THE ALLIANCE HERALD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1920.
Comment-and
Discomment
murder planned to the emallest de
tail and carried out for money
money for the murderer and money
for the man who hired him.
This alckly aentlmentality over
criminals Is beginning to get our
, royl goat. There Is no man so
ta, trutal and bestial that, once he gets
thrown In prison, cannot manage to
4ueeie .out a few tears and sob a
etory of the reformation that came
too late. Immediately thereafter
can be found hundreds of good but
misguided women and an equal num
ber of men who plead with the au
thorities to have the law set aside
nd another chance given the of
fender. It's an old, old game as
old as the shell game and fully as
ffectlve.
We are referring, as you may hare
guessed, to the attempt to sare the
worthless hides of Cole and Oram
jner. These two men were sentenced
to pay the supreme penalty, and
richly deserved all they got. You
nay argue all you please about the
ortdence It was sufficient to con
vince the trial Judge, who is not a
lood-thlrsty man, and the Jury, who
were all men with homes and who
realised that the taxes they paid en
titled them to protection.
Oh, this appeal to the people is
cleverly worded. It carefully avoids
discussing the crime or mentioning
any circumstance surrounding it, but
addresses Itself to "humane cltliens
and declares: "your silence Is giving
your consent to the execution of two
boys. Your share of personal re
uponsibllity will be established be
yond recall if you make no effort In
their behalf when an opportunity re-
auirlng so little effort as this appeal
asks Is offered you." The appeal will
cost but a penny, it Is urged "and
may be the sole means of saving
their lives. If it was your son or
brother or husband (they are all of
these to someone) would you not
want this done? 'Do ye unto others
as ye would others should do unto
you,' Christ said."
Stop and figure it up, and see Just
bow long It has been since these
men received their death sentence,
and how the purpose of existing law
baa been defeated. Reprieve after
reprieve has been granted, some
times illegally. At the last minute,
when the executioner is on the
ground, and the electric chair ready,
our spineless little governor comes
forward with another stay of execu
tion. Close upon the heels of this
every newspaper in the state receives
a bulletin from the Organisation for
the Suppression of Capital Punish
xnent In Nebraska. It makes one
wonder whether the governor knew
this was coming.
It's a pathetic picture that the so
ciety draws in Its bulletin. Listen to
this: "If you want to show mercy
as yon would expect to receive it,
then in this hour of dire seed of
these condemned boys (now but 20
and 21, and they have been In prison
two years and a half) do them a little
act of mercy by writing on a postal
card an appeal to the governor to
grant a stay of execution until the
people of the state have voted upon
the question of capital punishment.
which they have never had an op
portunity to do."
No one that we know can say
where or when the Society for the
Suppression of Capital Punishment
In Nebraska was organized, or who
constitutes Its members. Frankly,
folks, this appeal sounds like the
work of a clever lawyer who is at
tempting to carry his case to the
people and win, not on a basis of the
facta presented to the Jury, but by
an appeal to the sentimentality of
people who have a horror of blood.
the subxtltution of life imprisonment
without pardon for all first degree
murder, and. "demands the rigid en
forcement of all laws" that Is, all
laws but the ones they do not wish
observed
Souls like hers are not at all likely
o quit work. Life.
It Is inevitable that so clever a
piece of work should not have some
effect. A few editors have fallen for
It. Lee Richmond, who patches to
gether each issue of his Mlnden
Courier, comes out In an editorial
headed, "An Act of Mercy," and
pleads for "two fellow mortals in
this dark hour of their dire need."
Lee admits that he knows nothing
whatever about the case, but because
he doesn't favor capital punishment,
he is glad to further the cause
"whatever" he can. He has sent his
protest to the governor, and hopes
that all the readers of his paper will
act on his lack of knowledge and im
itate his humane example. It is prob
able that he knows no more about
capital punishment than he does
about Cole and Orammer. But it
flatters him to be called a "humane
citlxen." '
It Is Just this lack of knowledge
that makes the situation serious. In
these days, when there is an organ
ized force to do away with all gov
ernment, the reins should be drawn
more tightly, not allowed to fall on
the dashboard. When, on every
side, there is a campaign against law
and order, the surest way to help
that campaign Is lax enforcement of
existing legislation. Justice should
be tempered with mercy, of course,
but sentimentality is not mercy, and
it certainly Isn't Justice.
