Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1913-01-17
DEATH PENALTY?
OR HOW ELSE
PUNISH MURDER
BY o. =. LEWIS,
General Secretary Of the Prison Asso-
citation of New York.

NYEW YORK.-Suppose you were
III governor You are not believ-
~ er in capital punishment, but the
people of your state have voted
that they want capital punishment.
Four murderers are awaiting death at
the state penitentiary. Would you
commute their sentences to life Inn
prisonment?
Four men had been reprieved by
Governor West of Oregon until the
state could vote on the specific ques-
ton OF the abolition of capital pun
ishment. When the mo" ballot out
numbered the Yes" ballots by 10000,
the governor refused to commute the
sentences. On the night before the
execution, far on the Pacific coast, all
night meetings were held to protest
against the murder" of the four Ore
gon murderers All over tho country
people waited with deep concern for
the governors decision
Now. Governor West is only one of
many chief executives of our states
who believe that the ancient doctrine
Of an eye for an eye and tooth for
tooth is barbarous. / have before
me a personal letter from Governor
Dix. dated December 10, 1912. He
writes:
Il am opposed to capital punish
ment. 1t is one of the remnants OF
the Biblical injunction, "A life for a
life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for q
tooth, and a hand for a hand We
have done away with all of these ex-
cept the life for Iife,' and believe
that society through the process OF
law should take life for life. Tc
my mind the real punishment WIN
come If the capital cases are segre-
gated in prison by themselves, cut
off from the rest of the world and
upon conviction no interference with
that sentence shall prevail"
Trying Time for Governor.
1t is generally known that the days
Immediately preceding an execution
are narrowing days for the conscien-
tfous governor. The last futile visits
of the relatives to the only person in
the world that can save the life of the
condemned, the persistent question
as to even the bare possibility of inno-
cence, the grave doubt as to whether
the state should take life, the dread
that the execution may fail to kill
speedily; in short, all the horrible de-
tails of the deliberate killing of be-
ing that the religions of civilized ma
lions maintain is inhabited by an M
mortal soul-alI these things press
upon him
why should | be forced to ever
else the prerogative of almighty
God?" asks the chief executive.
recently made an exhaustive can
vass by letter of the chief executives
of the states, the leading wardens
and superintendent of correctional
institutions and distinguished crimi-
biologists as to their attitude upon the
death sentence and its execution. l
wish to present some of the striking
answers to that canvass today to the
readers Of the Sun, for to the citizens
of this state will be surely brought
either during the legislative session of
1913 or soon after, the definite ques-
ton Shall capital punishment be
abolished in the state of New York? ?"
First, then, how do some of our gov
errors feel?
Gov. Marshall OF Indiana writes:
Il am in favor of the abolition of cap
ital punishment"
Gov Cruce of Oklahoma is opposed
to capital punishment for all crimes
except criminal assaults on women.
Legal executions" he says, ARE alb
solutely indefensible from the stand
point OF Christianity and modern high
er civilization. The time will come
when legal murders will be as unpop-
ular as midnight assassinations.s
Gov. Pothier of Rhode Island writes
that capital punishment was abolished
in that state forty years ago, and he
is not In favor of its establishment
Gov. Burke of North Dakota is op-
posed to capital punishment, but is
not sure that we have arrived at the
stage of civilization when we can dis
pense with it altogether.
HadIcy for Capital Punishment.
On the other hand, Gov Hadley of
Missouri says that he does not adyo-
cate the abolition of capital punish
ment Il believe" says the governor,
''our Missouri system is the best,
which gives to the jury passing upon
the question Of guilt the right to fix
the punishment at death or impris-
0nment in the penitentiary for Ife."
And Gov Baldwin of Connecticut,
who personifies the judicial humane
severity of attitude toward the GRIM
inal class, is firmly of the opinion
that capital punishment should not be
abolished. He writes as follows:
AS you are doubtless aware, it has
been abolished in some states in for
mer years where it was found neces-
sary quite soon to reinstate it in or
der to check the spread of crime.
rife i'm -a,-i comment under modern con-