The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-05-06
Learn Tolerance

Learn Tolerance
Go see Pirandello's play at the
Garrick and admit that we can never
know anothers soul. Learn the'
tolerance of philosophy in which
things are so uncertain that no
man could kill for his belief.
Consider the irrevocableness of
death, and recall how many times
men have been proved innocent
when it was too late.
In these recent days in Middle
Western State, man was con-
demned for killing farmer who
later appeared alive and uninjured
and merely wandering.
In Massachusetts two anarchists
are near death for a crime which
they utterly deny; what savage
anarchists we ourselves shall be If
we kill them while the slightest
doubt remains!
But of these two, who, like starv-
ing mates adrift at sea, must fight
to determine which shall eat the
other-of these two there can be
no doubt; and perhaps we Must kill
them lest possible criminals should
lose hereafter the encouragement OF
fear.
Would not the abolition of capital
punishment stimulate the growth
Of crime?
Murders Decrease
Strange to say, wherever THIS next
step in civilization has been taken
murders have decreased.
Throughout Sweden" says dis
patch (of April IS, 1920 there has
been in recent years steady de-
crease in prisoners detained for serl-
Gus offenses. Capital punishment
has been abolished for several years
and no one has actually been
executed since 1914. Yet the number
of lifetime prisoners is only twenty
one in the entire country. The
ancient city of Visby is confronted
by idle keepers and an empty jail.
Italy supposedly violent Italy,,
Norway. Sweden, Denmark, Russia,
Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Bel
GUM, Brazil, Venezuela, the Argen-
tine. Central America, Michigan,
Wisconsin,, Minnesota, North and
South Dakota, Rhode Island, Kansas,
Maine-these nations and states nave
nut an end to capital punishment.
Are we so much more criminal and
barbarous than they that we dare
not be equally humane? Are we less
civilized than South America?
Mob Wants Blood
AS always it is the mob that cries
for blood. A hymn of hate rises frorn
the streets and calls for new muir
ders, brutal movies made respectable
by law.
OF half a dozen answers taken al
random from a popular questlonnalfe
on the fit penalty for Ruth Snyder
and Judd Gray, six demand the sever
est possible punishment.
1.-THE electric chair is too good for
them" say two of the replies. TOR
ture" saws another, sis more Sc
we're than death. Life imprisonment
is torture. Give it to them"
Crowd Laughs
At the trial the crowd yawned
and laughed in Ruth Snyder's race
as she fought for life. Yes, doubt
less she was lying; but she was suf-
fering. too.
What marvel 1t Is that the hui
man mind can bear the strain OF
murder, concealment, questioning,
infinite, relentless questioning; de-
lection, trial, and again infinite, re-
lentless questioning, without break
ing to pieces.
There is a certain grandeur in this
suffering as of some bitter nemesis
executing justice in a play; ana
civilized soul could no more laugh
at this woman, stretched and broken
under the guillotine, than blind and
fallen Cedipus following Antogone
out of Thebes. Those who laughed
so-are they not just the sort that,
given opportunity and circumstance
would commit crimes as dastardly
as this?
Nature Can Punish
What shall we do, then? Let the
murderers go? No. Punish them?
No. Let nature punish; perhaps al
ready she has punished them ruth
lessly. Let us heal them. Let us
say to them:
"You are horribly guilty, guiltier
than Cain, who slew in anger and
rot in greed. But we shall not kill
YOU. For your mothers sake and
your children's sake, and above all,
Cor. our own sake, we shall not kill
pau. We shall not further break
these poor women who gave you
birth: we shall not ruin the lives of
two helpless girls with the burning
memory of your execution. And we
shall not soil our own souls with
your blood.
Liberty Gone Forever
Rather we shall send you. sep
arately, and for life, to farms safely
isolated from the society whose Sc.
curity you threaten. impossible
walls shall surround you and you
shall labor there to the end of your
days. Your toll will be paid for, but
only 20 the families you have left
bereaved. You shall never know
liberty again. nor the happiness of a
home, nor the coinradeship Of a