Evening star., 1924-09-11

this does not The general public is
going to ask, What's the user
'The judge who has decided this
says himself that no mitigation was
shown. All the closing plea OF the
defense was, in fact, an expression OF
objection to capital punishment. But
capital punishment was not on trial
1t was the law and these young men
knew the law when they took the life
Of Bobby Franks.
This is the sentence in lawless
Chicago. in Chicago notorious the
world over for it's lawIessness. 1t
that 1awlessness."
Declares Time Final
Test Of Court Ruling.
MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL-APP
Time will be the final test of the
merit OF the sentence against Loeb
and Leopold. If they remain in prison
all of their lives, all will be well. Our
modern civilization with it's weaken
ing social code, the neglect Of youth
by their parents and the purely ma
terial system of university education
have much to do with the character
of such boys as the two Wretches who
were on trial IN chicago.
"The old fashioned moral code is
necessary in the training of children.
When it is not enforced both boys
and girls are lucky If they do not go
to the dogs"
THE DENVER POST-"Judge John
r. Caverly's decision rendered We'd
nesday morning, permitting Richard
Loeb and Nathan f. Leopold, jr., to
escape the gallows after having com =
mitted and confessed to one Of the
most horrible. degenerate and pre-
meditated crimes ever known, is a
crime even greater than that COM
mitted by Loeb and Leopold.
The Caverly decision makes the
everyday man believe there are two
sets of law, one for the rich and one
for the poor, and it is just such de-
cisions as this that encourage con-
tempt and disregard for our laws and
finally infiict mob rule upon our
communities"
Primitive ReasOning
Governed Court In Claim
THE DALLAS NEWS-'"The SEN
tence itself spares the lives of two
whose only commendation to mercy
was that they were not fit to live
or fit to die. In the primitive reason
ing of the court it was a question of
what to do with them. The question
of what to do for the little Chi
cagoans who run the risk of being
slain hereafter gets slight concern.
And yet. the real question is the pro-
lection OF society, not merely from
subsequent murders by the defend
ants, but from the like from all of
their class who may even now be
meditating upon the possibilities of
improving on the technique of Leopold
and Loeb. Hanging as reform is, OF
course, but irony. Hanging for re-
venge is Savagery. But hanging as a
deterrent of the unhanged is SOW
ereign remedy than which no Detter
has been found"
Sees Ruling m Blow
To Justice Administration.
OHIO STATE JOURNAL-"Very
much more than the lives of two mur-
ders was involved in the decision OF
Judge Caverly. The future admins
tration of criminal law will be af
fected by it, will be weakened. may be
harmed greatly. 1t puts into legal
administration as mitigation and de-
fense a dubious science not complete
or established. Strong supporters of
the courts will find nothing in the
decision that protects society, the in
terests of which should come first"
Points to Danger
OF Boys Future Parole.
THE HARTFORD COURANT-
Judge Caverly gives as his reason
for his action the fact that he could
not pronounce the death penalty upon
minor. That must have been his
situation when the trial began, and
he could have saved the entire eX-
pense and all the rotten revelations
if he had simply said that that was
his attitude.
THE fact is that il those boys had
been poor, without money to hire
alienists and lawyers, a jury would
have strung them up and the world
would have been thankful that they
had quit it. Such creatures do not
deserve to live. The penalty of life
imprisonment has ceased to be such
1t is always possible, with money and
influence, and often by mere appeal
to sentiment, to get paroles or par
dons-but there is no bringing back
the life Of the fellow who is hanged
any more than there is Of restoring
life to those whom the murderer has
killed"
Questions Wisdom,
Not Sincerity Of Judge.
THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTIONS
"If ever execution was justified, either
as atonement for crime or as a deter
| rent example, it was in this instance