The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-28
AGAINST DEATH PENALTY.
WILL AK LE0IsLATURB
10 ABOLISH III.

10 bOLASh 80
.xvi.tsp 10 Argument by Leaders in the
Present Movement to Have Capital Pun
I.hment wiped on tho statutes Of the
state and Promise Hearty Collaboration.
ri. Society OF Friends, at a meeting yester-
a.v afternoon In the Meeting House at East
EJt..nth street aud Rutherford place. decided
% ,oin In the movement to secure the abolition
NJ the death penalty. A petition to the Legls-
,a,urs WA circulated and signed by nearly
every ono at the Meeting. the slgners promising
To write to the Senator and Assem- 6lynan from
their dlstricts asking them to support the bill
which II is proposed tn Introduce. The meet
ing At which this action was taken was ar
ranged BY the Philanthropic Committee as o
part OF the wastbury quarterly meeting which
IA now in session. The subject for consiiera-
ZION was The Responsibility OF the Society OF
Friends in Regard TO the Abolition OF the Death
r.nalty." and those who took part In the dis
cu..ton were the Rev. Thomas r. Slicer. Gen.
Newton NJ. Curtis and J. William Hutchinson.
MIR. S!icer, who was the first speaker.
sa.d that It would be strange II a minister OF
,eljeion would not add his testimony against
such a barbarity as the death penalty. Most
things" he said. grow respectable with age.
but this grows disrespectabls with age. 1t Is
now proposed to make another protest In the
LEGISLATURE against the method OF killing peo-
pie. To punish murder by death Ia a survival
OF the old theory that the business OF society 10
to protect itsslf rather than reform criminals.
To say that the easiest way to do this Is to
shock them 10 death is . part OF that lazy. en-
lirbtened view that nobody IL safe. The areu-
ment OF imprisonment for lie may not be a
good one to some, but It seems TO me to be bet.
ter to develop a soul than to cut II on. OPP
posed to this Is the argument. let God dea
with them. but shall we cling to a theory which
gave rise 10 the Spanish InQuisition1 We are
saying now that life Ia an opportunity. not q
probation. and to say We will hand over q
criminal to God 10 to revert to q mediDval type
Of thought.
I'VE have TO assume always that the leRis-
lator is an enlightened person. but no Is apt to
be no better than those who elect him. Is 1t
70, us to say that q man is a brute that there
fore he must be killed. I believe that many q
man on the streets to-day 10 the inferior Of the
man who loses his life In the electric chair.
The executioner has always been the ex-
ecrsted, and no man filing the place can have
any standing 10 the social order. In this city
IL ia easy 70 get n sheriff when the Office carries
an income OF $40. 900 a year. but he never kills
ANYBODY except with his pen. The sheriff
holds alucrative Office. approved BY his fellows.
because he was not the actual sxecutioner
Here IS one OF the oldest customs OF society.
vet no one can be found who has any enthu-
,iasm for 1t. The death penalty goes on un-
changed, as a process OF cleaning up society Of
its Inconvenient elements. 1t has not made
murder less frequent. according z to statistics
Sentiment isn't much In Jealing with the
Legislature ii ia facts that ara wanted. There
Il one claim | make to those opposed to me- on
this question and that ls hat holiing our own
and determine by justice and law that we can
take the Me o. any other h human h Sei aa;,, " ,sn
eternai God, not waiting Tor the dismissal OF
life by Him"
foremost rank OF those agitating for the IepeaI
of the death penalty. said that the ethical
aide did not appeal to the Legs AZURE "a az
be presented in an unanswerable way that the
death pc nalty was a detriment. to society. that
Il failed to accomplish its object, but instead
prevent. In the States where II had been
abolished convictions we're got with greater
certainty. tllustratinS mat snHe5 a G3eGG, sn
Curtis after sboiishine the death PENALTY IL
1875. they restored It In 1883 and what, was
the result? There was an increase o. murdsr; I
Jour years later. led 10y such results. the death
penalty was again abolished y ,hhaa, over,
NhelmtnK vote. Wneu- We dkS tplu tHtt July
sentImentalists favor the REPEAL OF such a law
would ike to have such persons look back a
Thousand years aud they will lind that those
most conspicuous in the establ shmcnt oi law
nni governments were opposed to the death
penalty. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas JET;
ferson were against II. and down through all
the line Of statesmen you will IND characters
like these urgirg such a reform"
J. William Hutchins son urged the Quekers TO
take ac'iOn In the matter On the ground that
they would not be true 70 their Inheritance n
they did not protest against such a relic % bar
This Is the petition which was signed BY
nearly two hundred OF those who were present
yester day:
"Io he Hon, able Ssna. and As't".'ID NJ tie State
81 VEG York: .
"The undo rsigned. citizens Of the State OF
New York. respectfully request the SENATE apd
Assembly to abolish the death penalty Tor the
crime OF murder, and substitute fe lmprison-
nent thei efor. We maintain that experience
has demonstrated that the infection OF capita'
nun 'shmeu' IL not a deterrent OF murder:
while it does tend to prevent the. conviction OF
persons indicted for and guilty OF the crime OF
taking human life The present law adds
greatly 10 the coat OF criminal trails. prevents
The best qualiied citizens. from serving as
Jurors In capital cases. aud tempts. witnesses
10 hold back the truth or falsify the facts. For
these reasons We believe that the protection. OF
society and the proper respect OF citizens Tor
law demand the abolition OF the death pen