The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-11-22
PRESS.
Middlebury, Nov. %, 1912.
LEGISLATURE.

The Legislature closed its session Monday
morning, 18th inst. The extraordinary
length of the Tariff law prevents US from
carrying out the proceedings as reported in
the Daily Journal, which by the by can be no
great matter OF regret TO our readers, since
they are there presented in a manner so OBJ
scure as to be nearly unintelligible except
TO those who are in daily attendance in the
capitol. Our last weeks paper brought
down the defective narrative nearly to Fri.
day morning. Since, the first important
bill passed was the Militia Bill, being itself
printed volume of so or 10 pages, and
making as we are told, complete revolu.
ton of the whole system. The present lis
ting law has undergone some important a.
mendments, and the bill TO repeal it Alto
gether, dismissed. A charter to Bank in
the county of Orange, has been granted,
and one in Windsor denied. The bill con-
stituting the Governor sole commissioner Of
the deaf and dumb with an addition TO his
salary of one hundred dollars, has passed.
To repeal the license law indefinitely post
poned. To appropriate the school fund 10
the payment of the State debt rejected, as
likewise the bill to distribute the income of
the school fund TO the several towns. The
bill repeating the act of last year on impris-
onment for debt, and the bill constituting q
board of Education, both rejected. The
bill providing that no person convicted of
murder shall be executed until one year af.
ter conviction, and not then except upon a
warrant from the Governor who has full dis.
pensing power, was finally passed. The
bill to cancel the debt due the school fund
from the University of Vermont, rejected.
As the laws will soon appear in our columes
we shall add no further details.
In reviewing the Whole proceedings OF
the Legislature during its recent session, we
find many salutary enactments. But sell
dom or ever of late years has Il session pas
sed without something being done which
may justly be regarded as pnblic det-
riment.
But VIVA; has most grieved US, is The
course pursued by the legislature ia relation
t. the infection of capital Punishment upon
murderers. We confess we never have
had any patience with set Of impractical
bIes whose morbid sensibililes could only
be excited by the sanguinary wretch whose
hand is reeking with the blood of his dy-
ing victim, or who would resist the execu.
ton of the plainest decree of heaven, that
"tphoso shcddeh mans blood by man shall
his blood be she'd. At time when the ruff.
fans of all Europe are daily landing upon
our shores, and every newspaper shocks US
with accounts of the most cruel and trayical
murders, it is the greatest cruelty 10 commu.
nifty TO relax tho rigor of the law against
the merciless perpetrators. Ii is true the
law does not abolish capital punishment, but
it suspends the execution one year, and for
ever, should no, the Governor see fit TO IS.
sue his warrant, which he seldom would do,
unless compelled by law, when iLdig nation
against the barbarous offence had given
place 10 sympathic' for the living criminal.
Besides the prevention of crime, after the
offender has been fairly tried, with all those
safeguards, Ct exceptions, new trials, re-
prieves, and pardons, which render the ex-
ecuiion Of the innocent almost impossible,
demands the speedy and certain execution
of the sentence, and the highest punishment
which human tribunal can inhict