The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-02-01
No SUBSTITUTE
FOR HANGING
yE
Diversity Of Opinion Regard
iug the Proper Penalty
for Murder Will G ause a
Postponement Of Definite 9
Action
INVESTIGATION is LIKELY
SENATOR HUTCHINSON INTRO
DUCEs A RESOLUTION PRovID-
ING FOR A STUDY OF CAPITAL
CRIME AND ITS PUNISHMENT,
4 WHICH WILL PROBABLY PASS.
Special to '+The Jersey city News.')

Especial to '~The Jersey city News.'p
TRENTON, Feb. /. 19O6.-Notwith-
standing that there areS two measures
pending in the Legislature seeking to
abolish the hanging of nlurderers, the
probabilities are that neither of them
will become law. One provides that life
Imprisonment shall be the extreme PEN
atty for murder in the first degree, while
the other provides for eiectrocution. The
legislators are divided as to which OF
these methods should be adopted. All
are agreed that hanging is cruel and bar
barous and a relic of medieval times,
and that any punishment that viii ht
the crime will be more acceptable to the
people than hangman's moose.
The question of the abolition Of hang
ing has been before the Legislature sey-
eral years, but owing to the fact that
the lawmakers could not agree upon
fitting penalty for the crime as sub
stitute, the hangman's law has continued
to be enforced. Recently the ghastly
scene attending the execution of Tapley
in Hudson County aroused strong SEN
timent throughout the State against
hanging from gibbet and in favor of a
more humane method of Furnishing muir
derers.
There are many who do not believe in
capital punishment for any crime, and
they favor life Imprisonment. They take
the position that God never ordained that
any Legislature or law-making body
should be clothed with authority to take
a life for life They agree that the
Legislature should enact law to fit the
crime, but argue that when the penalty
of life Imprisonment Is imposed upon y
murderer it is the Limit of authority
which any Legislature can inaict with
out Gods sanction.
Others who are opposed to capital
punishment believe that murderer,
when he takes human life, is more or
less insane and therefore irresponsible,
For such reason they do not believe that
he should be made to suffer the death
penalty. but should be confined in prison
for the remainder of his life where he
could not became menace to society.
Those who favor the substitution of
electrocution for hanging take the posi-
tion that it is more humane. They think
that life Imprisonment viii not act as a
deterrent on crime but rather would in
crease it. 1t is only the fear of death,
they argue, which deters men from com
mitting murder and if capital punish
ment be abolished the percentage of
murders will be largely increased.
There is scarcely one out of hundred
persons who favors hanging. Those who
favor it claim that the murderer should
be made to suffer as his victim did and
that no punishment is to9 severe. They
ignore The murderer's sense of feeling.
With the people of the State divided as
to the best substitute for hanging, Sena-
tor Hutchinson, of Mercer, has taken the
responsibility eof enlightening the people
on the subject. He caused joint reso-
luton to be introduced in the Stnate this
week providing for the appointment Of
three Senators and five Assemblymen
to act as a joint committee to Inquire
into the subject of penalties for the
taking of human life and covering the
following points:
"What the law now is in the various
States of the Union and the leading Eu-
ropean countries for the crime Of murder;
the exercise of the pardoning power and
its effect on the increase or. reduction Of
capital ldrime; suggestions for amendment
of Ne@Jersey statutes covering this
crime if deemed advisable.n
Senator Hutchinson's resolution was
referred to the Senate Committee on Ju-
dietary, which is composed of Senators
Hnlery, chairman; Wakelee and AIin-
turn. The latter being the only Demo-
cratic member.
Whether the committee will report the
measure fayorably is still problematical
but it is generally believed that in view
Of the diversity Of opinion that exists re-
garding the advisability Of substituting
life Imprisonment o. eleetrOcution for