Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-18

Michigans referendum, In which
restoration of capital punishment was
defeated, is accepted by the public as
showing a preponderance Of opinion
in favor of punishment by other means.
1t Is accepted as evidence that the
death penalty may not serve as a
deterrent of crime because of the diff
Guilty of obtaining convictions. At the
same time strong arguments are made
in favor Of greater certainty of punish
ment for those who violate the Grim
tnal laws.
The people Of Michigan are declared
by the Albany Evening News to have
sat as jury and refused TO condemn
murderers to death" though that
paper points out that although the
bill was defeated, 1t is significant that
SO many favored the death penalty that
1t cannot be said that public opinion
is largely in the majority against CAPT
tai punishment" The News states
that lone strong argument against it
is that it Is difficult to obtain yerdicts
of guilty in murder cases"
THE reaction to its defeat" reports
the Detroit Free Press, lis the intro
duction of a bill to make life impris-
onment for first-degree murder mean
imprisonment for life. Specifically, the
bill calls for the submission to the
~
withdrawing from the Governor the
power to pardon or reprieve or COM
mute the sentence imposed upon first
degree murderers. The adoption of
this amendment would close one of the
most CHASTITY loopholes in our crime
preventive system. Since 1913, when
the first 1ifer' was sent to Jackson,
242 out of 800 persons sent to prison
in this State for lite have been par
cd NJ
The average life sentence in Michigan
has been about IL years. Cases are
| on record OF pardonS obtained within
3 years. The withdrawal of the par
doning power in first-degree murder
cases would stop that sort of thing. -
If capital punishment Is not deter
! rent" declares the Jackson Citizen
| Patriot, ut has no other virtues" The
| Flint Daily Journal holds that 1.-The
| problem which lies ahead is to i'm
prove our law enforcement as fairly and
as efficiently as We can under existing
| laws" The Ann Arbor Daily News
/ argues in favor of reforms in court
procedure that would decide trials upon
| their merits rather than upon techni-
| calities." and the Hartford Times sug-
gests that opinion probably will not
be able to reach agreement until GRIM
inologists are more nearly of one mind
I
| of punishment for those who are guilty
| of deliberate murder"
4 4 X
| Disagreeing with the verdict, the
| Buffalo Evening News makes the argu-
ment as to the wisdom of the action
| Detroit and other cities lin Michigan
have come more or less under the in.
Thence of Chicago since the adoption OF
prohibition, with the result that they
have suffered greatly from crimes OF
) violence. However, the people of the
State, expressing perhaps more an emo
ton than a thought, refused to indorss
the views of the Legislature and the
Governor. If there is a decrease in the
murder rate. well enough. If there is
| a marked increase in the rate, the peo-
pie Of Michigan finally may feel COM
PEELED to adopt the death penalty, a
] relic of barbarism, as 1t is sometimes
| described. Certain 1t is that capital
punishment is the thing that murderers
most dread. Almost without excep-
| ton they will fight to. the last ditch fol
the alternative, life Imprisonment"
THE Detroit problem evidently die
not seriously impress voters elsewhere
in the State, least Of all in the rura
districts" says the South Bend Tribune
| while the Cleveland Plain Dealer points
out that 'if other States which have
gang murders galore notably New
York, Illinois and Ohio, had been able
to show that the death penalty did ir
fact deter gunner, the case for capita
punishment would be much stronger"
|
ct Is o two-sided question" in the
Judgment of the Dayton Daily News
When some one whom we have exc.
cuted for murder is proved later, a:
does happen occasionally, to have beer
innocent, the argument against capita
punishment is strong. When q Ides-
perate murdeElR, imprisoned for fife,
I,raaka tell ~ Ia v.aIaaaad fnr0aIci7 fanIif,