Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-01-17

of Michigan are other executives OPP
posed to the abolition Of capital pun
ishment.
Now where shall we stand on this
question? Let us go first for the an
swer to those men who have dealt
with prison populations. men in the
service of the state and recognized
by the American Prison association
are just and progressive.
First, as to those who believe In
capital punishment. Warden Sale of
the state prison of North Carolina
writes as follows: Persons of Grim
inal tendency, and who would not
hesitate to commit high crime, would
be less deferred from doing so If they
knew that they would only receive a
life sentence. believe that to abol-
ish capital punishment would tend to
increase crime.
Sees Need of Severity.
THE individual who would steal into
the home at midnight or entice the
innocent into dens of vice and destroy
that which he can't give is. unfit to
live in any community and should
therefore pay the penalty by forfeit
ing his life. The murderous, danger
GUS criminal who after his commit
ment to the prison becomes sullen and
morose, refuses to obey rules and rDg-
ulations and upon whom punishment
has to be melted out in order TO secure
from him a partial obedience to the
rules grows under these circumstances
worse, becomes desperate and would
take any chance to effect his escape,
even If 1t were necessary secretly to
take the life of his keeper, for he
knows that there lie no greater punish
ment than the life sentence, and hence
would not mind committing any crime
that would secure to him liberty or re-
venge for an imaginary worng. Not
only would the lives of keepers be
endangered but those Of inmates as
we'll"
Some of the many Irison officials
who fear the evil effects of the aboli-
ton of capital punishment write
thus:
Fesars Increase Of Lynchlngs.
M. L. Brown, warden of the West
Virginia penitentiary: Human life
would be rendered less secure. and
lynchings would increase"
Otis Fuller, superintendent Of the
Michigan reformatory: Il favor capi-
tai punishment in extreme cases, es-
pecially where murder was committed
in attempting highway robbery, burg
larry, Swallowing, rape and such
crimes as that, but l would leave to
the majority vote of the jury the in
Fiction of the extreme penalty. There
have been many brutal murders In
Michigan in the last ten years where
1t appeared to me that capital punish
ment was the only legitimate penalty
These murderers may escape and may
subsequently be pardoned or paroled
and again become menaces to the
same society they have outraged"
Governor Dix has recommended the
same punishment in lieu of death
Zebulon R. Brockway, for a score OF
wears the head of the Elmira Reform
atory. is quoted as having recently
said:
'T believe that there Mould be
large, centrally located Federal pris
on, or a prison under Federal control
in which all life prisoners of the
United states should be incarcerated
believe that the laws should be sc
framed that the civic life Of muir
derer could be Terminated. This
should be accomplished by obliterat
ing their identity. They should 81
known only by numbers. They should
be kept in ignorance Of the outside
world. They should be allowed to SCI
no visitors and none save Federal In
spectors should be allowed to SCI
them. 1t should not be known wher
they die"
What then, in summing up the ar
guments so far, have been the mali
points raised in favor of capital pun
ishment? Seemingly the following:
1. Death is a greater deterrent thai
the fear of Imprisonment
2. Our civilization has not pre-
crossed to the point where we cal
give up the restraining power of tn
most severe penalty.