The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-05-10
COMlHM UNICATIONS.
For the Spirit of Democracy.
TO MIR. "M.n


TO MR.. "M."
DEAR SIR:-Through the politcne SIS
of the editor of the "Spirit of Democra.
cy," am permitted to address you
through the columns OF his paper. For
a considerable period of my life, the
subject you are at present engaged in
discussing, has been impressed upon my
mind, as one of the first Importance;
and surely question, on the right. un-
derstandmg Of which, the life and death
Of any Of the human race depends, must
be of immense magnitude. lmust say
however that until within the last few
weeks was undecided as to which
was the right side. Although felt
inclined 10 the side of mercy; yet
found so many arguments far the in
Fiction of capital punishment in the
case ofmurder, arguments which i'll my
uninlightened judgment, | deemed in
superable, that ] was forced to give an
unwilling assent to the law as it now
stands on our Statute Book. In this
state of mind, you can easily conceive
the real pleasure | experienced upon
reading your first communication on
the subject. When you utold us that your
iisinterested and benevolent design in
the discussion, was not only to rescue
the State Of Ohio from the odium Of le-
gal murder, but that you intended it
for the benefit of all mankind. | felt
truly glad that had lived to s.e the
day in which my doubts were to be
forever removed; and from the scin it,
tillations of genius which appeared in
your first, felt assured that should
not be disappointed. Now after hay
ing read your productions can truly
say my anticipations have been more
than realized, | now see the subject in
its true colors, end when look back
feel astonlshed at the gross darkness out
of which | have just emerged, a dark
IS for which | find it difficult to ac-
count. | believe however tha' have
been mised by theologIans. |, sir, am
a firm believer in the truths of Holy
writ, and when | heretofore read the in
junction contained 10 the ninth chapter
of Genesis that '.Whoso sheddeth mans
blood, by man shall his blood be shed,"
| in my blindness, supposed that a suf,
ficient sanction for Furnishing the muir
derer with death was contained in that
passage; and owing to my having been
mlsed as ! said before, it did not occur
to me that the proper mode ofconstru-
ing scripture, was to put one passage
against another, until you in one of
your communications set me right on
that subject, but now, sir, | can resolve
almost any scripture difficulty.
There is one thing, sir, that has just
occurred to me, which wish to men
ton. You, sir, are writing for the ben
eft of mankind in general, and as the
great majority are illlterate, you should
be very careful to make yourself un-
derstood by all. In your communion
ton in which you place the sixth cpm-
mandment against the passage in Cen
esis; there were some persons who did
not fully understand the force of the ar
gument. A friend Of mine the other
day remarked to me in conversation,
that he did not quite understand why it
was, that the Jews, although enjoIned
by the sixth command ofthe decalogue
not 10 kill, did punish with death for
many crimes, and that they appeared to
have had the authority for so doing
from the same lawgiver who wrote the
commandments. | told him that doubt
less you could and would explain the
whole matter in some future communi-
cation. Should it however again be-
come necessary to refer to this matter,
| would suggest an argument which |
to be equally strong with the
one you have thought proper TO use
but in order that we may understand its
full force we must look at the peculiar
language made use of in the passage in
Genesis: "Whoso sheddeth mans blood
by man shall his blood be shsd.n Here
it will be necessary fpossible to ascer-l
tain the precise import Of the terms
made use OF. Walker, ia his dictiona-
ry, defines blood to be a red fluid which
in animal bodies. Mans
blood would therefore be a red fluid
which circulates iu human bodies. And