The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-07-16
The Electro Chair.


example within the next few years. -
NiHnefio'iS Tribune.
SO far as preventing ubIcity IN the
press s ,onrcrncd. the law seems To he
failure. Perhaps il wunld be more
exact to say that those who are charg ID
with the execution o. tie law talk toe
much. .-IH}iGnhiH.fiS JoHrHH'.
Those c!cctrocutionS in New York ap-
pear to have been entire Y successful in
removing from this lie the four con
demncd murdcrerS. EIcctrocution i.
probably more mcrciful than hanging -
EdWnn Times
II We must have capital punishment
it is possible the new method is p,c EZRA
bic tO the old, but the people are eh-
| titled to know whether that is so or not.
ana they never could know if the press
gag clause of the law were respected anC
/ observed -RorhcStp Herald.
1t will undoubtedly be many years be
! fore the electric death is adopted in tn
| other capital punishment States of the
| Union, and perhaps before il is gen
era ly adopted there may he simpler
| although probably no less painful. meth
| ods of cXecution.-iIf'rpit Free Press
On the whole. there is very reason fol
| the opinion that electrical execution Of
| criuina is a distinct advance Of civili
| 7ation. l he only respect in which the
new law is a failure is in its attempt
| t. prev, the press of the United
| States from giving the news with rcgart
| to that important change. -PiHStHr!
| Ui<iaifrh.
Evidently the electrical process o.
| killing is more humane than hanging
| although it is barba ouS enough, HEAVIER
| knows. Capital punishment is a hidcou,
| and an awful thing. and if seems a saf.
prediction that twenty-five years hence
| it will not he racticci in any form by
| any people pretending to civ.ii2at on -
| indianapolis Sentinel
| 1t does not need n careful reading o1
| the official story to convince any one
| that the attempt to regulate by law the
| >en>ationalism in reports of execution
| is a farce, and that the regulation can
| not be repealed too soon. Apparently
executions by electricity comply witt
| all the requirements of Il humane law
| but the official report must be filed
| away with other unsuc cssful expert
| mcnts Troy Times.
There are differences of opinion as t(
the deterrent influences of the dcatl
| penalty Oh cvil-docrs. but there is ne
| room at all for donlt that while thi,
| penalty remains in vogue the clcctrica a
| system of inti;cting it has many and con.
| SpicuouS advantages over all other meth
| DDS vet deviSed.-.S. Louis GiUbc- h mo
| crdf.
| 1t does not make much difference
/ whether murderers are hanged by tho
! neck until they are dead or whether
they are Jut to death by electricity
| The thing is to kill them. and thai
swiftly. -tInrinntffi tohnn'frciul-'inzst'c
| "Elcctrocution" draws the Just con.
demnat on of the New York Times
"Electrothany, which the Press wa
| first to propose year. ago, is the brs'
form yet suggested. 1t is hiloiog;caliI
accurate: it has analoyies in ether words
such as euthanasia, and its meaning i:
perfectly clear. aud the verb "elcc
trothanize" can be deriv d from it in ac
cordancr with sound usa9e.-PhitadG
| phid Press.
The only feature of the affair whicl
merits condcmnatit n is that provision OF
the 'aw which prohib Is the newspaper:
from publishing any Of the details of the
execution, and which excludes represent
atives of the press from Witnessing the
| official killing. WhHn the New Yorh
| Legislature again assemblies it will strike
that silly provis on from the iaw.-Ctn
cinnnti Enquirr.
The success of the executions by e.ec
tricity at Sing Sing W II probably have
the effect of stlencing the OBJ ections t.
the law providing for this method ol
taking off criminals. That it is more
humane than hanging is practically GER
tain, and it is probable that for a time
at least it will have more terrorizine
effect upon the imaginations of Grim
inals.-St. Louis r pui lie