The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1897-04-24
a SOUND CONCLUSION.

Gov. Rogers, of Washington, has
very wisely determined to not inter-
fere with the operation OF the courts by
extending executive clemency to con-
demned criminals. Numerous appli-
cations have been made to him to com.
mute death sentences. but he holds
that the courts and juries before whom
the trials were had are the best judges
of whether the condemned have re-
ceived justice at the hands of the law,
and he will not interfere with their
findings. In reply to one of the petit
tions asking that the death penalty be
not inflicted, Gov. Rogers said:
''There is no question but what the
governor has the power to commute
the sentence of death to Imprisonment
for life. Whether his duty requires
him to do this is different matter.
1 have sworn to uphold the law. The
law declares that the punishment for
murder in the first degree is death. l
do not think that should, of my own
motion, change this punishment to
another. In the case of the Straub
trial, am told it lasted four weeks.
The Judge, jury and prosecuting at
torney for that length of time heard
all that was to be said regarding the
matter. The judge is of the opinion
that Straub received fair and impair
tial trial. There is no question re-
garding the fact that Straub committed
murder. I understand that he was
willing to plead guilty to a charge of
murder in the second degree. Having
given so much time to the case, the
Judge and prosecuting attorney repre-.
senting tho people are in much better
position to judge as to the propriety OF
the sentence of death than I am my
self
"Under the law, the punishment for
murder in the firs5 degree is death.
That is the sentence of the law for
which am not responsible, and it ap.
pears to me that if feeling pervaded
the public mind that the punishment
for this horrid crime was absolute and
sure, greater protection would there
by be accorded society. 1 desire to see
the laws enforced, and will do what l
can to secure this end. If however.
upon review of the case, the judge
and prosecuting attorney consider that
it would be we'll, for any cause what
ever, to commute the sentence of death
by hanging to Imprisonment for life,
I shall certainly grant it. Manifestly
the parties best fitted to judge in this
matter have been named. / shall de-
fer to their opinion"
In the principles laid down in the
above the governor is certainly right.
Twelve fair and impartial jurors, an
unbiased Judge and prosecuting
attorney who have listened to all the
evidence both for and against a de-
fendent, certainly are better qualified
to dispose of case than is the gov
.rnor, who is unaccquainted with all
the circumstances. 1t is a rare in
stance, indeed, where man is sem
fenced to death who is innocent or
who does not merit such punishment,
and murders would be less frequent if |
there were more governors like the |
chief executive of Washington, who |
would refuse to commute the death |
sentence except when recommended |
by those who have listened to every de-
tail of the trial and weighed the evil
dence impartially. Would-be assassins
and cold-blooded murderers would
hesitate and weigh the result of their
misdeeds carefully before committing
crime, if they were assured that ex-
ecutive clemency would not be resorted
to save their lives.