| Show Opponents of Death Penalty Will Ask for Repeal of Law Declare Life Imprisonment More Terrible Than Rifle Bullets or Hempen Rope Take Rope Take Strong Stand Against Legal Murder Will the tho next Utah le legislature i abolish abol i ish h capital punishment in this That strong tron appeals will be made mado for forI such a n change O in the tile law is hs tho state state- I went made b 6 by those why ihu arc I. opposed cd to eap capital tal punishment S SIf I Jf If such bitch a L change in iu tho the law should I bo be mado it is declared that t Utah would he be tho ho leader in what the the- advocates ad of oC the change say would Mould be bc the greatest reform ever cr attempted in the criminal laws Jaw of the thc United States That any allY attempt to abolish capital hm in iu thi th this state will bo boo bitterly bit bit- bitI I ted terly opposed is the announcement of oC many who are arc in favor of tho the old Mosaic Mo Mo- onic o- o nic law An An eye for an eye a tooth for fer a tooth fi fa a j lifo life 10 for a n life While admitting the laxity of en en- 01 of tho the law Jaw the tho long long- delays I the thc appeals to tho the board of or I r p pardons and an the cost to the tho state slate those in lit favor of the tho continua continuance nee of capital punishment still maintain that it is 13 the only 11 way They 51 say that without tho thu fear feir of ur- ur such a punishment the tho crime of or murder would bo be moro noro frequent fre fre- quent than thau it is under existing condi condi- That the advocates arl of or retaining retaining- the I present law la will wiH ur urge o as ono one of the bc reasons why it should bo be continued continue will be the tho fact act that under the present law there have hac been four legal executions tons in Utah during tl this s year ear Tho They will ur urge e that thi this m shows t that mt tho the JIlis law JIl lawis lawis is not a dead letter that when the courts aro are convinced and ever every crr legal Jeal i is prosecuted the thet Jaw t abiding Hi cn citi zen m may l le bo be e a assured urcil that from front time tune timeo timeto to o time ul ni lit least tho the Jaw will bo be enforced on on- forced forcer to I the tho ho letter Jetter The four J legal executions in Utah dining tho the plc present ent year car have han however brought out a n strong sentiment f against such uch executions Jc Legalizing mu r is the term used h by many who aro arc opposed to capital p punishment in iu in describing the execution of or the death sentence They claim that the state I has no 10 more rJ right ht mora morally to take tako a life than has a an an ill individual aJ In tho the case casc of at least one ono coo convicted man who was vms put tint to death this year rear the members o of the thc local society used every endeavor or in iii their power to prevent the execution of the sentence on tho g grounds s mentioned above That the members of this society so SO- defy are arc still active in their d desire to prevent an any more mor Ic legal nl executions in Utah ma may mar 1 be e said raid on good authority There was was a bill to abolish capital punishment in Utah prepared to bo be presented pre pre- to the last two sessions of oC the tho Utah Jc legislature The Tho proposed bill biU was patti partly drawn nl durin during tho the 1909 session sos ses sion of the thc Jc legislature but a a feeling out out of members of 01 the legislature legis lature caused further work ou on tho bill Thu to be dropped Again gain in 1911 a bill was partly parth drawn wu but a again ain it was found that members of tho the lawmaking bod were not in favor of such a change That the Pr proposed poi bill of 1109 and arid that thil of 1911 would have havo had hail the support sup sup- port of more than thau one oue lawyer and at least one district nod judge joao 0 is is a claim made b bv by its pi proponents That That if the tho bill a as ai proposed be he introduced in in- n at the next session of the tho Jc legislature it will meet with opposition i tion is a forr foregone OIlA conclusion It Jt will I meet with opposition OUI those who are arc against tho abolition of capital punishment pun i un and thero will he be opposition from other sources Briefly tho bill bi as propose proposed will contain cOIl cOIl- tam tain th tho following important features s The Tue abolition of capital punishment in in Utah Utah- lifo ifo imprisonment at nt hard labor for every person convicted of murder in jn the first de degree cc all mono mono- which the convict may earn over OCl and a above his hig actual keep shall go 0 to the thc family or those depending on oit the man mur mur- should there bo bc ni no such dependent depend depend- ent exit the tho money mono over oyer and above ahoo the ac actual ac- ac utah cost cost- of ot maintenance of the derer shall shah go 0 to his bis family or tho those e depending on him should ho have havo any Rny l such and in th tho event e that tIm the family faul fam farn- ily ih of the murdered man or that o of tho murderer needs need no such support then the excess money shall shano go to some public charity TILlS This s bill 1111 also abo provides that thin tho power poser 1 lof of tho tito present pardon purdon board hoard bo ho entirely entirely en en- taken away in tho case caso of those convicted of ler in the thc f first dc degree that there shall be no pardon nor nor pa- pa rob rolo roJe granted g to any person convicted con l land and find sentenced for murder r in tho the first de degree except that which may ro 0 o granted b by an act of the Je legislature Those 1050 who favor this section of tho proposed Ja law say that as ns the lew legislature legisla legisla- Ia turo ture mak makes s the puni punishment for the tho crime crimo it should say wh wb n he be convicted person l should bo ho pardoned They Thoy also assort that if such a law Jaw should be bo pa passed it should contain a clause that tho the conY convicted mur murderer would have havo to ask for a IL consideration of his case for fora a pardon or a parole at least sixty days lays before the thc lc legislature mr inert inert- ct and th that t every should be he 1 of his application with a n report of oC tho the crime crime for which he lie was s convicted tho the Into date of hi his O and nid such ucb other in information information in in- formation as uS would enable the member mom memo her ber of the Jc legislature to post himself as to how ho lie would vote yoto on the mattar matter mattor mat- mat tar tor vh n it goes rOO before the lawmaking body It f is claimed br In- sonic who aro are opposed op nj's p-o p posed to capital punishment that such a n law Jaw would woul be lie TrOT worse C than the tho lentil death penalty because a life ife sentence would be considered worse than death to some somo UI men Probably tile stron strongest cst tr argument that has yet ot rt presented against thin proposed change in the Jaw is that which is advanced by hy some peace of of- Li C They Thor point to rc tic ic fact that should the tIle d death ath penalty he bo abolished and only onh life imprisonment t b bo be the limit of pun tile the guards at the state prison or at an any other prison in io the tho state in which a man with a lifo life sentence fac fau- in ing him would have no protection should the convicted man have a chance chanco to commit a second 1 murder whereby he might Inight secure his hiB freedom They point poin t to such cases eases as 38 Harry Harrr Tracy and Abe Majors and ask what protection protect on would a guard or a a. peace officer have Itaya if such men nien knew that the only thing between them and aud freedom was the taking of another life lifa and that cven if success ful lJ in in tJ the thit taking of the life and they f failed to make good their escape they would suffer Ruffer no greater r penalty than tha that hat which they were ere already paying imprisonment for life I |