The burglar Is in favor of rigidly
enforcing all laws but thoie which
punish burglars. The bootlegger fa
vors prompt action In all cases save
those which concern his trade; the
forger may have a horror of the low
down bootlegger. The fact Is that
we have set up courts of Justice and
have laid down rules for them to
observe. No Jury Is compelled to
recommend the death penalty and
no Jury will make such a recom
mendation unless they believe it the
right punishment.
It is unthinkable to refer all court
decisions to a vote of the people
That would make of our courts a
bigger Joke than the board of par
dons is making of them. It's time
to stop coddling criminals. It may
be true, as they are saying, that
criminal tendencies are the manlfes
tatlon of a disease, and that the
forger, or the burglar, or the cut
throat are all subjects for the sur
geon rather than the electric chair
The time may come when criminals
will be operated on and their crim
inality removed, Just as the surgeons
remove appedlces now. But until
remove appendices now. But until
have a purpose.
The evidence In this case indicated
that one man hired another to kill a
woman, and that the work was done
According to specifications. No ex
tenuating circumstances; no sudden
blow in anger; no bead muddled
with wine elmply a murder of a
iefenseless woman in cold blood a
No one holds that every murderer
should pay the death penalty. There
are many cases where it is Justifi
able, If not desirable. But the death
penalty ought to be there, and ought
to be enforced in the worst cases, as
a deterrent to crime. The man or
woman who kills in anger, or to
avenge a wrong, will probably never
do it again. The man who kills
when he is drunk will probably never
get that drunk again. The one who
murders when his mind 1b affected Is
not responsible, but he should be
placed and kept where he will never
have another opportunity to cause
others to lose their lives when he
loses his head.
But Just as the negro who lets his
lust control him deserves to be
lynched, so does the man who calm
ly plans to take another's life, or
hires someone to do It for him, de
serve the death penalty. It ought to
be administered without delay.
Every day these men cheat the gal
lows someone else grows more con
fident that he will also escape. The
newly organized society pleads for
LOOK AT THE FUTURE
Ancient methods and cure-alls put
but little check on abnormal con
ditions. Times have changed and science is
progressing.
CHIROPRACTIC
is Nature's way of restoring normal
conditions and relieving impinged
nerves.
Visit us and let us tell you about
ClilltOPItACTIO ADJCSTMLN H
Annie G. Jeffrey
CHIROPRACTOR
Graduate Palmer School
Wilson Block Alliance, Nebr.
The purpose of prisons is three
fold. Primarily the object is to pro
tect the public. A safe burglar Is
one who is in Jail. A safe murderer
is a dead murderer. The Becond ob
ject is to warn others that the law
has a long arm, and that the reward
of violation is instant punishment.
The third Is to reform the criminal,
it possible. But It's hard to reform
and punish at the same time. What
child ever felt contrite while he was
being spanked, even though his par
ents assured him at the time that
they were "doing It for his good."
Prisons were not built to. take the
place of Sunday schools, but as a last
resort when churches and Sunday
schools fall, i
If the society really means what
it says that life Imprisonment
without pardon or reprieve should
take the place of capital punishment
then it is advocating a worse pen
alty than the law imposes. Death
is preferable to life imprisonment
without hope of release. But the so
clety doesn't really mean that at all
It knows that once the sentimental
ists gain the upper hand, capital
punishment will go, and later life
imprisonment will follow. Already
the pardon board releases prisoners
who have barely entered the peniten
tiary, and who have not reformed or
paid any penalty. As Box Butte's
county attorney expresses It, "the
prisoner often beats the sheriff
home" when the latter goes down to
escort him to the penitentiary.
Here's another picture of tie Cole
Grammer case: The wife of one of
the condemned men visits the pen
itentiary. The electric chair is set
up, the executioner says it is ready
The wife seats herself in the chair
in which her husband is slated to
die. When she arises, she declaims
"My husband will never sit in. this
chair." And the chief reason for the
statement is that she has faith in the
power of sentimentality when stirred
to the pror-tr pitch.
HKMIN'GFOHD
The pastor of the Methodist
church reports that the congrega
tions on a recent Sunday were en
couragingly large. He administered
the sacrament of the Lord's supper
to about sixty communicants. Every
service was well attended and there
was lots of good music. There was
special music including a solo and
chorus, Mr. Mattison and choir; a
solo by Miss English, accompanied
by Mrs. Muirhead, and at the morn
ing service Gladys Caha and Fay
Muirhead rendered a beautiful duet.
