The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1845-05-10

fence TO the audience reason upon it. If society has
right take life SO have T. and nothing struck me with
Tossing Christians. Vengeance is mine saith the
Lord In the name of truth, Mr. Chairman, what
more Is wanted than this II is not worth
my while to talk Of the effects of hanging. could not
begin to talk of the harm done among those who left
behind the victim To fling from the gailows into eter
nifty the erring victim would suppose enough to end
this law but the effects the wife and motheress
osldren are such to battle description What becomes
oi Tue wife the manly sons the virtuous daughters of
ma VINO goes to the gallows Where can they fly for
will receive then and there is not place on this earth
where they can ind protection. My friends, for such
haPless outcass there is aid shame is their portion
and tins TACT enough to warrant the abolition Of hang
ing And sir will not detain this audience further
than to say shall be happy to have my name entered
member your society, and beg to propose this
luton
Resolved, That christianity in its most manifest inunc
tionstha every fact in that surrounds us-ihat
human experience in all timesthat reason and common
sense all directly prove that the object OF human punish
ment Is and ought to be reformed.
Mr. ENGLISH next addressed the meeting He observed
that there was much error in thinking that he OPP
posed TO the law for furnishing crime quite true
he was opposed to hanging but his views much OPP
posed to those he heard tonight from the gentleman who
had spoken He did not crack of his finger as
human life abstractly He did not look upon human life
as Of any value, if were necessary to take away for
sacrifice, he looked upon life as worth nothing per S.
But experience had taught that this capital punishment
crime that would be good policy to abolish il alto
gethcr do not ask myself what the dogmas of this
sect or that-alhough profess myself Christian this
isa plain matter ofgovernment il is question of law
OF simple municipal law, and nothing else 1t prese
itself to us as citizens of the republic and nothing else
What the ends of law Are they revenge If they
are, do not know a single commentator legislator
who understands the spirit Of our laws The object of
law is to deter from crime and to deter they must be
terrible. How they to be terrible tell you, if you
make them sangunaryif you scatter blood like water
through the land the inward sympathy that lives in the
breasts of will not let them execute your lawwl
prevent them. The terror of the law say, is its
tanty If laws are not certain they are not terrible
and they are not terrible they good for nothing.
Law can be evaded Some obseryant author has said
that all laws were like net, in which the strong pass
through and the weaker caught And why is this
Why is it that the poor man is caught and the rich who
has money to bride the executive to ride popular
favor escapes How would such law deter individuals
from committing crime How 10 they benefit the
muniy have heard here admitted this very evening
that capital punishment was ordinance of wise men,
originally devised to prevent crime. 1t such
thing In the early times of society when the with
strong arm and coat of mall and dexterous sword
prevailed against his antagonist, the friends of
the latter obliged to take up his quarrel and
have vengeance and so it was transmitted from one to
another and society kept continually in turmoil At
last it was determined to transfer this vengeance taking
from the hands of individuasths not done pre-
hanging but to confer the the State that
was before held by individuals And yet they tell you
the law has no feelings of revenge. Neither has it if
properly executed but say the origin Of law is in
laws is their certainty NOW, how many criminals, ac
cordng to the records of Courts convicted in the
course OF year. in proportion tohose who escape Is
this right Is this conscientious Is this the spirit of
Justice that one man is punished and another escapes
In Philadelphia, whence have returned to-day they
nails for MURDERS time after time and have just learned
that at last they have got the length of executing
poor negro Mr. Els remarks directed to show that
modified and softened criminal code would prevent
CRIME more effectuay than the present, the penalties
certain and inevitable-but SO long as the law
existed as i is he would not oppose its enactments
collection was taken up to defray the expenses of
the and the meeting ad journed after a couple Of
hourishes in the defence Of the clergy by David Hale