The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-02-08

as in 1912 among the same counties
During the years of 1910 and 1911, OF
1T least until the 2Sth day of July
1911, legal executions were permit
ted in Oklahoma; during the years
OF 1912 and 1913, no legal executions
have taken place, and yet these fig
ures disclose the fact that during the
two latter years there was very
material decrease in the number OF
| homicides committed as compared
with the two preceding years.
1t Is unnecessary 10 comment upon
intelligence they interpret themselves,
and answer conclusiyely the theories
and conclusions of those who dis
Cuss the question without informing
themselves as to conditions and facts.
The position | have taken is that
capital punishment as a deterrent for
the crime of murder is neither effect
i've nor wise. | believe however, that
men rightfully convicted of the crime
OF murder should be made to spend
the remainder of their lives in the
penitentiary, and | have acted upon
this theory. While | have granted
twelve combinations of death SEN
tences to life imprisonment during
my three years of administration, |
have only issued one parole to a man
serving life sentence for murder
and that was in the case of a young
man committed from Pottawatomie
county, in which the Judge, prosecut-
ing attorney and jury engaged in the
trial and conviction of the defendant
all petitioned me to parole upon the
ground that the defendant should not
have been convicted in the first place.
During the two years imediately
preceding my induction into Office,
seventeen persons serving life SEN
tences were liberated on parole. So
the record stands for three years of
my administration twelve commuta-
tions of death sentences to life inn
prisonment, one parole of life pris-
oner for murder, while in the two
years Immediately preceding me, the
record is four combinations of death
sentences to life Imprisonment, and
seventeen paroles of life prisoners
charged with murder.
I do not cite these facts as any
criticism OF the former administers
ton. nor as a justification of what |
have done, but simply as an evidence
of the fact that the criticism that has
been leveled against me, is not the
Cutgrowth of honest conviction, hut
that it is personal in its character
and not directed at the principle ~
Nolyed. No such criticism was Wis
tied upon former governors, and yet
to me society has much more to iear
from the liberation of a murderer
serving a life sentence, than Il has
to fear from the confinement tor the
rest of his life of murderer who mas
been sentenced to death.
1t seems that some men cannot
understand that the governor of the
state is supposed to be the governor
of all of the people. As the cover
nor it is my duty in the enforcement
Of the law to see that law is en-
forced against all men with equal
fairness aud justice. In 1912 sixty
negroes committed hOmicides in Ok
lahoma, 12O white men were charged
with the same otlense. During my
term of office | have only had TO
commute the death sentence of one
white man, while | have committed
the death sentences OF eleven ne
groes Though twice as many whit"
men committed murder as negrocG.
in the administration of our law W"
undertake to hang eleven times 2s
many negroes as whites for the same
offcnse. If this be "A fair administra-
ton of Justice and of right then my
ideas of Justice are terribly perycrt