The Washington times., 1921-07-10
PRISONERS RELIEF
HEAD MAY SAVE 5
men FROM MOOSE
Governor Gets Appeal for Men
In West Virginia Peni-
tentiary.

Activity OF Earl E. budding, presi-
dent OF the Prisoners Relief Society
of Washington, may result in the com
mutation of sentence of thyee men
sentenced to hang In the penitentisry
at Huntington, w. Va.
Dudding's appeal for the men and
his argument against capital punish
nent In West Virginia Twill be given
careful consideration" Gov. E. F. Nor
gan wrote, budding In reply to his let
ter opposing the extreme penalty for
the condemned men.
Dudding's communication to the
governor follows:
Honorable Il. #. Morgan,
State Capitol, Charleston, w. Va
Dear Governor Morgan:
West Virginia paper of June 10
carries a lengthy story, "Murderers'
Row at State Penitentiary Has Three
convicts Awaiting Hangman."
am In favor OF abolition of capital
punishment: not for the sake OF Ho-
bert Grimm, George Price, Jake Lutz
or w. II. Griffith. Each one of these
fellows may deserve death now. and
eternal damnation afterward, but we.
as a Christian nation. should not be-
come ofcial murderers any longer
because murder has been committed.
The present conception OF an Omnipo-
tent God has greatly changed since
the old days when cruelty was the
rule and was admired. As mental and
moral standards have improved there
has been constant Improvement in our
conception of God.
For eleven years / have been study
ing crime, and ! have concluded that
there could be nothing more important
to society than the gathering OF the
best OF our men and women who are
anxious to solve the question of crime,
Its punishment. and most important its
elimination. / have concluded that
crime is a product OF ignorance. You
must spread knowledge. put within
the brain of man the thought. the in
telligence, that will make crime i'm
possible before you can abolish crime.
While human society as whole
says to the criminal individual. Il
will kill you under certain cIrcum-
stances" just so long the criminal
win feel that he may also xiii
under certain circumstances" Al
you shout. 80 the echo answers. You
shout brutality at a man and he will
shout back with more brutality. You
can not abolish cess pool or a
swamp by talking about 1t, 'lashing
II or hating IT,: you must drain the
land then the swamp will disappear.
You can not abolish crime with
brutal punishment or hatred. Kind
ness, patience and real understanding
alone. with years of education by the
States, Government and vastly in
n nnFtUt
away with. crime. To feel hatred for
a man, to think only of punishment
and vengeance is stupid and cruel.
One of the problems that is en-
gaging the attention OF the thinking
men and women of today Is that
which grows out OF prisons and
prison life. in the life OF every in
dividual at some time. a sensation
arrives that makes him or her feel
that they have certain obligations to
perform for their fellow men. Such
a feeling as this has arisen In my
breast. and wish for the sake of
Christianity. that you would COM
mute to life in prison the sentence
imposed on those fellows that are in
Moundsville waiting to be driven into
eternity with the power of an electric
motor.
You would not personally kill
man. You would abhor the idea OF
your father or brother killing a
human being. Why delegate to the
State of West Virginia and the war
den of the West Virginia peniteu-
tiary, that represents you, the task
OF killing, or legally numbering,
which you yourself would shun.
l am not a sentimentalist--any-
thing but that. 1t does not pay to
hang men.
Yours truly,
L. E. budding.