The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-08-22


Still others will say that grave mistake has been
made This newspaper is among the latter.
Unable to find, after careful study of the record
of the case that and vanzet have been proved
guilty beyond all debut this newspaper had hoped
that the death penalty might be withheld
1t has hoped that Governor Fuller, as last
resort might take cognzance of the worldwide belief
in the innocence of the and commute their SEN
tence to life imprisonment Time might then resolve
the question of their innocence guilt If guilty.
they would spend the remainder of their lives in
prison; if innocent they could be freed.
Five years ago the State of Tennessee eectrocuted
Negro for murder Day before yesterday a white
woman confessed that it was she who committed the
murder.
These things do happen. Courts and juries do
make mistakes. Innocent people sometimes are put
to death.
And in every civilized country on the globe there
people who sincerely believe it is happening in the
case Of Sacco and Vanzetu 1t is not only the owly
and ignorant that believe it. but men whose intel
ects command the respect of the world.
H. c. Wells has called the purpose to execute
Sacco and Vanzeth Of the greatest crimes in his
tory. We do not believe that H. c. Wells knows the
facts of the case well as Governor Fuller does But
do believe that when the facts presented as well
Governor Fuller is able to present them leave men
of H. c. Wells unquestioned ability and mental in
tegrity utterly unconvinced 1t is the part of wisdom
for the Governor to stay the hand of the law
Hatred toward the United States is accommodating
in many lands Ill deserved as this hatred may be- it
is not sound policy to ignore it. 1t is better policy
to recognize its existence and find way to dssipate it.
Putting the matter in its very lowest terms, in the
terms of dollars cents, it is the better course
This growing feeling toward America is one of the
accidents that mark the history of the world Amer
lea has become rich in day when the rest of the
world is poverty stricken 1t has earned as is quite
natural the envy of other nations But despite the
envy the poor and oppressed peoples of these other
countries have still looked to America as the land of
freedom. the land of hope, the land where all are
equal.
Those who have come to hate us most are those
who now feel that America is not his land of equality
they always had believed it to be- They feel America
has betrayed their trust and they hate us for the
imagined betrayal. Wrong they may be- we can not
deny that their reaction is natural one 1t is the
way the human heart works.
OF course, we can say that that is their nlistake
and that it is no of We can say we will
go way trusting to our own sense of Justice
and accept the consequences of actions.
But in people that wants the worlds good will,
is this the attitude of wisdom? We think it is not
What is being done in Boston this day is the one
thing being done in any land that holds the interest
of every land
We wish it were possible to hope that tomorrow
morning the world may read that Massachusetts,
through her Governor has this to report: That Mas
sachusetts has found these guilty. but acknowl-
edgng the honest belief of millions that they are in
nocent Massachusetts sets aside the penalty of death
and will hold these men imprisoned, prepared if time
shall show the verdict of guilty to be an error to set
that verdict aside and to make such amends as a
great State can make