon, the statute books, and it was
not for our young and transitory
: Oregon to make the experiment of n
change in this important particular.
True, a few States have recently
abolished capital punishment, but
the sequel has not warranted The ex-
pertinent. Statistics show that crime
has frightfully increased in these
States since capital execution has
been abolished, and many of the
cases have been so atrocious as to
cause the citizens to resort to lynch
law as the only adequate means Of
punishment. Only q few weeks ago
we had the horrible spectacle de-
tailed in our public print of the
hanging of murderer to- n lamp
post in Des Moines, Iowa, where but
two years since the Legislature took
from the courts Of Justice the only
adequate punishment for, and only
reasonable and wholesome check up
on murder, We publish on the first
page of to-day's paper an account Of
: one of the most horrible murders
recorded in the annals of crime,
perpetrated by fend upon his own
little daughter. It's atrociousness
has no parallel. II is horribly cruel
and diabolical in all its features, and
the traits displayed by the inhumau
monster are almost enough to make
man ashamed of his humanity. Can
any one urge any palliation for such
a crime or offer any sensible reason
why the brutal perpetrator should
not be put to death and thus forever
prevented from the possible com
mission Of similar act. 1t is a
noticeable fact that many Of tho Iowa
journals who favored the abolition
Of the death penalty, arc now, in
contemplation Of the rapid increase
OF murders in that State, urging its
Reinstatement. The 0skaloosa Her.
aid was one of that number, and it
q closes its account Of the atrocious
murder to which We have just referr-
ed m the Following words "We
are glad, for Iowa's good name, that
he was taken to a neighboring Jail in
( time to save lynehing, but we must
express our sorrow that there is no
chance TO hang the low dog, legally,
Certainly society will be benefited
when he becomes food for worms p
We are satisfied that the sober
second thought of most Of those
persons who favor the abolition Of
the death penalty in Oregon will lead
them TO a different conclusion.
They are 81 course as anxious to
guard tho lives Of themselves and
other peaceablo citizens from the
knife and bullet Of the murderer as
any Of us, and must surely know,
when they contemplate the lament