Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1847-09-02

with which we have seen the advance Of opinions on this
subject. subversive, as we conceive, of the welfare aud,
indeed, the very existence Of society. These opinions,
though not originate: g there, prevail extensively, and are
rropapaieI by a regularly organized assucial ion, in a
portion oflhe Union ,facetio,lsly termed the land Of steady
habits. where novelty aud ultra sn, on almost every con-
ceiyable point OF politics, morals and religion, are EN-
bract,l aud propagated with 4 zeal and energy, of which
we. in the siaider South. have M conception. There i,
an anti langin. society, in the North, comprehendinp
men Of the first standing and Off ial ~digaity-Jndees,
Members Of Congress. Senators and Governors. Tracts
are regularly issued in which the taking of life, by the
law, is with great eooncss designated as murder, and
every argument used To persuade the public that Govern
uclnl has no right TO take life for any crime. The con-
sequence is, that jnries, composed of men whohavc adopt
cd these views, will no, conylct,-or, if conviction do
take place, a press Is made upon the Governor for the
interposition Of ms p%ardoning power. which, as it is rarely
counteracted by petitions on the other side, is generally
successful. In the few cases in which justice lriunphs
aud the criminal is hanged, a perverted public sentiment
invests him with a halo Of niarlyrdon'. and he is regard
ed, moi as a guilty wretch who has justly forfeited his
life, by his crimes against God and man, but as an I'm
+ riunaie being whose craniul. gi,al developemcnts ought
IL have taught society the necessity of culiva,ing his
moral sentiments. Ilc is looked upon as a victim, saeri
feed upon the altar OF bloody and cruel MoIoch, as the
law is termed. Allsympaihy is expended upon him
his victim is not thought Of, a nd still less the interests
of scieiy snbserved by the execution Of the criminal.
We are far from being the advocates Of a bloody code.
We know that the certainty, rather than the severity, of
punishment it is, which deters from the commission of
crime. But is there a man-excep, he belong TO The new
school, which opposes all capital punishment-Nho
would say, thai the criminal code Of any State in the
JT,;., ie inStlv nhnpx inus I'm the innnut lin, NJ h,iu,r 49,,
culinary!
We do not question the sincerity or purity Of the new
school-bul we do not believe that, when they have
obliteraiel the death punishment from the criminal code,
they will. in the slightest degree, have ensured the Ger
lainry Of the infection Of the lesser penalties. The
mawhisi s~enslbliy upon the subject Of all ~punishments.
now nnlapplly too rife, in all paris Of our country, vii
have received a new impulse. Confinement for life, or
for ten or five years, Tor the crime Of murder, will be
soon regarded us too severe. The same dainty scrnules
which lead jurors, according tpour correspondent, 10 let
the guilty go free ratltp THAI 10 take life. will ,on induce
them IL acquit. rather than 10 cunsign the interesting
individual to civil death within a peniientiary. Does
moi p. J.. know that solitary confinement for life is ol.
OF The special Objects ct deiiunciaiIon with a large class
Of pflanthr'plsts, whoarc, with himself. opposed to cap
itl punishment? The genius Of Dickens has been rTus-
ed To paint the more than death like horrors of SOLITARY
confinement; and no object which he saw in this . un-
Try evoked m ,rc mandlin s~ensibiHly thaa that very cruel
aud inhuman institution, the Philadelphia penilentiary-
which had been tundly thought by its friends TO be found
ed in the mest enlightened prime pies If humanity. The
truth is the anti hanging folks would never agree as to
the character and degree Of punishment 10 be substituted.
Some would think it but a barren victory, if, when they
had achieved the repeal Of the penalty OF death in all
cases, Were there a possibility Of coufning a fellow being
- Ill -. q -. L -. ~
with his race, there to drag out the residue of his miser-
able existence. Imprisonment for life would soon be
voted as cruel as hangng-solitary imprisonment. for a
term of years, would next be considered uncomfortable
For a while, gregarious imprisonment, with labor to al
leyiate vacuily Of mind, might be permitted; but the ten
dency would be very soon in the direction otmercly nom
insl punishment. The most fragrant abuse of the par
doning power the greatest outrage upon sociciy,-was
committed by Gov. Porter, of Pennsylvania. who turned
loose $ ime three or four hundred williams upon the com
munity during his brief al ministr alton. This shows
the feeling at work, in society, strikes al all kinds Of
punishment.
We agree with our correspondent as to the impunity
with which crimes, the NEST fl igitious, ara submitted.
and the mockery OF justice exhibited in the trial Off erin
inal, whose family are rich enough to fee 4 lawyer To
iamboozle an Ignorant jury. But does he suppose that
there would be the slightest improvement We're the death
punishment abrogated? We believe The same eff1rts to
Illustrate Justice would be made. to avoid The disgrace
Of peniteutiary imprisonment. The evil lies %decper-il
springs from a vitiated public sentiment-froln a mawk-
ish s~ensibillty which leads people to overlook he injury
from the off nee to society, when contemplating The sui
itring Of the culprii and his friends. Until sternor and
more correc. views of crime and It's Consequences are re.
stored in the community until luries shall be selected
IRON the intelligent. instead Of the iguorant-unll jus
,me shall be administered without respect 10 persons, You
VIII gam nothing by lesscnicg penalties. The highest
punishment known to the laws will always be regarded
as the most disgraceiul, and, as such, every thing that
mon J, or influence, can effect, be employed to avert its
ihic'lon. A repeal of the punishment of death in all
cases, ny encouraging the morbid feelings we have allu-
"d TO, we verify believe would but aggravate the causes
which now render he administration of penal justice, in
most cases. where the offender is not Of Tie lowest class,
nothing better than a solemn farce.
lhe lmpossibilliy Of recalling TO life, in case you hang
an Innocent man, is a mere buebear. We do not say
mat such a thing never occurred-bnt, if punishment is
" he withheld because there may be imagined a posi-
oii'y OF the Innocence of The prisoner, the guilty must
Always 60 nnwhlpt of justice. We can conceive no case
m"hlch, with these notions and the assistance of Mr..
'hoate's new plea Of somnambulisn, he canno, be ac-