Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1846-03-19

"1e tnat slieaueln man UloOu, Dy man
shall his blood be she'd" Moreover We
| shall take no satisfaction for the life of
the murderer. which is guilty Of death,
but he shall be surely put 10 DEATH
| "thou shall, take him from mine altar that
he may die"--''for blood ii, defleth the
land and the land cannot be cleansed of
The blood that is shed thereon, but by the
blood Of him that shed is''-"For in the
image of God, made he man." Here we
can see something OF the enormly of the
guilt and sin of murder-lle greatest
crime that man can perpe,rate agains, his
fellow man. Also, how it insults and
despises The great Creator, by destroying
his image, though greatly obscared in
fallen man. But | especially would ask
you 10 contrast it you please, the pure
and healthy and exalted regard for The
"sanctily Of human lfe.' which is here
manifested by Law. dsnomna,ed as be-
longing 10 "code of blood" aud "ves-
tige OF barbari!y. - say contrast the
value here put upon human life and the
benevolence that would preserue il; with
the sickiy and> dUarfsh beneveence and
| philanthropy, that would break down
such law, in order to rescue from the
hand of justice the villain, so utterly los,
10 all sense Of the sancily of human life,
as to destroy il. Out upon such phlan.
thropy tender sympaihies as these!
They are cruel as The grave-lhe pollu-
ton and curse Of the age. They are de-
formed and rickety, even to absolute
loathing. Pardon me, neighbor b. There
are occasions when not to feel euea high
| ~ Indignant, would evidence unpardon-
able moral turpitude. Sir, that benevo.
lence that can SWIVEL over the death of the
murderer, most justly and righleously ex-
ecuted. and have no sympathy for its dis.
honored and offended Creator, preserver
and benefactor-have less sympathy for
the murdered, and his bereaved widow
and faheress children, than for the muir
derer; again most Indignantly say-out
upon such benevolence as sthis-t is
! loathsome!
b. Ii was never meant 10 break down
the law, as you call IT, and resene the
murderer from the hand of justice. BY
no means-we venerate the claims of US
,lce. 1t is only intended by 'just and
effective laws" to commute the punish.
ment; as the Death punishment" has
proved by the past to be inexpedlent."
A. You venerale the claims of justice,
which, in the judgment Of Him who can
not err, nothing but the death of the
murderer can satisfy! And who gave
you authority to commute his punishment.
when God commands, she shall surely
be put to death"-.ye shall take no
satisfaction for his life." and ..by man
shall his blood be she'd" Were you as
attentive to the lessons which our righlful
sovereign has given US in his word for our
instruction, as you are to those profound
statesmen and philosophers" such as
Beccaria and Voitaire, whom you have
consulted. you would have learned the
utter uselessness of this Communication
scheme. for the purposes for which you
would adopt is-eiter the prevention of
crime, or the reformation of the culpfit.
He who only has the authority to com.
mute the punishment, tried the expert
ment (if may so speak, no, for his own
/ learning, bu, doubtless for our profit. -
And what was the result-,he earth was
filled with violence and Blood! SO much
so, that in answer to the claims Of Justice,
the Judge of all deemed i. necessary and
! righteous to destroy the entire race, by a
flood-Noah and his family alone except
, ed. Neighbor r | suppose if you and
others Of our "enligh,ened citizens" had
been there at the time Of the flood, your
? sympathetic hearts would have broke
! with sorrow, upon witnessing" world
of murderers, at one full swoop Of the
iron scep,red Ruler of the universe, suf-
! ferins at once, The "sanguinary aud cruel
r penalties" Of law "written in letters OF
: blood" You might as well have been
! drowned with them, for you would have
n died Of broken hearts any how. If ysu
t had not, | think you would have been
e most terribly "imbru,ed! - Hapless
0 Iowa! Had the Iron Ruler of The uni
$ verse so ordered it, tina, such an imbru.lns
: process-such me,amorphosing hat
d befallen these her chas,e and classic sons
: the very elite of her enlightened patriot.
= oh who would have been left TO achieve
S the glorious abolition of the death punish
j? ment,so ""holly abhorren. to the feeling.
,, W mum nv "iiA o"P'S J"G'ec" eohiH"hi
v ty." Who would have been left 'ttt
Y overthrow the gallows," and "eonfount
its advocates, and bring its doctrines into
$ disrepu,e"! None! Alas, poor Iowa
g B. Sir you do me, and the advocate:
o Of our cause great injustice, by nsinuatins
- that we are Atheists, nothing more thar
believers in ",hat necessity, which, witt
e lis iron scepire rules the universe"
n A. The language you object to, i.
5 that Of your favorte author. Beccaria.-
He was not professedly an Atheist,
d believe. but have no doubt that he was
# one in principle; and we all know that hi,
" commentator. Voltaire, another champion
}. in your cause, was The ARCH ATHEIST O
the world and his age. Bnl far be it from
+. me to say or believe, that all who espouse
% your cause are atheists. know ii is no.
h so. You have good men amongs, you
n Some Of them hope are truly the friends
;. and children of God. In the Judgment
|. Of charity would believe that even nv
# dear neighbor B., is one of them, Bnt