The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-25
Attorney General Haynes Shows It's
to be a Failure.
NO DANGER OF LEGISLATION ON
THAT SCORE.
Some Important Hearings Yesterday--
The Cooperation Laws of1s95 Come
In for scoring--The Fake Drug
Store Bill.
uPEcIAL 10 THE raxss.i

URECAAL 10 the rBkSAi
Augusta, February "a Attorney Gen.
sral Haines has put an end to the talk OF
reviving capital punishment although
It is probable that the Attorney General
wrote his report before that sub ject was
broaohed in the Legislature. MIR. Haines
filed his report with the executive depart
ment today. It contains two very intel
ssting chapters. One deals with the ques-
tion Of the effect Of the death penalty on
the number of homicides. The other Is
Q recommendation that the present sys-
tenn Of coroners' inquests be abandoned
and some simpler proceeding adopted.
Speaking Of capital punishment, MIR.
Haines says;
During the past two years have had
frequent inquiries as to the eject OF the
| repeal of the law Of capital puntthment
| on the amount Of homiciue In this state.
I bis has lead me to make some investi-
cations, the result Of which think 1t Is
port. a. many Of these inquiries are from
our own citizens.
When Maine became a.state the crimes
Of treason, murder, arson, raps, burglary
and robbery from the person by violence.
were punishable with death by hanging
In 1899, the penalty for burglary, rape
and robbery WAS reduced to imprisonment
that murderers convicted and sentenced
| to be hung should be confined In state 8
prison q year and o day before execution
and the executive was to issue his war
| rant ordering the execution, but not un-
| til full record OF the proceedings had
been submitted to him. In 1874. tho law
WAS again changed requiring that all per-
| sons, undsr sentence Of death should be
confined for year and a dav at hard la.
Dor In the states prison until the sent
ence was carried into effect. The discre-
tion left with the executive by the law
Of 1887 was followed by strong public
sentiment against the death penalty and
there was no execution for murder In this
| state for nearly thirty years. This con-
dition Of affairs lead tue Governor In 1851,
| In hi annual message, to suggest the
abolition of the death penalty for a
change of the law SO that the Governor
should be Obliged to issue his warrant
passed requiring the Governor and Coan-
oil to review the findings of the court IN
| case of conviction and sentence of death
and commute, pardon or cause the person
| to be executed after a certain length oi
time from the date Of the originate sent
| ence. In 1870 and 1874 the Cove rnor made
| another protest against this law of
1869. claiming it to be unconstitutional
as 1t imposed judicial functions upon
the executive department.. In 1875 the
| law of 1869 was amended requiring the
Governor TO issue his warrant within %
months Of the date of sentence. In 1876,
| the death penalty was altogether abol-
| ished. In iss3 the death penalty for mur-
der alone was re-establishsd. In 1885. 1t
| being evident by the unusual number OF
| cold blooded murders in the two years
previous, that the re-establlshment OF the
death penalty had not afforded the pro-
lection anticipated, the Governor in his
| message recommended Its abolishment