Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-08-21
The motion was carried unanimously.

ton:
That tho excessive severity of the law operates
% tho total nnpunity OF great proportion OF OIL
tenders. by lettering humane persons from prosecu
ting: and by holding out temptation to jurors to
violate their oath rather than be accessory I" Judi
c'al murder-wh le almost all tho capital punish
men now on the statute book are Innovations upon
the temperate and wholesome principles oil the an
cient common law of tho land which had ever been
admire. for it's humanity and wisdom by the great
eSt legal authorities, and il coeval with tho no.
bIcst and best principles OF the English Constuu
ton"
The resolution Wac one which at carried
conviction with il, and his observations would thcre
fore be very brief IIu hid long boon impressed
with a conviction that capital pnnishmcnts ought
TO lie altogether aboshed-lhear.] lilo did not
forget that il written III scripture, Vengeance
is mine, saith the Lord choers An unanswcr.
able objection to the punishment was, that it
irrovocabl; and in this country repeated instan-
of mistakes the par. of witnesses had occur
red and persons had been so often convicted Oh
mere crcunxtantll evidence, that the innocent
had not unrequcn:iy suffered the extreme punish
mont of tho law; and thcr innocence had on.y
been discovered when it was too lato to- recify the
error. uo related several distressing cases OF this
kind in tho of his own practice. The laws,
hthorlo, we're made for the rich man; and whilst
the crimes of the poor wore punished with the ut.
legal severity, the crimes of the rich, which
in moral if not in legal point Of view, wcro
OF an infinitely deeper dye escaped altogether.
Tho only way to enlist the rich on tho side of hu-
manly, WAS 10 Ccdt ont 10 tilsin an eQuh measure
of justice. IIo congratulated them on the change
which taking place III public opinion, and
proud tn Cooperate with such men he hchcld
around him. MIR. Ewarl had inscribed his name in
tho rolls OF humanity, and the English public
ought to h. proud Of an opportunity of paying
him the tribute of their applause loud cheoIsl
Mr. ]. S. Taylor seconded the motion which
was carried.
The following resolution was afterwards carried:
THAT France having recently introduced anne.
iioraiions into her criminal code, which, was pre-
y''usly far ISIS s,nguinary than our own-and the
United States If America having abolished nearly
tho whole OF tho cxterminatng statues received
IRON this country-t behoves the British -Parii-
nent not to neglect those enlightened examples,
but 10 do that which the int crest Of Justice,
AS well as of humanity, require, by introducing
such thorough aud eff lent reform of tho cr,-
mai law, as Will render. it auxiliary To pub
lic morals than to private vengeance, and afford
that protection to property, of which all persons
may avail themselves, without purchasing it by the
sacrifice of human life"
Mr.. Ewari, NJ. p, Mr.. Lewis Flanagan, Mr..
Stephen Curtis, and MIR. Weston, subsequently
addressed the meeting, and petition, in con-
t"rmlly with the Resolutions, directed to
be presented to the Legislature.
a hill mas been introduced into the British House
of Commons 10 regulate the llbour of children and
young persons in the mills and factories of the
United Kingdom. The principal provisions of this
bill are the following:
whereas it is necessary that the hours of labor
OF children aud young PERSONS employed in mills
aud factories of whatever description, should be
regulated nasnuch it has Of late become "A prac.
tice IN many such mills aud factories, to employ
great number of children and Young persons, of
both sexes, unreasonable length of time and
late at night, and iii many instances all night,
tho great and manifest injury OF the health and
morals of such children and young porsons:--
he ii enacted, that "no person under the age of
II years shall I've al owed tn work during tho night;
that is To say, between seven o'clock in the
IgIn nd i'm nrtliF .,f Tho
mills or manufA ctories Of The United Kim do a."
That "no person, under the age of Is years,
shall be empl"yel any mill factory, in any
description of work whatever. more than 10 hours
day, than hours on a Saturday.
That there shall be allowed every child ur
young person in the of the day, at least one
hour and half for meals and rest:-
That mo child shall be employed in mills or
fact cries, III any description of work whatsoever
before nine years of ag":--
That the ceiling aud walls of mills and factories
shall be whirewa he'd every year.
That 'Ihe ceilings shall be of hsigh':
That offenders against this ''shall forfeit sum
not exceeding ego nor less than fl0
"Only one penuhy shall be recoverable in one
day"
The Courier da Curt IA ministerial paper pub
lishrd at Nismos, lately asserted. that when the
emblem Of 1893 Qhe bonnet rouge was placed on
the collin OF General Llmarque, Gen. Lafayette
FASTENED to invest IL with crown of immortelies,
and further, that becoming alarmed at the events
which were likely To ensne, he -cgained his resi-.
dence AFTER difficulty. and on entering the
house exclaimed, 4 am safe at last The falehood
OF this statement is best establ shed 10y the follow
ing letter, written by Cen Lafa yette in answer to
one addressed to him on thesubject by gentleman
who repeated The circumstances upon the faith of
the assertions Of several Of his friends
La GRANGE, June -.
Sir-You ask mo If ii be true, as some persons
Of reSpccf1Ghty haUe assured you. [and you have
repeated to your iriends) that crown placed
by mo on the bonnet rouge. presented at the flne-
raj of Gen. Lnmarque not by the people, that is to
say upwards of 900 ctzons, whose manifesto
tons of patriotism widely foreign smch an
EXHIBITION, but bya party whose aracter and Oh.
ect time will expose. If this concerned only snch
persons VINO surprising them to have any acquaiu,-
anco with history, have carried their forgelful.
ness, their cr"duty or their party spirit so
far. as to suffer Themselves to be imposed up.
on by this fable, and had inmocenly contr.
butcd to its propagation, you will believe
that L should hlvo found so no diff Guilty in
expressing nv sentiments upon the subject
But to those who have asserted that they were as
sIrcd of the truth of the facts by persons who de-
clared that they were eyc.witnesSes ofthem take
pleasure in repeating, of my friends have
already said personally to some of them, that their
assertion is both ahsnr; aud false You are at H.
beriy to 80 my letter all the publicity you may
Wish, and with tius expectation, L shall add one
short remark. If have ever oppaSed with omen
resolution those criminal exercises OF which in
1892 and 1913 this bjRnet rOnpe became in France
the sargunary symbol, have been equally free
from Shrinking from before the counter revolution
any usurphi"ns which have alternately retarded
ihe c0inP!ctVli OF the freedom commgncsl in 1859 !
This perseverance, for Sc years in my public career
IS oi itself sufficient protest against tho more re-
cent system, which the ocrision of an attcnDt |
rcpressrt by forces fifty times moro numerous than
those who wcrc engaged IN 1t, comes forward |
apres comp, to iuvoSe the iliagalitics and I'm !
Of so urp~