Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-15
ELECTRICITY AS ExECUTIONER.
A Protest Against the Debasement of
Science and Invention.

From the Inventive Age.
At this writing the judicial inquiry in the
state OF New York to determine whether or not
an electric current is a good substitute for the
hangman's hempen rope is still in progress
and is watched with deep interest by the gen.
eral public. How it may eventuate we will not
undertake to predict, but in the interest of
science and invention, and in behalf Of the
social and material progress of mankind de-
pendent on science and Invention, we are bound
to utter protest against the proposed debase-
ment OF the grandest agency of human ad-
vancement Whether killing by an electric
shock would be less or more cruel than killing
by the scaffold and rope We do not certainly
know nor do we greatly care, but we do know
that il would be degradation of science to
substitute the electrician for the hangman. 1t
is the province of science to help the race in
all its aspirations, in all its movements toward
higher planes of life. In order that scientific
discoveries and appliances may be in the
largest degree beneficial 70 humanity we must
avoid associating them in the public mind with
things that are repulsive. with events that ex-
cite horror or dread, with circumstances that
are regarded as disgraceful.
Ever since Franklin identified the thunder
bolts OF heaven with the electric sparks pro-
duced by friction all the uses to which electric
science has been applied have been exalted.
1t has been made q grandly benefcent helper to
mankind 1t has brought all nations into close
relations. II has been and is leading factor
In the advancement of civilization. 1t has re-
duced days to seconds. leagues to inches in the
transmission Of intelligence. As a protector
of society against crime it has won some OF its
brightest laurels. No criminal can travel 40
fast or so far that his description and an order
for hts arrest cannot get ahead Of him 1t
lights up the alleys where crime was wont to
work in darkness. 1t rings bells when crime
attempts to invade a bank. q store or q dwell
ing. Il is no debasement Of science to use this
agency for prevention and detection of crime
but when the criminal has been brought TO ius-
tice. when the jury has convicted the murderer,
and the court has placed him in the hands of
the sheriff to be killed, we submit that it would
be such a debasement to tell the hangman to
step down and out with his rope and direct the
electrician to step to the front with his battery
1t will be urged that the execution of MUIR
derer Is as necessary for the protection of So
cietv as his arrest, trial and conviction. We
shall go into no disc vosion on that point TAX
ing facts as we find them in Europe a. we'll az
in this country, the excutioner is q SYNONYM
for all that ia horrible. So repulsive is the
taking Of life, so loathedi il the man who takes
it under the obligations of official dutv. that
the hangman in this country is always con-
cealed so that it may not be known by whose
hand felon dies. II is proposed now to load
all this odium. all this horror. all this popular
execration, on electric science-to make the
electrician the hang man. Against this we pro-
test, and we do so with firm conviction that
our protest IS in in the interest Of civilization
of the advancement Of society in all that con-
tributes to our material, moral intellectual and
social well being.