Graham guardian., 1914-01-23

law. In this the Governor is mistaken.
''If it be conceded that the Governor s
position is correct, and that he has the
right to suspend the execution Of any
provision of law, of which he may not
approve; and if it be true that the other
officials of the state are answerable to
have an empire in Oklahoma, and not a
free state. This would establish a
precedent which would justify any sub
sequent Governor, who might be OPP
posed to the prohibitory liquor law, to
commute all Jail or penitentlary SEN
tences inflicted in such cases upon the
ground that he did not like the law, and
that he knew better than the people
what should be done in such cases. The
same principle would apply to all laws.
Concede the principle contended for by
the Governor, and where will the matter
end? 1t would utterly demoralize the
enforcement of law in Oklahoma, and
would convert the state government in
to one of men and not of law. What
do the people Of Oklahoma think OF
this?
"rhe law of Oklahoma prescribes the
penalty of death for wiilful murder.
This punishment, like most of our penal
laws, was taken by the Legislature from
the divine law. In the thirty-fifth
chapter of the Book of Numbers, the
Bible says:
Moreover ye shall take no salts
faction for the life of mui derer, which
is guilty of death; Gut ye shall surely
put to death. And ye shall take no
satisfaction for hun that is fled to the
city of his refuge, that he should come
again to dwell IN the land, Gali the
death of the priest.
$50 ye shall not poilute the land
wherein ye are: for blood dellleth The
land: and the land cannot be cleansed
of the blood of him that shed it.
'Deile not therefore the land which
we shall inhaDit, wherein l dwell: tor /
the Lord dwell among the children Of
Israel.
1--WE are also told in the nineteenth
chapter of Deuteronomy:
That innocent blood be not shed in
thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth
thee for an inheritance, and so blood be
upon thee.
=" But if any man hate his neighbor,
and lie in wait for him, and rise up
against him, and smite him mortally
that he die, and tleeth into one of these
cities:
a. Then the elders of his city shall
send and fetch him into the hand of the
avenger of blood, that he may die.
Thine eye shall not pity him, but
thou shall put away the guilt of innocent
blood from Israel, that it may go well
with thee ~
"Many other passages of Scripture
can be quoted to the same effect, for
the Bible is absolutely unanimous in its
statements that the legal punishment
for willful murder shall be death.
This is a question for the people or
the Legislature alone. The supreme
question is: Shall the laws of Oklahoma
be enforced: One of the most mis-
chievious tendencies of the present day
is disposition manifested among the
people to set their individual judgments
up against the law, and to assert their
right not to obey any law unless it
meets with their personal approval.
This is anarchy, pure and simple. 1t is
bad enough for private citizens to feel
and act this way, but it is much more
criminal for officials to do so, and the
higher the official the greater the crime
committed. All state officials have
taken on oath to support the laws of
the state. No Governor has the right
TO say, directly or substantially, either
| by words or actions, which speak louder
than words: think that capital punish
ment is wrong. know that it is taught
in the Bible, and is provided for in the
laws of Oklahoma; but occupy higher
plane than this. | am not such bar
barian as to believe this is right. / am
a better judge of what punishment
should be inflicted than is taught in the
Bible, or than the ignorant, savage,
and bloodthirsty people of Oklahoma
have provided for in their laws. There
fore, notwithstanding my official oath,
will place my judgment above the
law, both human and divine, and make
my will supreme in this state, and will
not permit capital punishment to be in
flicted in Oklahoma, no matter what
the law is, or how atrocious the offense
committed may have been. All officials
are only my personal servants and it is
their duty to execute my orders, and
not stop and inquire as to what the law
is. The courts must recognize and bow
to me as their master, and accept and
follow my will as the supreme law; and
| if they dare to question my absolute
right to do as please about anything
! will publicly brand such judges as
fools and crooks and charge that they
have entered into conspiracy with
criminals and that they are using law
as cloak to protect crime. "