Ending the Death Penalty

Everything in Massachusetts, it seems, including questions of life of death, has an eerie way or revolving around politics. Nine men-one of whom just arrived this week-sit in the shiny, antiseptic cells of Walpole prison's Death Row awaiting electrocution. Whether any are executed within the next six months or so could well depend upon the governor's political ambitions and the amiability of the Executive Council.

The governor alone does not decide questions of clemency or commutation. Stays of execution, commutations, and pardons can be given only with the consent of the eight-member Council. Unfortunately this year the governor is an ambitious, calculating Republican vice Presidential candidate and the majority of the Council are stern, stolid, calculating Democrats. The governor and councillors are will aware that the Commonwealth's system of shared responsibility is little known or understood and that in the eyes of the nation any executions would be the fault of vice-presidential candidate Volpe. The prospect of the Democratic councillor's letting a man die in hopes of thwarting Governor Volpe's ambitions in grizzly, even unlikely, but to Massachusetts' politicians not unthinkable. Thus, some of Governor Volpe's advisors have come up with a proposal to remove the problem. Essentially, they have asked Volpe to submit a special message on capital punishment to the General Court.

In the message Volpe would ask the legislature to study the effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime and to suspend executions until the study is completed. This proposal is similar to one field last winter with the legislature by Joseph F. McCormack, chairman of the state Parole Board. Unfortunately, when McCormack's bill came up for consideration, Albert DeSalvo, the self-confessed Boston Strangler, had just escaped from the Bridgewater State Hospital, and in the excitement it and other legislation seeking to eliminate the death penalty was rejected.

Capital punishment is an anachronism. And any opportunity-even one which rises out of politics-should be used to remove it.