The New York herald., 1921-11-13

NJ say, if the question is put to them,
that they favor the abolition OF
capital punishment for men convicted OF
opposing said abolition, will give as rea-
son that the death sentence carried out
acts as deterrent of these horrid crimes.
With proportion as great as this, show
ing how people generally view the punish
ment of criminals, the apathy displayed
when the subject comes up for discussion,
as it is sure to do every once in a while.
is surprising. The surprise IS less, how
ever, when it lis recalled that arguments
for and against capital punishment are not
novel and people have grown apathetic IN
listening to them recurrently.
The various societies having in view
human welfare are not primarily inter
ested:' they are willing and sometimes
eager to cooperate in any movement to re-
duce this final penalty to Imprisonment for
life, but they do not take the lead.
The movement, in consequence, is spas
modic. What seems to be required is
leader who can or will think and work for
nothing else, some Peter the Hermit kind
OF reformer who can stir the minds and
heat the blood of the Laodiceans.
Even without a Middle Age reformer
there have been processes at work to arouse
feeling in the matter and to start sort Of
crusade. One thing accomplished in these
processes was to show the backward
ness. There are now twelve States Of
the Union where capital punishment has
been abolished; there are twenty-four
States that leave it to the discretion of
Judge or jury whether or not capital pun
ishment shall be inflicted, and there are
twelve States in which capital punishment
is the penalty for murder in the first degree.
How the Code on Murder
Varies in the Several States
The following are the penal codes of the
States showing a penalty inflicted for mur-
der in the first degree:
Hanging is prescribed in Connect
cut, Delaware. Florida Georgia. Mis-
souri,, New Mexico and Hawaii.
Hanging or life Imprisonment may
be the punishment for this crime in
Alabama, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Missis-
sippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Ore
gon, West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska
and Porto Rico
Illinois offers the same choice but
imprisonment may be any term from
fourteen years to life, and Texas may
condemn by hanging or term of i'm
prisonment not less than five years.
There are eight States where mur-
derers are put to death by electricity:
Arkansas, Massachusetts, Nebraska,
New Jersey, New York, North Caro-
lima, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
Indiana, Kentucky. Ohio, Oklahoma
and South Carolina may impose either
death by electricity or life imprson-
ment.
Life is the ultimate penalty in the
following States: Arizona, Kansas,
Maine. Michigan. Minnesota, North
Dakota. Rhode Island, South Dakota
Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.
Death or life Imprisonment, and in
case of the latter a choice between
hanging and shooting is Utahs penal
code.
Nevada has recently adopted the kill
ing of murderers by lethal gas.
jury may fix term of imprison-
ment in Tennessee.
A jury may find for death in Wash
ington.
In New Jersey and Oregon, unless
Jury explicitly recommends life i'm
prisonment the penalty is death.
This list will serve to show that the
Empire State has Jagged behind several
Far Western States in what the majority
of the people of this country have plainly
said was humanitarian way of dealing
with criminals who have taken human life.
In 1920 movement was headed by State