The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-11
CapitaI Punishment

The lower house OF the New York legis-
lature passed a bill the other day to abolish
capital punishment. The bill was not
carefully considered Indeed. it was hardly
discussed at all As soon as the fact was
published that the execution of Kemmler,
the murderer who had been sentenced to be
executed by means Of electricity, had been
temporarily stopped by an order of a
United States court, the bill was hastily pre-
pared and introduced into the assembly.
So many difficulties had been thrown in the
way of the convection of Kemmler, and so
many attempts had been made TO prevent
his execution, that q majority of the
assembly formed the opinion that capital
punishment was not only unpopular, but
had no effect in checking murder They
therefore passed the bill without hearing
from their constituents with regard 70 it.
The Judiciary committee OF the senate,
however, having had time to find out what
the people of the state thought Of it,
promptly suppressed it.
The New York sun declares that the
days of judicial killing in New York are
near their end. That paper, in discussing
the question Of abolishing capital punish
ment. says: "Juries who would lot hesi-
tate to convict a pickpocket are 10th to
convict murderer on evidence far more
conclusive. Therefore capital punishment,
though prescribed by the law, is rarely ad-
ministered. Probably not one murderer in
ten is hanged in the United States, and the
escape Of the rest, most of them entirely
unscathed. must afford encouragement to
violence. There are twice as many lynch
ings as hangings, and the number of the
innocent executed prisoners is fixed pro-
portion in the statistics of crime"
1t is no doubt true that juries hesitate to
find verdicts of guilty in cases of murder.
but do they hesitate because they do not
like to deprive human being of his life, or
because they have doubt of the guilt of
the accused parties? Their hesitation almost
always is due to doubt. The large number
OF lynchkngs shows pretty conclusively that
that the belief is general and strong that
capital punishment is the punishment that
a murderer should suffer, and the only one
that will tend to check the crime of murder.
As long as a murderer is alive he has a
hope OF escaping punishment. If capital
puhisAuoub were dDOllSQ6u, ana lnprlSOn-
ment for life were made the penalty for
murder, about the same proportion of muir
derers would escape punishment. Juries
would have the same doubts in murder
cases as they now have, and, having those
doubts, they would have as much hesitation
In sending an accused person to the peni-
tertiary for life as they have now in send
ing one to the gallows.
Abolish the death penalty and there
would at once be an increase in the number
of murderers. Men would exercise less self
restraint If the fear of the gallows were re-
moved. Besides the chance of escaping
conviction, they would have a chance of es.
Gaping imprisonment after having served a
part of their sentence. Strong influences
would be brought to bear upon governors
and pardoning boards, and pardons even in
| the worst cases, would not be unheard of.
1t would be wiser to provide for more
vigorous and prompt enforcement of the
law in murder cases than to abolish the
death penalty. What is needed is not
lighter punishment for murder, but a
healthier public sentiment with respect to
that crime and all other crimes of violence.