New-York daily tribune., 1842-12-01
THE TRIBUNE.
ghe Paniahment of Death.


70 your brief bur pregnant comments on the COM
munica,on Of ..Iustce,' relative to Capital Pan-
ishment in toe Tribune OF the 22d
]. The Editor did not feel himself Dvinely commanded
take the lie Of murderer and therefore protests as
member of society against besg dragged In 10 share Inc
responsibility OF such d deed.
Ans,rer This argument, carried to Its legltl-
mate extYnt. would make each mans conscience
the Judge of the propriety Of all laws and 50, by
Gttie and tt!e oil laws would be done away.
q government not founded on Divine Revelation
Ansuer PAM thinks diferently-and he is
generally considered respectable authority, at
least In his letter to the Romans he says, There
is no power but of God; the powers that be are
ordained Of God"
Again the Edtar THE Clergy the virtual inter-
preters OF ,he Word ana VIII Of God"
This doctrine may do for Austria or Italy, but
j. won't suit the descendants Of the Puritans.
s. God does not require the aid of human Governnen
10 enforce His Judgements"
Ansuer.--True; yet the whole history of Nan,
as well as Revelation, shows that He chooses to
employ them for this purpose. He the power
or Glycgnmentl is the minister of God, revenger
10 execute wrath upon him that loeth evil. - Vide
ST. Paul 10 the Romans.
Even If 's the commands Of God are not addressed
10 Governments (though this position admits of
fair controversy yet we agree that they are " 10
Governments have their only just foundation hu-
manly speaking) in the consent Of the governed
let these form their cousciences from the Unerrlng
Standard, and the enactments of Government will
be right enough, tried by its teachings. The laws
being so framed, there would be occasion for
hairs plittng as to whether their penalties come
from the civil arm or the Divine Word.
This would be such unien of Church and
State as the world has never Witnessed. Rapid
may its approach be
Genesis is command, but prediction,
Divine appointment, Indication OF the nntang order OF
Providence, &c"
Ans1-er. then God appoints, or predicts, or
indicates that because A murders B, c shall mur-
der 4. (Nota 5cne: the act Of in killing
must still be murder; otherwise the Editors ar
gument feils. For if it be not murder, then it Is
jus,ifable homicide-just6eble either by the Civil
or the Divine Law and if by the former, then by
the latter, Aad this establishes the text in ques-
tion to be, not prediction, but command
@, Z. d. And why not go with the alpha
bet! D therefore shall murder c, and D, and
e until we como to poor L, who, suppose,
must kill himself!
'Tis well, Mr.. Editor, you tell your readers, un-
der head No 5, that you are strict construc-
ticnis,.' So | should think.
S. My reply to this objection is substantially in
cuded u that to No. 3.
6. If society is Diyiney required to take the
life of the murderer this act of killing is itself
not murder for murder implies malice tits, then,
no violation of the Divine command
Have not filled up your outline" Mr: Editor?
P. s. trust ,rus, Justice will excuse roy inter
meddling with his matter.
Remarks on the abope.
We think we can afford to leave this controversy
lust here. Our readers will of course have re-
marked that we objected to being implicated in the
killing of men on the ground that ii rs D1vinely
commanded, when we do not believe that it is--ln
effect to binding our conscience by other mems con-
struction Of the Bible That there must be laws
that we DO not approve, is true enough: we have
agreed to that by accepting the Federal and STATE
Constitutions; but never did agree that other
men, and especially our law makers, should inter-
pret the Word of God for Us, save as we shall
freely accept the guidance OF some Sect Church.
or Pastor. Our Political Constitutions confer no
power on any one 70 de,ermine tor us or the Natlon
what is or is not the Revealed Will of God
If our correspondent perceves no difference be-
tween Governments being founded on Divine
Revelation and the powers that be being or
dained of God, we should not be able to make
him see through ladder. Thepowers of despotic
pagan Rome were those truly declared by Paul to
be ordsned of God but who believes that they
were founded on Divine Revelation ??
We suppose there is a sense in which God aP-
points or foreordains whatsoever comes to pass
we suppose one of his ordinances TO be that the
SLAYER of man shnll himself be slain; and yet we
do not thereby feel commanded or authorized TO
kill the man who has killed another.-But the dis
cussion is becoming too theological: Let it rest
here Ed. Tr.
The RoreiSn Poor.