Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-22
Nation Puts
Murderers
In Soft Spot
They're Co d dIed Toe
Much by Sentiment
BY BENJAMIN DE CASSERES

discussion has arisen Tor
~ the zillionth time tfor |
have no doubt the question was
debated in ancient Greece and
Babylon) as 10 the right and
wrong of capital punishment by
the state.
Warden Lewis f.. Lawes of
Sing Sing in retiring said he
does not believe the death
penalty deters from crime.
There is no way of telling.
But this thing is Certain-that
every man who commits MUIR
der fights tooth and nail TO
escape the "hot seat" and hopes
until the last minute for COM
mutation TO a liie-term.
| cannot see why a man who
has committed a planned cold
blooded murder or why pro-
fessional gun-toting gangster
should be allowed 10 listen TO
radios, play baseball, see movies
and learn a trade" at the eX-
penSe OF the taxpayers when he
can be dispatched painlessly 10
kingdom come.
WHENEVER a policeman kills
w a gun-leveling hold-up man
or LAYS low a burglar or bank
Stickup he is administering
capital punishment.
All killing in self-defense is
capital punishment. And GER
tainly we have no great qualms
about numbering one another by
the million in Wars-merely TO
make the world safe for this or
that.
When the state puts muir
derer TO death il is engaged IN
an act of self-defense. 1t is not
half as bad as giving him a pa
role and letting him loose TO
prey again.
II is no doubt a "sickening
sight" TO see a man electrocuted
or hanged. Well. stay away.
Go see a ball game instead.
And. at that, it isn't half as
"sickening" to a normal being
as the body of the victim of a
murderer-maybe a little girl
that the murderer was about to
thrust into a furnace.
My opinion is that there
are not enough murderers
executed in this sentimental
sappy country.
IN THAT book with the nau-
L seating title, "Sodom-by-the
Sea" tmeaning good old Coney
Island). an almost totally for
gotten name occurs that brought
this question before my mind:
WAS Grover Cleveland made
President in 1884 by fraud and
was James G. Blain really
elected president
The name that brought up
that almost forgotten contro-
verSy in American history was
John Y. Mckane. the Repub-
lican boss Of Gravesend, Coney
Island.
Cleveland was elected by the
electoral vote OF New York
state. He carried the state by
only 1,149 votes.
The result of the election, be-
cause of the close vote in New
York, was not known until three
or four days after the election.
New York state and thus the
election was in doubt because
John Y. Mckane withheld tor
was "monkeying' With the re-
turns from the Coney Island
districts.
McKane was an anti-Blaipe
Republican, an adherent of Ros-
coe Conkling, who was out TO
knife Blaine. When the returns
from McKane's bailiwick were
finally released they were for
Cleveland" This threw New
York states electoral vote to
! Grover.
I THINK the greatest internal
L enemy of our country today
is not necessarily the outright
Communist, NaZi or Fascist, but
rather those sappy minded.
weak kneed, pacifistic minded
liberals and "idealists' who
are always excusing them, plead
ing for them. quoting the Bill
of Rights in their defense and
who sentimentalize over them.