The Washington herald., 1922-03-14

ened in sin and crime he would not
make the appeal to our hearts as
he has done. The majority OF the
people would say, let the law TAX e
Its course. and in a few days would
forget the incident. But instead of
being SO hardened. we are told by
the alienlst that he is not above 10
years old in mental development
and capacity. We know that our
English common law deems a child
under IA years untitled, by lack of
experience and Uniformed character.
to be wholly responsible for his
acts. We fain would believe that
we have advanced Gar beyond many
OF the ancient customs of the COM
mon law. That we have grown
more humane, tender. charitabI
Christian. IL you will. in our mod
ern ideas of justice; and yet, in
this particular case, we are not
taking into account the very palp-
able fact that John McHenry is not
only not Il years old mentally. but
we ignore the other facts that he
comes from a family noted for its
abnormal type. and tainted with
pronounced insanity. Is it not.
therefore. a spectacle to make the
angels weep. to see the government
Of the greatest republic on earth
the home of the brave and the free
pursuing this undeveloped boy to
a shameful death? We do not con-
done this crime: but we do protest
against the severity of the punish
ment, as being contrary to the hu-
manity of the present age. And
that not alone for the sake of the
boy, but with the thought of the
whole community in mind. The in
fuence of a legal execution. casts
its baneful shadow not only upon
the inmates of the Jail, prisoners
and keepers. but II reaches to the
furthest bounds OF our city. leav-
ing distress. nervousness and fear
upon children and grown folks of
all classes. This influence has been
known to be directly responsible
for suicide and mental arrangement
among sensitive natures. Human
life sacred as il is. should be pro-
tected from all forms Of violence: !:
taking human life by the govern
ment as punishment for crime may
not be considered murder, but il is
difficult to understand how an act
unlawful for the individual, should
lose its viciousness when committed
BY an aggregation of individuals
even though in their collective ca
pacity, they should be called the
state. The penalty Of An eye for
an eye. a tooth for a tooth. no long
er accords with our modern humane
treatment of the criminal class, nor
is il thought to be the most useful
to the condemned. Since God alone
can give life, who dare take it,
except 1t be in defense OF his own.
or that of one under his immediate
care?
Opportunity for the prisoner to
expiate his crime by leading a life
of economic usefulness to the COM
munity. and to develop his char
acter by enforced association with
those able to teach him the duty
he owes to his country as q citi-
zen, and how that duty may be
discharged even, will make of him
a man, and will surely protect the
innocent public as effectively as the
old way. Believing this, we are
asking the ministers of all churches
Protestant, Catholic and jewish
to join with US in praying that this
boys life may be saved, and to use
every reasonable effort to bring
such hope to the attention of Presi-
dent Harding, that he may be led to
commute the sentence from hang
ing to life imprisonment.
THE ANTHONY LEAGUE.