The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1920-09-23
fight TO RESTORE
Death PENALTY
BILL TO BE INTRODUCED IN
MINNESOTA LEGALIZING
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
WILL BE UP TO FINAL JURY
IF NEW LAW PASSES
VICTED HOLD-UP WILL BE
TREATED ROUGH

The fight to restore capital pun
ishment in Minnesota will be renew
ed in the legislature next winter with
the backing of many officials and
citizens who believe the death penalty
is the only effective deterrent for
crimes of violence says the Minnea-
polls journal. Frank E. Nimocks,
Minneapolis house member up Tor
reelection, announced last night that
he will introduce a bill next winter
repeating the Mckenzie act OF 1911,
which abolished capital punishment
in the state.
The new measure will leave it 10
juries to say in cases of murder IN
the first degree, whether the death
penalty should be inflicted.
Agitation causd by the wave OF
hold-ups in the twin cities is for a
more severe penalty for crimes OF
violence. One suggestion is a life
sentence for highway robbery. The
objection to this is that it puts an at
tempt at robbery on the same basis
as a murder, so the thug is taking
no chances at worse punishment if lie
kills his victim.
81 am for the severest penalties
for highwaymen,' said Mr.. Nimocks
Saturday, "but the penalty for muir
der should be death, if the circum-
stances do not call for special Glenn
ency in the opinion Of the jury. |
had bill prepared two years ago to
restore capital punishment, but | was
somewhat discouraged by the state
board of control and was told that
Warden Charles S. Reed of the Still
water prison was opposed to it. But
I think public opinion is demanding
a change, and former Chief of Po-
lice J. O'Connor of St. Paul tells me
nothing but the death penalty will
check the wave of crime. 1t is his
opinion that the Dunn murder, the
Price murder and other well known
crimes never would have been COM
mitted if the death penalty had been
in effect.
"Mr. O'COnnor also favors a more
severe penalty for carrying conceal
ed weapons, as it is often impossible
to convict men who go about armed
for purposes of robbery, of anything
worse than carrying a gum" -
Judge John H. Finehout of St.
Paul declared he has changed his
mind, and for holdup men favofs
"life sentences as the minimum and
capital punishment the maximum"
Capital punishment was abolished
in Minnesota in 1911, when George
Mckenzie of Gaylord, house men,
Der made a winning fight for the
bill. The records show nine house
members from Hennipen county vot-
ed for the bill, and three, L. A.
Lydiard,. Alex Mcneil and M. j. Sui
livan against it. Senators George
P, Wilson and c. L. Wallace were
the only Minneapolis men in the up
per house to oppose the bill.
Several atrocious murders follow
ed in the state soon after the death
penalty was abolished and one OF
them was in Sibley county, repre-
scented by Mr.. Mckenzie. Ernest G.
Pless ran at the next election on a
platform declaring for restoring the
death penalty, and defeated Mr. Nc
Kenzie. He fought hard for his bill
and got Sc votes for it to 81 against,
but 81 votes were necessary to pass
the measure. Minneapolis men vot-
ing for the bill were James Dwyer
and F. L. Palmer, now in the senate,
and F. E. Nimocks. Minneapolis
votes against it were w. A. Camp
bell, S. r. Child, John G. Lennon, W.
I. Nolan and w. /. Norton.