The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-01-28
DEsArR AT THE TAprRsAcLK on CAplrAL Pry,su.

DEBATE AT THE TABERNACLE ON CAPITAL PUNISH
MINT, LAST NIGHr.-The Tabernacle was crowded
last night by ladies' and gentlemen anxieu ear
Mr., C'Sullivan and Mr.. Cheever settle permanently
the questio rerata of the proprey Of capital punish
ment. Hugh Maxwell, Esq. presided with charac-
terlstlc dignity and efficiency. The price of adms-
sion was only one shilling head, children half
price. Horace Greeley and number of eminent
literary, scientific, and clerical gentlemen occupied
seats on the platform. The stoves were heated TO
most comfortable redness, but the dispu.ants were
COOL calm and collected.
Mr.. O'Sullivan opened the debate. He is gen
lleman of extensive erudition, much literary TASTE
and liberal sentiments He is good logician, AND
an accurate writer. As public speaker, however,
he is not very effective. He is rather too argumeu-
tatlve and metaphysical to exercise much influence
over mixed assen,blage. After a somewhat
lengthy, and not very pointed introduction, Mr..
O'Sulivan proceeded to the work of attempting the
demolition of the two great props of the galows-
the presumption of its necessity and the assumption
of its divine authority. He first took up the Scrip
tura view Of the question, and contended with much
ingenuity, and at great length, that the text Who
soever sheddeih mans blood, by man shall his
blood be she'd" was merely prophetic annuncia
ton, and was meant TO describe the certainty with
which Divine vengeance would pursue the muir
derer. This view ofthe text Mr.. O'Sullivan repre-
sented as being maintained DR.. Adam Clarke,
and other distinguished commentators Mr. o.
Sullivan then entered on the other branch
OF the subject, and was engaged in endea.
vorng to prove from elaborate statistical Ia
bes, that uniformly the abolition of the punishment
OF death tor any given crime, was followed by
marked diminution in the number of that class of
offenders. He contended that this result was not
at all attributable to the progressive improvement OF
society, because equally authentic statistical returns
showed, that in the cases where the punishment re-
manned unmitigated, the crime increased in fire.
quency. M. O'Sullivan betrayed good deal of
uneasiness when he found hshour had expired, and
would have gladly continued the discussion, had not
the audience reminded him by some of those gentle
hints employed by popular assembages, that his
duty was to quietly down, and leave the field to
his antagonist. e,
Mr.. Cheever then rose. We have on former &C.
casion described his style and manner of public
speaking. There is too much of the pulpit twang
about it, and his reverence has more vehemence
than ease and his self possession rather exceeds his
modesty. His speech was written, (Mr. O's,ullivan
spoke ertempoe,) and it was occupied entirely with
the discussion Of the scrptural argument in favor of
capital punishment. He commended for Its divine
origin that the text alluded to by his opponent was
command, and was to remain obligatory so long as
the reason for it existed. Lea stat dun ratio ma.
nent
The audience were highly delighted, and separa-
ted, all more fully confirmed in their own views
and the question remains pretty much as the dspu.
tants found it.