Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-11-25
THAT QUINTUPLE EXECUTION.

to please. During the recent cam
paign 1t on all occasions critlciz
ed Governor Vests proposal to abol'
ish capital punishment 1t insisted
that the death peualty was a proper
one, and that the governor, was dead
wrong in even attempting to have II
done away with.
Governor West whether wrong OF
right, Is entitled TO have and to ex'
press his beliefs on that question as
well as any other. AS much right n
do so as any private citizen which he
was short time ago, and which he
will be again, probably in a year oil
two, since he says he will not be
candidate again. He has as much
right to his opinions as the newspa'
pers Of the state, or their editors
trough some Of the latter do not seem
to think so
In order TO give the condemned men
in the state prison awaiting the eXecu-
tion Of the death sentence a chance for
their lives, the governor postponed
the execution OF the sentences until
after the election, This seems for some
unknown reason to have offended the
editorial page Of the Oregonian, for 1t
has been roasting him for 1t ever
since. The vote, however showed that
the majority of the Oregon voters be-
leved capital punishment proper, and
refused to endorse Governor Vests
ideas.
This being settled by the people Of
the state whose representative and
agent the governor is, there was but
two things the governor could do As
the Oregonan Sunday says, the peo-
pie refused to uphold the governor
but they took from him none Of his
powers Of reprleye or commutatlon,
The paper then says that II has at no
time suggested that the five men be
not hanged, but It protests against
the widespread advertisement given
10 the governors grewsome show on
December 10, and against his poor at
tempt to blame the people for ordering
an exhibition that he, and he alone
arranged, and that he, and he alone
may prevent"
Now as the OregonIan suggests, and
as we have stated, there are but two
courses open to the governor. Tho
one is TO carry out the law and the ex.
pressed will Of the voters, the other tC
use his prerogatlye as governor ant
commute their sentences. Tho will oI
the people being expressed, and ex,
pressed strongly, the governor bowed
10 II. He felt that under the clrcum.
stances he was practically told by tn,
people 10 not exercise his prerogatIyC
in these cases, but to let the law take
its course.
He has done So
NoW the big Portland paper most
inconsistency finds fault with him be.
cause, In the execution Of the law, the
Ave men must die together December
IS.
Is It any more mercirul TO hang then
cne day or one a week, than all on
the same day?
Is capital punishment right and
proper when there Is but one victim
at time and wrong II there are more
than one?
Is the hanging OF five condemned
criminals the same day, Of any NOR,
moment TO the 100000 people Of ore.
son than the hanging OF one
ls homeopathic capital punishment
right and allopathlc treatment wrong
The writer does not agree with Gov
ernor Vests idea for he believes In
capital punishment He believes In Il
strongly enough that he sees no more
cruelty, nor more SHOW In the hang
ing Of Ave In a bunch than In the
hongng Of the ave- one at a time, The
hanging OF ono is the fulfilling OF the
law, and the execution Of i've or five
hundred is neither more nor less.
As a matter of fact. looking at the
execution OF these five criminals from
a humanitarian viewpoint II IS cor-
talnly more merclful to them TO ox-
ocute them all at the same time than
Il is TO take them out one now and
one again over the period OF a week
or a month to their execution, and
leaving the others to await their doom
Since there is no hope for any OF
them, Il IS the laws duty the peoples
duty since they have said the men
must die, TO see TO It that the SEN
tonce is executed quickly and the