Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-02-07
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

the first degree, and to abolish the death penal
ty.
That we may live in an age Of improvement,
cannot be denied. and that progress is being made
in the moral condition of portions OF the Commu-
nifty is unquestionaby true. Various moral in
tluences are made TO bear upon the community
which has resulted in the advancement Of the
principles of benevolence and brothery love-
But there is class of miscreants that are evil
IDENTITY outside of the pale of reform, and it has
appeared to us that in many respects it would
be more proper TO extend the death penalty, than
to abolish it and that the gallows should be ex-
changed for the Block, for The purpose of expe-
diting executions, and making haste to rid the
world OF a class of men that are wholly untitled
for human society Take an instance. Upon
cold bleak night, the mercury standing II or
10 deg. below zero, the wind blowing perfect
gale-a sneaking wretch crawls from his hiding
place and sets fire to a town that sweeps over an
entire block. Now after picturing to yourself
the suffering wretchodness and misery produced
by this act-talk you of aboshing capital pun
ishment !-rather talk of q gbbet or a tagot.-
We know of no punishment that such crea-
ture does not deserve. We hardld think that
community should be taxed to keep such q scamp
in prison.
The work of the incendiary is felt il almost
every town Of note in the United States and but
few of these have been brought to punishment
adequate 10 their crimes This might be said
in safety even il they had been hung
While the hearts CT men are being softened,
and their sympathies extended for suffering hu
manity, let thought be turned to the victims
who made to suffer from the ton cruelty
Of that tieud who lays desolate whole town or
who for the qualification of heIlish principle of
revenge or the prospect of little plumber makes
home desolate by taking the life of fellow be-
ing. 1t is to our mind mawkish, sickly sym
parhy, which seems only absorbed in the suffer
ing of the criminal and forgets altogether the
the misery inflicted by the crime.
One thing is certain. 1.-THE law ceases to give
protection to life and property, the injured par
ty or his friends will take the matter Of dispen-
sing justice into their own hands. viii that
improve our condition?
We copy the above from the Elkhorn Star, for
the purpose of appenGing few comments of our
own.
That the principle or kindness and brotherly
love, have been and are growing in ihe popular
heart, is sufficiently manifest on the most curso-
ry review the history of the race during CEN
fury or two past. We recollect of reading re-
Gently from on English work brief review of
the change which has been going on in the pub
lie mind of Great Britain, and will only say briefly
with reference to the article, that it pointed out
a great many instances Of the sanguinary opera
ton of laws which were once attended upon and
hailed with delight, by hig: and low, Of the Brit
ISL public, that now create only shudderng and
pity; and that this change of the popular heart
even extends to the treatment of dumb BEASTS
The gradual Giminution of the number of capt.
al offences in all countries Of the world, is evil
dence enough of the fact, for upon what other
ground has this been accomplished than grad
ual growth Of the human mind into principles of
benevoence and brotherly love. Is this growth
Objectionable Is it to be dreaded, AMI if posi-
BILE stopped Has it worked evil heretofore
and is It's farther growth likely TO work evil p
Why we confess, abstractly at least, that these
principles or feelings are the most God like Of
our nature. Certainly then we do not wish to
curtaiI or curb or check in any manner their
growth for can it injurc the individual or work
harm to the race to have the principles Of baney-
olence and broIherly love, tie principles of
Goodness increased. Now we contend that it
is their very principles which are now growing
to ask and finally demand the entire abolition of
the death penalty. We all know, that in earlier
times the penalty of death was affixed to great
many offences and some Of them very trivial in
their character. This extreme penalty has been
gradually contracted and abolished with refer
enco to Offences until it remains affixed to
bat very faw, and those considered the most ag-
gravated that can be committed. And II is a fact,
that just as fast rs the death penalty for offences
has been abolished, so have those offences
diminished; thus demonstrating clearly that the
severity Of the penalty was not guarantee
against the commission Of the otfence-nor its
mildness, cause Of the commission of crime.
Now this gradual change has been wrought by
the growth of the mind in the true principles
of bencyoencc, and inasmuch as the growth and
expansion OF those principles are oternal-of
course they must and will demand the entire
eradication Of capital punishment, the taking OF
human life
The very same objection that is now made to
the abolition of the death penalty for the crime
of murder has always been made, on every oc-
casion when it was sought to abolish this PEN
atty, whatever the offence to which it was at
tached, and it is now urged that Notwithstanding
crime has steadily decreased, as the law has been
humanisad, yet such will not be the case in this
instance. Now we declare from what we know
Of the plain principles belonging to the operation
OF the human mind that the abolition of the death
penalty will be more effective in allaying the
crime Of murder, than its abolition has been in al
leging the many petty crimes to which it was
formerly attached; because being more nearly
related 10 that offence in its character, its aboli
ton will have greater effect on that offence.
We do earnestly beg the attention of our Leg
islators TO this plain fact, viz; That all our in
situations are only so many instrumentalities of
education for the race, and the real question at
issue is, how does this peculiar institution edu-
cate the popular mind Now we claim, that ii
mustneyi,aoly educate the popular mind into the