Adrian Clarks on the Saxophone and
Loer Osborn with the violin ren
dered pleasing music.
The ladies' aid society was to meet
last Wednesday with Mrs. George
W. Wlltsey, but on account of her
Illness they met at the church.
There was a good attendance and a
lot of work was accomplished.
Dr. O. S. Baker, district superin
tendent, preached at the church last
Sunday at 7:30 p. m. Those pres
ent were treated to an excellent dis
course. Born to Mr. and Mrs. II. D. John
son, on Sunday, January 18, a fine
boy (a carpenter), all doing well.
The Lockwood store building is
nearlng completion. On the second
floor there will be a large clothing
room, Mr. Lock wood's own private
room, a public rest room, two fine
office rooms, each with a waiting
room, halls, lavatory, etc. In con
nectton with this the big, two-story
Farmers' State bank is going up with
brick work completed. The two
business concerns expect to be lo
cated In their new quarters within
about a month.
Alexander Berkraan and Emma
Goldman want to stay in America to
tell us what a bad place it is. Ar
kansas Gazette.
We hold no brief against those
who have considered the matter and
are against capital punishment. But
when you ore weeping over the wives
and mothers of the. condemned men,
spare a tear or two for the family of
the victims. When, if ever, this
question is voted on, consider what
it would mean to you to have your
husband, or brother, or wife, mur
dered. The chief advantage of the
death penalty lies in its effectiveness.
Cull it barbarous if you will, say that
It ia a relic of the dark ages, but re
member that a would-be murderer
who knows he faces sure death If dis
covered ia more likely to stay bis
hand.
OOOD-UYE, SUFFRAGISTS!
The Woman Suffrage association
expects to go out of business as soon
as the suffrage amendment has been
ratitied by thirty-six states. So Mrs.
Carrie Chapman Catt says, and she
expects the organization to dissolye
at Its last convention next February
In Chicago.
Perhaps it will provide for itself a
sort of reincarnation by merging In
to the national league of women vot
ers, but it is not disorderly to hope
It will not, but that its members will
go into the existing political organ
izations of men and punch them to
do better.
If the suffrage association quits,
the antl assogiatlon will doubtless
quit also, leaving the world to fall
back to its great primary division of
people into males and females. That
will be nice and remind us all pleas
urably of old times except that both
kinds of people will vote.
When Mrs. Catt, revlewiLg the ex
ploits of the great suffrage leaders,
spoke of Susan Anthony as "that
Indomitable soul who has long been
laid to rest," she spoke inaccurately.
It is only the body of Susan Anthony
that is laid to rest. All advices, es
pecially the most recent favor belief
that her soul is working overtime,
probabl yon Jobs of organisation.
Let the-
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Yom Cam Begfc'
to make preparations for the next Christmas right now.
How much would it have helped to have received a check for one hundred or more dollars
last holiday time T You could have purchased all the gifts you wished and have money left
over, perhaps.
We have organibed the simplest, most convenient method of raising this extra hundred for
you. Just place $2 each week to your credit for a period of fifty weeks. Next Christmas,
in plenty of time, just when you are most in need of extra money, (think of your expenses
which fall due about the first of the year) ytu'll have it.
If $2 a week is more than you can handle, select a smaller one. Any sum you determine
upon can be deposited. Figue up your holiday expenses, divide them by fifty and START
TODAY by Saving. In addition to your principal you will receive
There are two classes of Savings Clubs which we have organized to help you form the habit
of thrift. Both continue for fifty weeks. If you commence with a given amount and each
week increase the deposit by an amount equal to that with which you commenced the
account. Thus, in the 2c Club : First week, deposit 2c ; second week, 4c ; third week, 6c ; etc.
The other club includes those members who deposit a certain sum weekly for fifty weeks,
with no increase in the amount deposited. The various clubs and the amounts follow:
50 Weeks
With Deposits in Multiples
lc Club amounts to
2c Club amounts to
5c Club ru.oimt.s to -10c
L) ') a 1 1 to . -
50 Weeks
With Straight Deposits
$ 12.75 25o Club amounts to . .
25.50 50c Club amounts to
63.75 $1.00 Club amounts to - . -
127.75 $5.00 Club amounts to - - .
$ 12.50
25.00
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