St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1913-11-07

On Friday of last week at
Salem a tragedy was enacted.
Two lives were snuffed out by
the hangman's moose. And the
pity of il is that they were young
men. mere boys, just reaching
mans estate. And they died to
satisfy the majesty of the law.
Not that proof absolute was at
hand proving beyond the shadow
of doubt that they had COM
mitted the crime Of murder.
They both died protesting their
innocence with their last breath.
But a murder had been COM
mitted and enough evidence was
secured to make a jury believe
that they had committed the
crime. The jury, the judge and
the governor did not know that
these boys had perpetrated the
crime, but they had been con-
vinced that such was the case.
And so they were condemned and
then legally murdered in turn.
Not that both committed the
murder, but that one did, and
the other was his companion.
The law recognizes no difference
between the one who wields the
murderous weapon and the one
who is associated with him at
the time. So in order that a
murder might be avenged. a
wrong righted in the sight of the
law, another wrong was done
and 10 our mind a greater crime
committed. Two lives paid the
price of one. One of the most
rigid and uncompromising COM
mandments of the Scriptures Isl:
Thou shalt not kill. D." This
commandment has never been
qualified. II makes no cXcep.
tions. Noman, no body of men.
are given the right TO take the
life of another When that law
of God is broken. punishment
must follow. But il is not mans
right 90 avenge the death of an.
other by taking the life of the
murderer. That right God re-
serves unto himself alone.
Man is a strange creature. He
will dig with unabated energy
many feet into the earth TO !
rescue an entombcd miner. no
matter whether that miner is |
the worst character in the com
munity. lie will scale the noun
tain tops and descend into the
depths of the sea, even risking
his own life 10 save that of am
other. and yet he will hound his
fellow man 10 the death IL he is
convinced that he has committed
murder He delegates the au-
thority from God without His
permission To take Il life for a |
life. or two lives for a life. as
illustrated in last Fridays |
tragedy.
Surely capital punishment is !
assuming a power that we do not |
possess, and a thing that we have !
no right 10 invoke. May the |
wish of these two young lads who |
so bravely met their death at |
Salem who. while breathing a
message of forgiveness and |
charity TO all, expressed the |
hope that il would be the last |
hanging in Oregon, come true.
To be consistent. the wonder
is that Governor West did not |
commute their sentence 10 inn
prisOnment for life. That man
Webb. who was saved from the
gallows 10y the governor surely |
deserved hanging much more
than these two boys, hut the
former had a daughter To plead |
his cause. The governor should |
he consistent, and treat all muir
derers alike. Why should he |
not change the sentence of all
murderers TO life Imprisonment,
since he rightly does not believe /
i'm hanging? Mr.. West has made |
an admirable governor. of whom
the state should justly feel proud, |
but i'm the hanging last week, it'll
seems 10 us that he might have
done differently and kept his
dignity and self respect.