The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-26
NOT SPARING OF LIFE
UNITED STATES ARMY CODE DEALS
OUT DEATH FOR 81 0FFEysES.
ERort I'm Congress to Modify the Law
The Extreme Penalties DO Not
Restrain Criminals.

list Of those punishable by death. Such
is the purpose of a bill now before the
Senate which has just been passed by
the House. Surely, one might think, not
outside of Russia or China is to be found
so extensive a list OF capital crimes. Yet
the remark would be most unjust, for in
Russia the death penalty is never in
fiicted except for treason, whereas in
China it is imposed for only eleven Of
lenses. In the United States, on the
other hand. no fewer than sixty-two
different species of crimes may be dealt
with under the law by hanging, shooting
or the electric chair.
Under the military code of the United
States twenty-five offenses are capital.
Among these are striking or disobey-
ing a superior officer, mutiny, sleeping on
post, causing a false alarm in camp, cow
ardice before the enemy, disclosing a
or food, desertion or ~persuading another
to desert, and doing violence to any per-
son bringing provisions into camp while
in foreign parts" Under the naval
code twenty-five crimes are punishable
with death, including absence from post,
willful injury of a ship, setting fire to
property not In possession Of an enemy
or pirate. striking the flag to a foe with
out proper authority, shouting for quar-
ter through cowardice, failing to inform
a superior officer of the receipt of a let
ter from an enemy and failure to en-
courage inferior officers in a sea fight.
The death penalty is applicable at all
times in such cases, though ordinarily it
is not inflicted except in war. But there
are seventeen effenses that are capital
under the civil laws Of the United States.
Among these are the scuttling or burn
ing of a vessel at sea, robbery On the
high seas, robbery on shore by the crew
of a piratical vessel, detention of negroes
on board of a vessel, Selling negroes on a
foreign shore, burning a dwelling house
within a fort, laying violent hands on the
captain of a ship, reason and any act
of hostility against the United States or
any citizen thereof on the high seas un-
der color Of commission from a foreign
state or On pretense of such authority.
From a comparison Of the criminal
laws Of foreign countries with those Of
the United States 1t appears that We
have, perhaps, the bloodiest code in the
world. We also have the greatest num-
Der Of murders in proportion to popula-
ton, while the administration of justice
for such crimes is the most uncertain.
1t is a strange reflection upon our
boosted civilization that Judge Lynch's
court furnishes the most general and
certain method Of Furnishing murderers
and violators of women. Atroc1ous Of
lenses are not infrequently committed
with impunity. OF homicides not more
than 2 per cent. suffer the extreme pen
atty. While the population of the United
States within the las. decade has in
creased about 20 per ceat. the number of
homicidal crimes has fcreased more
than 400 per cent. During a period of
peace and prosperity they Increased from
n in 5 1000 in 1882 to one in 10000 in 1891.
The feweSt murders in proportion to
population are committed In Maine,
Rhode Island, Vermont, Michigan, Min
nesOta and Wisconsin. OF the total num-
Der of legal hangings in the last ten
years SIS have been in Northern States
and 72S in Southern; of lynchings, 426 in
the North and 1,150 in the South. 1t will
be observed hat nearly two persons in
the South are lynched for every one that
Is executed under the law; in the North
the number is not far from even. The
State law of Alabama makes seven Of
lenses punishable by death; Georgia has
ten. including perjury I'm capital cases
and the burning of railway bridges:
Arkansas has four, Louisiana seven,
Missouri four and Maryland seven.
Three crimes punishable by death in
Maryland are burning a public building,
the arson of an arsenal and setting fire
to mill, clubhouse or haystack.
A MOB is THEIR CHIEF PERIL.
There are from 1000 to 5000 nomicides
in the United States each year. The ex-
ecutions average less than two hundred.
Thus it would appear that to kill a hu-
man being is not a very dangerous per-
Torrance. In 1896 there were only 1872
executions under the law In all the States,
and Territories; the lynchings numbered
III. The murderer's chief peril lies in
his nance of being caught by a mob and
summarily put to death. During 1895
Georgia led, with eleven lawful execu-
tions. Her annual average in that re-
spect is higher than that Of any other
State except Texas. In the same year
were lynched in Texas twenty-four per-
sons, in Alabama sixteen, in Georgia
fourteen, in Florida twelve, in Missis-
in Tennessee eleven.
There has not been a year during the
last decade In which the lynchings have
not outrun the hangings.
There are many members of the pres
ent Congress who would do away with
Cdpitd1 puIliSiiIlCht dAtOSCtiiCA. EOICiIlOSl
among these is General Curtis, of New
York, who introduced the bill that is
now before the Senate. He calls atten-
ton to the fact that a number of foreign
countries have already done away with
the death penalty, and with the hap
piest results. Russia led the way by
abolishing 1t in 1853. except for treason.
and no increase in social crimes has fol-
lowed. Catherine ii is quoted as saying,
1--WE must punish crime without imitat-
ing It," other countries that have fol-
lowed suit are Belgium, Brazil, Holland,
Italy, Portugal, Venezuela, Costa Rica,
and most recently Guatemala. Switzer-
land has done likewise. though seven Of
her cantoas still retain the old law.
Everywhere the change has proved a
great success, social security being not
a bit disturbed, save only IN Colombia
and Ecuador. They tried it for a few
years and found it a allure. so that they
have restored the death penalty. Sew
eral of the States of the Union have done
away with capital punishment. Michi-
led the way in 1S47, followed by
Rhode Island in 1852, Wisconsin in 1853
and Maine in 1876. Maine restored it in
1883 and abolished it again in 1887. The
most eloquent advocate of this reform in
her Legislature was Thomas b. Reed,
now Speaker of the House Of Representa-
tives.
There has been a steady urowth of
public opinion in this country against