El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-11-09
MURDER INCREASINGIN
SUGGESTS RESTORING HANGINGS

IT'S CLAIMED the crime Of murder Is vastly on the in
crease in Arizona MaTicopa county has had IS hoEi-
cides this year. about III month, and the superior
court calendars other counties Of the state contain
unusual number Of charges due to killings.
It would be interesting to know what connection, If any,
exists between the murders and the abolition Of
the death penalty IN the state 1t viii be remembered that
the voters Of Arizona abolished execution punishment
for crime making Imprisonment the only penalty C. W
Miller of Tempe member Of the state board Of pardOns
and paroles authority for the statement that the crime
OF murder increased 100 percent since the abolition Of
The death penalty He Of the opinion that very direct
connection exists between the increase hOmicdes and
the removal Of the fear Of death punishment As
member Of the paTdons board he has had unusual op
Portuniy observe the trend Of crime the state and
relation TO existing laws and should be able to speak
authoritatively
Granting considerable increase in crime, IS Nj Miller
states it is impossible put the responsibility liquor
for the state is dry It IS dry nomnay and almost ao
tualy. Such liquor consumed obtained boot
leggers and there very little Of in proportion the
whole population OF drinking men who would be glad to get
It Only few Of the defendants held under charges
serious crimes in the present year have appeared to be
der the influence Of liquor at the time the crime
committed.
With liquor eliminated as stimulus to crime the blame
must be fixed either upon the abolition Of the death penalty
upon Of those psychological influences sweeping
public which result IN what called "crime waves"
Psychologists have long since this condition
the plane Of abstract theozng and have established its
actual existence. There murder and suicide
Just there strike waves all due TO the influ
snce Of mental suggestion.
But If one chooses to look on the situation in Arizona
due to psychological influence he must be allowed also
the belief that the influence would broken by
other sharp mental influence such the restoration Of the
death penalty.
be holds that the crime increase Is due to the abo
ton Of the death penalty self evident that the way
check it is to restore the death penalty
The morality Of state execution is disputed. Former
Gov. G. ". P Hunt and those who agreed with h-and
they N the majority at the tme-held that if It
wrong for the individual take life was wrong also for
the state to take life They also believed that IN many
not most instances the murderer mentally defective
% nd that
therefore nhumane to execute him for which
they believed his unbalanced condition to blame Such
mOTazng finds Itself helpless, however, in contemplating
the innocent victim Of the murder and his limo
cent family, made to suffer Tor anothers Nor has
any way been found for appTehendng and correcting the
mental vagaes Of possible murderer before the act
Therefore, these morats have protection suggest for
the public against the possible murderer They moth
ing to offer but humanitarian course Of treatment after
the crime has been committed and when reparaon IS i'm
possible.
This treatment consists IN imprisonment good food,
heahfu work and recreation and when needed surgical
operations. This nay may not result In making man
out Of criminal It very often does. But there is no