The Topeka state journal., 1897-10-13

I would not hang all men who commit
murder, but as a rule, in my opinion,
that is the proper punishment The
most heinOus crime with which we
have to deal today is the continued
outraging of little girls by men I
would hang all such criminals without
any question. If the attack was the
result of lust or dia bOlicaI desire the
criminals should be hanged at once. If
they We're demented or suffering from
some physical or mental disease there
might be some excuse, but in the alb
stract it is my opinion that capital
punishment is necessary for the pro-
lection Of society"
w p. Dillard, chairman of the state
board of railroad commissioners is of
the opinion that capital punishment is
not the means of preventing crime as
is popularity believed. Mr.. Dillard
I can conceive of nothing more ter
Tible to a man who is lost to all of the
better Influences of the world and is a
social Outcast because of crimes COM
mitted. than to face q future bounded
" iron bars and endless toll. If there
is any conscience in a man; if he has
any sentiment of humanity IN his soul,
then it seems to me that the constant
thought of his past black and damning
beyond any hope Of redemption, would
drive the most hardened criminal al
most insane. Death would come as
welcome relief to him even though ad-
miniStered under official sanction.
believe that life Imprisonment at hard
of a criminal except the contemplation
of his own wickedness. is far more Sc
we're than the death penalty
Judge Albert H. Horton, eX-chief JUS
tice of the supreme court, said:
AT one time I was a believer in the
enforcement of capital punishment for
murder in the first degree where the
circumstances attached to the commits
sion Of the Offense were greatly aggra-
waited. but after more careful invest
igatiOn OF the subject L believe now
~sAT+ IL
would be extended if all governments
generally took the position that for no
human object whatever would it be
right for any man or body of men,
whether invested with legal authority
or not to deliberately deprive a human
being of life.
Judge Horton was once. when a
Younger man. such thorough believer
in capital punishment that he wrote an
article insupport of that principle which
was widely circulated and approved by
lawyers in this and adjoining states
Continuing he said: In the states
where capital punishment exists hOmi-
cides are as frequent, if not more fire.
quent, than in states where such pun
iShment has been abolished.
4 am opposed to the inflictiOn of cap
ital punishment in this state so long as
the present laws are in force and am
also opposed to the reinstatement of
capital punishment by a direct statute
therefor.
In most of the southern states cap
ita1 punishment exists and yet lynch
law is more prevalent in those states
than in any others.
In my opinion it is erroneous to as
sumo that death on the scaffold is more
terrifying than imprisonment for life.
Having come to the conclusion that the
punishment OF death is not a deterrent
for ereat crimes. I believe in impris-
onment for life rather than capital pun
iShment.
Capital punishment is brutal. It is
inhuman and it is a relic of barbarism
which in this age of intelligence and
civilization cannot be justified"