Bisbee daily review., 1914-06-10
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Wednesday Morning, June 10, 1914.
HUNT AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

HUNT AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
 In an editorial which is frankly defense of Cover nor Hunts attitude toward capital punishment the Arizona Gazeto either commits the offense of being untruthu and intending only to deceiye'-with which it charges ca certain class of papers which lose an opportunity to misreprcsent Governor Hunt undertakes discuss the subject with a lack of thor oughness suggesting ignorance of the premises.
 Governor Hunt IS violating a law by his sweeping rcprive of ALL persons convicted of murder and sen tonced to hang He would be entirely within the law if he exercised executive clomency toward any all cases in which he was convinced that tho evidence did not justify the verdict Governor Hunt possesses the constitutional power of reprieve flor cause but he is not clothes with the power arroganty to repudiae a law already in the statutes
 Governor Hunt does not believe in the righteousness of that law and there are many in Arizona who sub scribe to the same belief None denies to them tho right of their individual beliefs But the law was writ ten and in force before Governor Hunt took office. By subscribing to the oath of office he covenanted to en- force all existing laws.
 Capital punishment mi-nomer in Arizona not because Governor Hunt has reviewed each conviction and exercised his proper power of repreye after passing on the merits of each according to the evidence Irrespective of the merits; overriding the verdicts of courts and juries said he will not enforce the death sentence.
 During bis campaign for Governor did Mir. Hunt proclaim as a leading issue that he would repreye ALL murderers? Did he proclaim to the electorate of this State that he would not capital punishment un der any circumstances although the people themselves were the authors of the through their representa- tves? What would be Governor Hunts line of con duct if by popular the people reendorsed the law which they have already caused to be enacted?
 The attitude of voters toward enforcing capital pun shment may have changed but until they can nullifl the legislation to which they had previously subscribed the State must abide by It is within the domai' of Governor Hunt to forecast sentiment and shape h course in accordance with what he thinks that sen ment may be-
 It is interesting to compare the conduct Of Goyerno Hunt with that of Governor Hanly of Indiana, unde precisely similar circumstances Governor Hadly at horred the taking of human life but with the courag born of fealty to the trust undertaken when he a. sumed office. he bowed to the superior will of la' which also governed judges and juries Discussing hi position Governor Hanly said:
 oI have read and thought much upon the subject e 
 the responsibility of the innicuon holding within m own win. decision concerning it with power of life n death over it's intended victim. My convictions conceH ing it are deeprooted and firmly established. am o posed to u in any form Every fiber of my being physca mental and moral reyous at lt Four times out of tn six sci aside the penalty and commuted the sentenc to life imprisonment Twice l let the bloody thing done
 "I was at the time governor of great comno wealth The law provided for the death penalty ha sworn to enforce the law The power of olemency wa mine to use at win or to arbitrarily exercise or n deed to exercise at aI except for grave and publ reasons. had no right to suspend law duly and SC emnly enacted simply because my own personal eonvi tion did not accord with the mandate My duty scene fin ma to be apuy defined in Justice samuel F. Miller u Unidd States supreme court in sentencing priso ar found guilty of murder in case over which preslded vlie on Che district bench The penalty wh' be law attaches to your oftense is one which my p ,ate judgment does not approve for do not behe' ,,st capital punishment is tho best means to enfor be observance of the law, that in the present ga of society u s necessary for hs protection But