BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-01-18
SAN JUAN, JANUARY jS
On The Abolition
OF The Death Penalty

y
While compelled to admit that Porto Rico
10 far behind the advanced states Of til
Union, and the mere progressive nations Of
Europe, and Notwithstanding the fact that
the island IL In the first stages Of it's redemp.
tion and that it has only Just now started
In to become factor In the affairs OF the
American people, 10 fact in the inception Of
its career, IL must be admit ed that she has
amongst her sons men Of advanced IDEAS
who for years have kept step with the march
Of human progress, and are In keeping with
the ideas Of the twentieth century iD things
both theoretical and practical. The intro.
ductisn ofthe bill to abolish the death penal
~ proves this.
II 10 normal and natural that this question
should come before the people Of Porto Rico,
- 1t has come before the people of almost
every state In the Union, but its early entry
iuto the lists % o topic for public and
legislative discussion will sssuredly surprise
people In the States who are unacquainted
with the island of Porto Rico, and who still
believe the island to be but few stages
removed from the conditions which its
discoverer found. Our taking up of q ques.
ton which has been theme for sociological
discussion by the leading political and gov
ernmental scientists Of the world, should
cause many Inquiries as to the people wlo
live on this island, the progress they have
made, and their general enlightenment. II
we can make them believe that We have
advanced 90 far In all things 90 we are
going in this particular case We shall compel
our. sisters lin the Union to say that we
@ aA aAe sjpIfseE iRsRp iRaEh KEh Ki ndase epstQ IA
s1e law abolisbing the death penalty We
shall have gone further Than those centres
Of law and order, where protection OF private
life and private properly is better gusran
teed than anywhere on the earth. These
Law abiding communities, better able TO
defend themselves against the assassin and
the transgrehsors OF Ia rs than we are, have
taken this question up time and again, and
after vainly endesvoring to pass laws which
would abolish the penalty Of death, have
been compelled to ADMIT that even they had
not advanced far encugh TO be secure 10 the
belief that the time for the inf iction Of the
death penalty had passed.
For years different schools Of criminol
ogists and sociologists have been dIscus ssiug
tbs question at great length and with
pa.nstaking care, volumes have been writ
ten upon the subjsct, 1t has been made the
poets theme, and we have In the works Of
Bai,oer.Ly tton literary giants schose only
excuse for having beer born was for the
purpose Of crushing out oil laws in England
Tor the infiiction OF the death penalty on
psTsoas ceHvsstsd Of k.micds. And yet o.
this late day the question: 10 a. open as IL
has ever been, the same argum snts OF
being used over and over again, and the
States Of the world are still unable to sgree
that mankind IN general has advanced 30
far that there 70 no necessity for hav M
the fear Of Official assassination acting e. :
dstsrrent 10 the would bs murderer or tsls
VI human lie. II he most advanced ma.
tons on the facs Of the sivilizsd globe are
compelled 10 admit that the greatest prsvsn.
tsflvs of murder 10 the fear of dsash. The
question mast naturally hs asksd 10 Porto
ki<o 20 dzy IN Q eoEdition where shs esn
s.y % The naiioas q The earth that The
isIsnd is - sxfs from murder, rxpins and
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