The Brinkley argus., 1915-04-09

be left wholly without protection, but his lordship's fears have not been jus tified in England"
 The death penalty has been abol ished in Rhode Island since 1852; Michigan since 1S47; Maine since 1887; Wisconsin for quite a number of years; Kansas since 1907; Holland since 1s60 Saxony since 1868; Bel gium since 1881. It has been abolished in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal and elsewhere.
 The average number of homfcides committed in the states where the death penalty has been abolished is far below those committed in the states that still retain capital punishment.
 The Governor of Maine during 1914 states: "The sentiment of our people is now so strong against capital pun 'ishment, that it may be safely assumed that it will never again be enacted in Maine"
 The Governor of Michigan stated. "So far as this office knows, no con
  time within twenty or twenty-five years to reinstate capital punishment. the general opinion prevailing that the laws of this state, punishing by i'm prisonment for high crimes, are satis. factory"
 The Governor of Kansas-"There is general satisfaction with the present law There is absolutely no question in this state of 8 return to Capital Punishment"
 The Governor of Wisconsin-"Ths effects of the abolition of capital pun ishtnent in this state have been so sat- isfactory that no effort has been made to return to the old method of punish. ment."
 If the experiences of the states that have not now the death penalty is such, then how can one keep from feel. ing that capital punishment is not neo- essary as a deterrent to crime?
 The experience is that lie imprisor,- ment is as great deterrent as Is need ed for the protection of society. This being the case, the death penalty is unnecessary, and is, therefore, legal. ized murder if practiced.
 Some hold up England as an exam. pie. without really knowing a good many of the facts in the case. People there are forced to respect the law. Not only the law against murder, but all laws. Frederick L. Hoffman. the insurance statistical expert on homi. cides, committed in the U. S. A., says: "The problem of murder in it's final analysis is to considerable extent a question of the effective regulation of the sale and possession of dangerous weapons and dangerous drugs"
 That answers the question of the cause of why so few homicides are committed in England. There they do not permit nearly every Tom, Dick and Harry to go stalking around with six. shooter in his pocket. An officer of the law hasn't even that privilege l asked policeman in London why they didn't carry ''billies" there like they do in the United States; he said, We are not permitted to carry them" l said, You carry a pistol do you not?" And the man looked at me in aston ishment. He said. NO; we carry no weapons of any kind"
 When we practice capital punish ment I believe we are retaining relic of barbarism that has no place in this day of charity, enlightenment and brotherly love.
 Montaigne says: Tt is more bar barous to kill live man than to roast and eat 8 dead one"
 At the Hague in Holland while being shown through an old prison and shown the instruments of torture they used way back wonder, when they tried to be four or five days in torturing one to death, I wondered which they do now, hang or electrocute. and I in quired, What mode of capital pun ishment do you now user" The guide said, "Why, we do not put people to death now-we did that back in our barbarous times"
 The innocent are sometimes put to death for a crime committed by an- other-only three weeks ago (th:s Jan. 31, 1915) a man on his death bed in California confessed to a crime for which another was hanged in Chicago seven years ago.. The innocent man being hanged. the state now has no way of taking back its awful mistake.
 Two weeks ago a negro was par doned from a life sentence in this state after having served ten years, five months and three days for a crime committed by another. I never saw a happier lace in my life than I saw when this poor negro. without cent in his pocket, came to my back door to tell of his gratitude and his thank fitness in being restored to his lib- erty.
 Suppose they had hanged him. He was sentenced to hang. The Supreme Court of this state approved of the sentence and it was only through the mercy of Gov. Frazier that his sen. tence was commuted to life imprison. mento This state would then occupy the same position that Illinois now holds-that of having hanged an inno- cent man, with no way on eartn to un. hang him.
 Surely, all fair-minded people be- lieve it is better that ninety-nins guilty men should escape the gallowa and serve life term than that one h nocent man should be hanged.
  cost of building and maintain