The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-01-05
PAGE NO. SIX.
A Reform For Florida.

Miami Herald: By vote of the
people, Arizona recently abolished the
death penalty in that State, showing
that Arizona has taken advanced hu-
name grounds, and raising the ques-
ton whether the State of Florida is
not about ready to think of joining
the ever increasing number of States
that do not now exact death as pen
atty for any crime.
The Herald would be glad to see an
agitation started in this State look
ing toward the abolition of the death
penalty, certainly for every crime
with one possible exception.
There are still many objections to
such a proposition being adopted in
this State, the chief of which is the
supposed effect such action would have
on the lower. negro criminals, and al
so the danger it is alleged would ac-
crue to prison guards if the death
penalty was not inflicted in case of a
life termer killing one of them.
These are the two strongest objec-
tions urged against reform in pun
ishment which has been adopted by
other States.
Whether the removal of the fear of
death for his crime would have any
effect on the debased negro is highly
problematical. 1t is quite certain,
from past experience, that neither he
nor the low white man is deferred
from committing murder by the fact
that the penalty for his crime is hang
ing.
In case of an attack on a prison
guard, where the one attacking is a
longtime prisoner without the hope
of a pardon, as the prisoner is serv-
ing all the sentence that can be i'm
posed upon him, it is argued, the re-
moval of the death penalty would re-
move one very strong safeguard for
the lives of prison attendants. But
as there are penalties that can be in
flicted that would probably prove
more deterring that the fear of exc
cution, even this argument falls to the
ground.
Much complaint is voiced in the
State because of the apparent Difficult
ty the State has in securing convic-
tions, especially where murder is
charged Even where the evidence
seems most conclusive, juries either
find for the defendant or fix lower
grade of punishment than death, or,
in the last resort, recommend the ac-
cused to the mercy of the court, which
operates to fix the sentence at i'm
prisonment for life. Very few juries,
except in the most extreme cases in
which public opinion has been aroused
against the accused, have the nerve
to visit upon the man before them
the extreme penalty of death.
1t is highly probable that if juries
were not forced to face the prospect
of assigning a man to the grave, they
would be freer to convict, and that
more convictions would be secured if
the juror was not faced with that dire
extremity.
AS individuals and as jurors we are
against the death penalty, it is only in
our aggregate capacity of a State
that we still retain the barbarous and
penalty.
Another thing in that line is that
the fixing of Imprisonment, gives
certain chance to rectify errors if the
course of years shall prove that the !
State has prosecuted and secured the l
of the wrong man. 1t is
90 late after he has been executed.
All humanity deplores the necessity
If taking human life, for any cause q
md the people are gradually coming =
o understand that even the inf1ic- ;
ion of the extreme penalty does not :,
ecure TIE safety of society in any i
ppreciable degree and that it toe3