Arizona republican., 1911-10-10
The cheapness of Life in Arizona.

The Cheapness of Life m Arizona.
 The statistics of deaths in Arizona as compiled by the territorial health officer, present at least one fact of more than ordinary interest. His re- port shows that in the fiscal year ended June 90, 1910, there were 5,O54 deaths from all causes, and that in the fiscal year 1911 the number was S,I94. The increase was about 4lz per cent.
 For the same years the deaths from homicide were: In 1910, a total of 8, while in the last year the homicides numbered 56
 In other words. while the total number of deaths from all causes increased less than five per cent, the deaths from homicide increased more than 74 per cent.
 This makes a bad showing for peace and order in Arizona It is quite evident that life is becoming cheaper in this territory. Why is it?|
 For many years our citizens have taken pride in the rigid enforcement of the law against crime. Are our prosecuting attorneys and our 5uries becoming lax in the conviction of men charged with the various de- grees of murder, and is encourage ment thereby held out for the com uniting of crimes of violence? Are men of murderous impulses encour- aged by the granting of pardons to murderers already convicted?
 Whatever the correct answers to these questions may be, the fact that the number of homicides in this ter ritory almost doubled within twelve months ought to lead all good citizens to do some serious thinking.
 Chicago is frequently described as the wickedest city in the world, be- cause the killings in that city aver age one a day. But Chicago has population of more than two mill ions, or about twelve times the popu- lation of Arizona And yet, while Chicago has amazed the world by producing a murderer for each day in the year, Arizona with only one twelfth of Chicago's population has a killing every six days
 As it happens. while this topic is in mind, we have brought to our attention an editorial in the Kansas City Journal which we subjoin be- cause of it's pertinence:
 Chicago has been spoken of as the wickedest city in the world. Whetn- CT this is true or not the fact re- mains that Chicago is the crime cen ter of the United StaJes-and this big republic of ours holds a most uI- enviable reputation for lawlessness. A compilation of crime statistics in Chicago shows that murders have be- come more frequent of late years. and especially since the abolition of capital punishment The last legal hanging in Chicago was on October 22. 1909. Since that date there have been 647 murders, an average of practically a killing a day for all that period.
 "A very large number Of Americans are opposed to capital punishment, and it is credtable to their humani- tarian principles that they entertain this lofty sentiment But there are intensely practical problems in deal ing with crime and criminals that call for hard reasoning. In countries where there is far less homicide than here, without exception the penalty for murder is death. It is not pleas ant to think of the moose as the fate of any human creature. There is also a grave question of moral right involved in the killing even of a con demned criminal. Criminologists may work on these problems to their hearts content. but when all is said the crime of murder has grown to alarming proportions in the United States and it is more than evident that something must be done to stop the slaughter. Human life is cheap. Love shootings have become some thing of a fad and few-very few of those who kill under the assumed justification of the 'unwritten law ever pay the penalty. Here in Kan sas City there have been many such love shootings' and where arrests were made the accused got off so easy that many of them must have felt greatly surprised at their good fortune
 Where only one murderer in a hundred is sent tO the gallows and where the murderer who receives a prison sentence is reasonably sure of parole or pardon before many years. the law loses its most potent element of restraint The politician who de- Mberately kills an old and inoffensive man on the streets of populous city