The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-05-13
Letters to the
Editor
ALL or Us RESPONSIBLE
ron ISON'S DEftleI.ICTION

Editor The star. When man
has been found guilty OF murder
and the sentence IL pronounced. the
Judge says. 1T IN the sentence OF
this court that you be hanged by the
neck until you aro dead. and may
God have mercy on your noulr'
II there is any significance 10
shat you be hanged by the neck
untii dead" then also may God
have mercy on your soul" In not
merely a figure OF speech but plainly
shows that those who deal In law
believe that there in a part OF Isom
White and his kind that the hang
man cannot kill, "a part OF hun that
must go To n higher court and judge
than any we have In tho state of
Washington.
This divine court works with law.
Gods law applying 10 all aiike-to
the educated judge. To tho governor
and statesmen M well as 10 a lad Of
~ who just grew up In crime. un.
nourished and untaught
But law. 30 far ms we know II. In
not OF divine origin. II Ia made by
tho people 10 express their senti-
ments and feeiingA
A boy OF ~ commits n murder.
No matter what his mental ealiber
IN. what influences swung the pen
duium too far one way In hia life,
n Il II proven that he killed n man.
In the state Of Washington he must
be killed. But on tho other hand.
the high officials who have had all
the training. tho experience. the
fruits Of the inveBtisatorp In Grim.
lnoiogy for years. they can murder
this boy at the end OF a rope and
'Fct by with ~. What In the DIFF.
ference n the individual commits
murder Just the same. and n II In
IN. object Of the state 20 ret an ex-
ample for the youths 81 the land.
IL would se~m that they hav. defeat
81 It's own ends BY making other
youths hate such a system that doer
not give the boy an opportunity 60
be decent In tho first place and then
kills him.
How can we imagine that we are
Delegated 70 take human life for any
caua. what.verr
What argument can ehe wiresf
governor or statesman OF any state
bring forth 10 Justify capital punish.
meut in the face OF statistics and
facts nj hand7
irai. does not protect society. and
does no, benefit by setting an ex.
ample.
IL places the fIsan beyond any fur
Their hope OF development no far an
We arc concerned II diagusts and
shocks and debaaes society and those
who arr closely connected with H. II
breeds further hate in the friends Of
tho murderrr and sets an example By
tho sta,e--to KIN a thing that gota
In our way instead 81 trying 10 make
~ useful and constructive.
In the United States ~v~ry year
more men are executed than In ali
tn. other Christian nations combined.
Statistics show. after all this "prr.
vention by example, that tho unitsss
States has a higher percentage OF
honicidcn than any other country in
the world And Just ~ we viii be
suro TO get shcfn ali. we hang limo
cent men In the q. s. on An average
of one every three years
Capital punxhmsnt war abolished
In Belgium. Finland. Holland. Nor.
way. Portugal and Rumania ycsrr
ago. AL u,es. countries studied the
question. found that killing produced
more killing instead Of preventing ~
Tho death penalty has been aboi.
l.hcd In Nichigan for 90 years. wis
conHin for 81 years. Maine for 20
years; Kansas. ~ practice 80 years.
and recently by stAtute- Figures
show that In thcne states murders
decreased ssnce the death penalty
has been abolished II !, a mere
coincidenc. thai thcre states have
less than one-haif the number OF
homirid@s than the rsa;cn bordering
thcrnf
Not 30 long are crtppioa w~r~ tor
tur~d and mutiis,ei and put TO
death. and a century and . half ago
insane persons were put 10 death.
dr~n's children viii hook back upon
the practice Of killing our morally
crippled with the same diagust and
horror M we now feel In regard t.
burning our witches
We taxpayers pay OVER two mil.
Hon dollars for the upkecp OF hos.
pitfalls for the fsom whites Of our
La nd ha~ntsafa x~hcr~ th... 80. -