The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-01

~ ton would save civilized hu.
Stnity a great many millions of dollars
Ny year.
sT6e old answer was "Jail' for minor
sIes and death for the others. Dead
Nh not only tell no tales, but they
|, Unit no crimes. Kill all criminals
u crime would cease. The device has
! IA tried-it was tried IN England for
.Uhile, but the result was disappolnt-
~ II threatened to decimate the
mlation; and, in spite of logic, 1T
led to discourage law breakers.
''zluinals seemed to get used to being
ICED, and drawn and qnartered-they
s,Ionger minded il, There Is psy-
Nogicsl reason for that, no doubt; !;
sNleh il is not so sure that psychology
understood and practiccd today can
~ out what il is
!. Moreover, the spy system, which al
t,Fs accompanies and thrives npou Sc
'sk legislation, became SO productive
: informations that it was soon clear
n the end would be the indictment
.lso much Of tenth part OF the popu-
I|on as OF all but tenth-or even
zie, 50 a compromise WAS made: only
lrfderers should be killed That did
lessen the number Of murders, and
!. ms rather 10 have increased them;
!, (the impulse to murder Is commonly
very strong impulse, producing
SIN condition in which consequences
NJ not weighed, Also, when the com
tity takes life for life, il appears to
srlken the general respect tor life,
JsI men can be hired to do a killing Job
small sums. Sentimental persons,
p insist on making heroes of con-
lkBd murderers, which in degree.
: baps, counteracts the depressing con
y nus surrounding them. So we made
rrther compromise,
his is not on the statute books, but
L perates actively, nevertheless. 1t is
s sIdevelopment of the appeal industry
9 ing lawyers for the defense.
III will teach YOU TO respect human
Az says the Judge, "by depriving
/ II of your owu. -
) don I VERY, my boy says the
Z sIprit's counsel, patting him on the
*; "you II die some time, ] suppose.
= aEnothlng rs moro certain than that
= too { be on the day set for Your exc
Ien by his honor. And II risk my
itftation on your death being no less
pthe ordinary course of nature than
0 4honor 3. and very likclv-for he
- like diabetes patient-not so
y shese antieipations often prove well
sanded No one in the court room.
e,efore, is often more cheerful and
dfdent than is the prisoner doomed
,lShe moose or the chair. Besides, if
lflse fails. he NAV petition for par
'7or for life imprisonment.
sPenaIty Not Wanted.
III short, the death penalty stays on
statute books, but the community
: pot want it, though il has not the
1Hge to demand its abolition out
1t forfeits its self respect, and
dmurdcrer draws the inference that
d safer TO murder than to steal. 4
4. Vughbred man does not compromise;
ls5{oes one thing or he does the other.
y ms his self respect, and commands
OF his fellows, whether OF not he be
Sfcessful. This nation is not
d pughbred as regards its laws, and is
rtper self respecting nor respected.
q Twever, there is agitation for the
b sption of the death penalty: and,
Idly, the futility and absurdity of
" punishment may finally strike the
,rs11;pps rs1; whom we have picked out as
AZ Tisest and ablcst among us, and
h put in our legislatures to tell us
TO do and not TO do, Absurd
n. 20 legal killings may be, they are
= SO absurd as the persuasion that
H4p IS the worst thing that can hap
70 man. 1t involves little or no
-~Wlng ana Is over IN moment, I'm.
nment Involves much suffering, and
long, not to speak Of the disgrace
&. TO those who can feel disgrace.
|n serlous feature about killing is,
sxlt is hnal for this state of being,
Il when ne do 1T we do we know not
{lE But that is for the community
Nonsider, not the victim.
SIe cannot know what death means.
Z Ave can and do know what imprison-
~ means, and so far as our mortal
.b can tell us, IL is worse than
But while we NAV abolish The
penalty easily, the suggestion to
III Fh imprisonment stageers us like
z Earthquake. Every moral instinct
jdpr little souls leaps up and shrieks
EEotest; and il that be not enough,
&il back with full conviction upon
y pfonslderatlon OF security of prop
~ It is impossible to consider a
MI ure which would leave crimes
property unpuuished And
- other punishment for them than
- yonment is there or can there be7
S ~ ument upon this matter evidently
'gSas [hlr to drag in pretty nearly every.
ssr eise-sociology, political ecomo,
arH Feliglon. politics, law, medicine.
isn oiogy-the whole conduct of our
y no history Of our opinions. But
~ aa y content myself here with a few
NS a and leave volumes to Others
personal property has value
,hH1 ~ costs us in the long run,
usf rom all points Of view, may
> tt TO the Judgment Of generations
% Law in its origins is Divine
er our human derivations from il
sdscf.e II its high nature is debatable
II Tqe and psychology, protesting
nave not explained what or WHY
OF what is our degree of re,
rSes sits on the bench and argues
(. hfge the mouth Of the public prose
fEsHsi Is Justice safe in their keeping
o'S sge did not invent, prisons, but
- rfed them from an unmeasureG
stp ~ IL a primitive device. Tho
n locks up her naughty child ir
1oset or ties its legs to the bed
,." society does the same thing will
eHughty children, though with ont
80 enee-the mother still loves he,
~ She, following the example o.