Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1919-07-24
DEATH PENALTY Is RESTORED.

49,
noon today having ratified the Fed
eral woman Suffrage amendment in
Nj 'Bsouri.
Gov. Gardner signed the capital
punishment measure today and it will
become effective Oct. 6 or 80 days
from date. Governor Gardner has
approved a bill appropriating 100000
to expenses of the special
session.
AS finally enacted the capital pun
.shment law restores the death pen
atty by hanging in Missouri Capital
punishment was abolished by the leg
islature in 1917.
Law makers do not believe that the
law will be applicable to men now
awaiting trial for murder.
The law restores the old capital
punishment law, which authorizes the
jury to enact the death penalty or
life Imprisonment for capital crimes.
Representative o. B. Whitaker, of
Hickory county, made a dramatic
speech against the bill, closing with
the declaration that "If you would
not vote to send your son to the
gallows. then you have moi the right
TO vote to send my sons and the sons
of others to the scaffold."
Whitaker was the author Of the
law repeating the death penalty that
was passed by the Forty-ninth Gen
eral Assembly. His father was the
author of the statute which first gave
the jury the option of the death pen
atty or life imprisonment.
He drew upon the Bible, the
schools. the courts and the govern
ment Of other states to prove the
argument that hanging in Missouri
will not reduce murder and other
crimes. He cited statistics which
showed that states without the death
penalty have fewer homicides than
those which have it.
Whitaker declared that Circuit
Attorney Mcdaniel of st. Louis SEEM
ed to be the chief sponsor for the
death law.
Il asked him for statistics show
ing that homicides had increased
since capital punishment went into
effect" said Whitaker. He said
he did not have any. l asked him
if homicides had increased in st.
Louis, and he said he did not think
they had. Then Mcdaniel said to
me:
"Wait until the soldiers return"
Whitaker then painted a vivid
word picture of the heroism OF Am
erican soldiers, Of their sacrifices and
deaths, and their victory over Ger
many. He punctuated this recital
with this refrain:
But Mcdaniel said: Wait until
the soldiers return"
Now the soldiers are back and no
increase in crime is noted. Yet
Mr.. Mcdaniel wanted to have a gal
lows ready"
AS tears trickled down the eyes
of many lawmakers who afterwards
voted for the bill, Whitaker dramat-
ically concluded his speech with this
declaration:
IF ever the State of Missouri takes
the life of a single soldier who fought
for his government; who fought that
you and l might live and enjoy the
blessings of liberty and security; If
ever this state Of Missouri hangs Il
single soldier boy, no matter what
crime is committed, then her offense
is greater than his and her disgrace
is lasting"
"If my choice were to be made
would vote to hang Mcdaniel rather
than to hang any soldier boy
Whitaker declared that the aboli-
ton of the death penalty strips muir
der cases Of their glamor and pre-
vents criminal lawyers from eXacting
huge fees for defending persons ac-
cused oil murder. This, he said was
one leverage back Of the move to re-
store the gallows.
He recited a conversation he had
with Gov Gardner during the session
of the Forty-ninth Assembly. in
| which he hoped he might have the
| chance of singing a bill to abolish
capital punishment in Missouri, that
he always had been against it.
Whitaker declared that more than
| per cent of men executed are in
nocent.
There are a hundred men stand
ing there" he said dramatically,
"ninety-nine are guilty on every
crime; the hundredth is innocent.
DO You men. you fathers here, ap-
prove the execution of the entire 100,
will you spring the trap! Your own
son may be the hundredth one Would
It not be better that all escape pun
ishment than one innocent man be
hanged?"
MARRIAGE LICENSES. ----