The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-26
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.


Mr.. Rappaport's Views on the Death Penalty.
To the Editor of the indianapolis Journals
Since you ask me question, allow me to an
swer. Your question implies that no man
should act unless it be for his own purposes.
care not to investigate for moment whether a
new trial will aid in the advance of national
socialism or not. The question is one of simple
justice and humanity / am most strenuously
opposed to anarchism, but this shall not hinder
me to be just. Ibid not hesitate to pronounce the
sentence against the New York boycotters as cruel
because it was the first case of the kind, and
those men had not known before that boycottlng
made them criminals. Being boycotted myself,
| surely cannot be charged with sympathy for
the boycott.
It was upon my motion that about two years
ago the sociastic section in this city compelled
two or three members to resign their mem Der.
ship for showing anarchistic tendencies 1 hate
the Anarchists because they allowed no oppor-
tunty to pass in their press or in public speech
without belittling and sneering at the Socialists
for being far behind them.
Yet it is not particularly meritorious to be just
toward a friend; it is easy enough to couple JUS
Lice with friendship. Justice is shown in its
greatness if exercised toward an enemy
opponent. / am opposed to the death penalty.
L consider the splitting of human blood bar barous,
Man shall not use his destructive power where
he lacks the power to create or to restore
Nobody knows who threw the bomb. Sup
pose it was some crank, or even an Anarchist
from New York. Then those seven men would
be hung for another mans crime. Justice shall
not murder. They might be guilty of hundred
other crimes, and perhaps they are. but they
should not be hung for crime which they did
not commit. Lot them be punished for the
crime which, under laws they did commit,
and let it be shown that no man, no matter what
ne is and who he is, is refused justice If what
Mr. Deluse says Of that peculiar stranger is true.
wOulC a
justice.
Honestly, would your conscience permit
you to withhold from a court of justice
legitimate evidence because that evidence
your enemy9 Mine would not | am
too proud of my calling. The journalist is
sometimes mighti3r judge than the judge of
the bench. and the same degree of impartiality
behooves both. Shall it be said that American
justice is the servant of public clamor?
You are just now complaining of the numer-
Gus lynching processes in our State. Is the pub
lie press entirely free from fault2 Who is the
first that cries for hanging, if crime is
mltted? Who is it that fosters bloodthirstiness
by sensational descriptions of every prize-fgnt,
every dog-fght, every cock-6eht? Does
the safety of a country depend upon the of
the gallows? Shall it be said that the necessity
of the galows is the fruit of nineteen hundred
years of Christian civilization?
The King of Saxony has, during his entire
reign, steadfastly refused to sign death war
rent. Yet crime has not therefore increased in
Saxony.
Whether a new trial will aid in the advance of
rational socialism | don't know, but / think it
would protect MS from anarchism. to some extent
at least 1t is the claim of the Anarchists that it
is impossible for the poor and the workingmen
to get justice. 1t is this assertion with which
they justify their tactics. Will you support this
assertionY Would not the denial of the pro
priety Of bringing new legitimate evidence into
the case support the theory of the Anarchists
Would not the fullest unhampered extension of
justice have tendency to destroy their efaim2
[ and number of other men. very res ,,ectable
citizens and not Socialists either, advised Mr..
Deluse TO make an affidavit and send tito Chi
cago. Mr. Deluse is credtable man. Should
we not have done itg Have those men not the
right to ask for opportunity of introducing
newly discovered evidence? Is this right not ac-
corded to the worst criminalg
The public clamor in this case has become so
strong that men afraid of being Just AS a
man who is opposed to the death penalty, think
| deserve the respect of my fellow citizens for
my conscieEt ousness. The Constitution of In
diana says. 1.-THE penal code shall be founded on
the principles of reformation and not of vindict-
i've Justice Lwant to live up to the spirit of
the Constitution and my moral convictions.
Whether those men shall have new trial or
not is not for me to say, but for the court
PHII. r Ap0PT