Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-01

| life as a means Of saving themselves
| from arrest while in the act Of bur-
glary or robbery.
If hanging John Smith Is to keep
other people from murder. how is IL TO
be accomplished? Plainly, it must he
necessary that the public should know
that John Smith IL hanged. Both in
! England and America this was once
made clear by hangings on "A high hill
| in broad daylight, which were attended
by thousands of people. These were
abolished mainly because it was found
that the spectacle. instead Of prevent
ing crime. caused it, through sugges
| ton. No country. however fierce and
barbarpus. would provide for public
| hangings today This method Of kill
| ing is not even contained in the Bau-
mes law. AS rule, the State kills peO-
| pie in the dark. with no one present
except few officials. physician who
/ Is not there to save his life and a
minister.
| He is killed in silence and darkness
| so that the people will not witness the
! brutality Of the State. If this terrible
act is to prevent killings, then il
| should certainly be open and. instead
! Of keeping people away from the
/ scene. they should be compelled to 20.
/
and foolish than this No motion pic
! ture is allowed to reproduce the crime
Of the State. Men. women and chill
dren cannot SEQ the helpless victim
strapped and slaughtered. even in the
/ movies. IL would he wise thing to
do. # this transparent pretension of
! the advocate of capital punishment
was ANYTHING but a pretension
III men are to be kept from killing
by fear. then all human beings Of all
ages, especially the young. should sec
wha. il means 10 die at the hands Of
/ the state. In this way the wicked i'm.
pulse To 20 out and kill would visuaI l.
tZe something of the wages Of crime.
These pictures are not shown because.
IN spite Of the hatred and vengeance
OF the public. even the very common
man still has some vague feeling that
the young. especially act from sugges.
ton. IN truth. this is about an there
is to education. All observers know
that many cases are repeated over and
over almost in every detail as a result
OF suggestion. Intelligent people are
perfectly aware that to show such pic
! lures on the screen would not prevent
murders. but would induce them.
y
Il
he wildly told: IL men and women
could visualize the horror coming
from the fear and dread Of this shame.
fui and cruel death: if people could feel
the agony or the days of waiting; IL
they could grasp every detaii-aI nor.
/ mai human beings would be so shock
ed 10 think OF their part in the horri-
bile deed as to get rid of the barbarisru
! that inspires the desire TO have some
unfortunate killed by the State. The
newspapers do much TO bring this
7 nome tn the average citizen. The
trouble is that most men and women
VII not read them or permit the young
| to read the CHASTITY details. The weak
/ VINO enjoy the story are sometimes
! induced by suggestion to repeat the
1 crimes.
| No facts can be produced by any
one to show that the death penalty
ever lessened murders. From the ma
| ture OF things IL could no; be shown
/ 1t does not follow that one refrains
| from killing because he is afraid of
death. Very few people ever desire
| 10 Kill. II anything could be shown
from results. then the figures in
America are plain; that there are few
err murders in States where there is
no capital punishment than in States
| winch sun cling TO the barbarous
/ practice.
| This does not necessarily mean that
The abolition OF capital punishment is
responsible for IL. Il may only mean
that the States where the people are
so humane as not To go into the kill
| ing business In an organized way
| would naturally have fewer citizens
| who under any circumstances would
kill That two facts exist together
does NOT warrant the inference that
one is the cause OF the other. This
may or may not be the case.
There is nothing SO unequal or un-
fair as capital punishment Only the
| poor are put 10 death. Those who
| have the means and opportunity 10
nave their cases SO presented that a
Jury and even a court may under
stand and realize the terrible respon.