Arizona republican., 1914-10-21
Arizona Republicans Editorial Page
they overburdened now. Schools does not ex plain it. The scape goat cannot bear the load.
Capital Punishment

of Arizona will consider sensiby proposed amendment for the abolition of capital punishment, though those who favor it. present it most fool ishly We have confidence that when the voters come the polls weeks from yesterday. they will protest overwhelmingly against the removal of this supreme safeguard of society.
 The argument against capital punishment, and there is only that may lay claim the respect ful attention of level headed men and women, is founded on the statement that it not a deterrent Some who oppose capital punishment do what they believe be moral grounds A lessening Der of ignoramuses do what they conceive be biblical grounds. They think they see restrain ing order in of the Ten Comma andments which may be regarded the organic law, the foundation of the Mosaic code. which prescribed capital punish ment for murder we'll other offenses.
 We have even heard the ridiculous plea against insane asylum too, that there is precedent against capital punishment in the punishment of Cain. God did not kill Cain. But, neither Cain mpris- oned for life He simply deported Gods following him. No hope was held out to him of his subsequent uplifting Gods curse pursued him and his posterity Society would not feel secure if murderers were dismissed in this fashion.
 Opponents of capital punishment, those who treat the subject with some appearance of good either manufacture juggle figures and facts in effort to show that capital punishment is not a deterrent. They for purposes of comparison with certain states in which capital punishment is not inflicted. other whose laws provide for capital punishment but where it is inflicted only spasmodicay, quell peculiar carnival of der.
 Ohio, for instance has always had capitol pun ishment, yet for many years, Cincinnati had had execution, though murders there frequent At time there eighteen inmates Mur- derer's Row in the Hamilton county jail. A firm of skilfu criminal lawyers succeeded in getting a particularly fiendish murderer off with short the penitentiary. An indignation meeting called by leading citizens of Cincinnati headed by General Andrew Hickenooper, held to utter orderly but strong protest But indignation away with the meeting and the great Cincinnati riots ensued resulting in the destruction of the jail the court house much valuable private property. After that the criminal element assumed control of the riot. in which there much footing and several lives sacrificed.
 The first sautary effect of this uprising manifested the hanging by law of such of the murderers as honest trials proved ought to be hanged, years thereafter murders in Cincin- natl were much less frequent
 Unless a law which authorizes capital punish ment. any other law, for that matter, is not ap- piled with a reasonable degree of certainty, much of the deterrent effect is lost In some states, say like Illinois, where the law of capital punishment is only spasmodicaly applied capital punishment might almost as well be abolished. But where the law is applied with certainty, statistics prove that it is deterrent In the states of Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts, where capital punishment is in- flicted with considerable certainty, the Twelfth Gen. sls shows that the rate of homicide the basis of 100000 population, Vermont. F; Massa- chusetts 13; Connecticut H. In the following states and the District where there capital punish ment, the number of honicdes the basis Maine. 23; Rhode Island. 53 District of Co., lumbia 102.
 We believe that the great mass of the voters, that is the level-headed who think and do not merely think that they think, interested protection of society against murderers. There is no moral side any than there is a moral side of a controversy concerning the best of avert ing arresting plague It is well enough to let theorists meditate upon matters of environment heredity and other excuses for the murderer, murderer. Meanwhile, face to face with condition have had death penalty in Ari- for the last three years and in that time mur der and homicide have increased at alarming rate and other forms of crime within the same period have increased in sympathy. The criminal courts under the territorial government so busy as they have been since early in 1912.
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