Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-12-03

tioh as to " what is the mind Of God on the death
penalty" His address was altogether the most
brutal and bloody defense of capital punishment,
which we have ever listened to, read Of lie, or
course based his argument mainly upon the Bible,
the command or precept given to Noah, Who
so sheddetb mans blood by man, shall his blood
be shed, &c." lie claimed that this precept is still
in full force, as when il was given, and commended
the Jewish system of capital punishment as being
the most perfect possible and the most cectua for
the prevention of murder that has ever existed !!
The inference of course is that this law of God"
should be re-enactcd." The prccept referred to
required mans blood "at the hand Of erery Jeast,
and at the hand of man." Thus it clearly declares,
and thus Jews understood and obeyed it, in the
system which he so highly commended. Here is
no separate provision made for manslaughter or
murder in the second degree. Death is the penalty
for all alike-to beast as well as To this was
conformed the practice of tie Jews and 1t this
prcccpt is binding now, it requires the same of
christians, and Mr. Diron toocs IL; for we will not
suppose him fool. Yet when asked by Mr.Jones
ut the conclusion of his address, whether he in
favor of carrying out the prcccpt by nhicting the
death penalty FIR manslaughter murder in the sec
ond degree, &C., he answered, " Only for murdcrin
the first degreep Thus after proving last winter,
to his own satisfaction at least that the Bible is the
word Of God, and now again that the command
given to Noah is binding upon christians, this
ghostly ally of the hangman, fearing, perhaps the
utter scorn and contempt of the audience, whose
intelligence and moral sense he had insulted and
outraged himself repudates his Bible 10y declaring
against what he claims to be its teachings! lie
would not kill the OK thathad gorcd man to death
though his Bible enjons it. lie would not hang
the man guilty of murder in the second degree tho
his God commands it Why argue then for hang
ing at all on such grounds? The reason is plain
enough There is something in tho reverend gen
temans tastes and feelings that is gratifcd by our
barbarous system of strangling men to death and
he goes to his Bible to hunt justification for that
which he is determined to do his utmost to perpot
uate.
Having completed his Bible defense, Mr. Dixon
appealed to human nature in defense Of the death
penalty. lie seemed to forget his iavorto doctrine
that mans nature is totally depravcd. lie thought
he could trace something of the divine in man
and where did he find it? Did he find it in thost
promptings Of humanity which of late years hay,
led so many to labor for the reformation Of tn,
criminal? Did he find it in the hearts of those VIII,
visit the prisoner in his CELL and strive by kindl,
instruction to REFORM rather than by vindctvc pun
ishments to crush what little of manhood remains
1t will scarcely be believed yet it is true that al
those efforts to reform the criminal rather than t
revenge the wrong he has DONE he attributed t.
mans depravity 1t was in that disposition t.
avenge injuries, to hunt to the death the ofendc
= disposition always the most active in the mos
degraded Of men-that Mr.. Dixon pretended to fin
traces of mans original undcfled purity of nature
Thus he makes evil good, and good evil
1t is perhaps, after all, not remarkable that tn
reyerned gentleman should have fallen into this ei
ror. OF course he thinks himself one of the eec
and regcnerate and finding in his own heart thes
malignant and bloodthirsty promptings, he natu
ally believes them divine They certainly do az
cord very well with the character of the God he prC
poses to worship and being stranger to tn
promptings that induce the humane to " deal gen
ly with the erring" be attributes the latter to d'
pravity.
1t is to be hoped that the committee who hay
charge of the circulation of Mr.. Cox's address wi
not fail to send Mr.. Dixon n copy MS any thin
showing the means Of mans cmergence from tn
darkness of the middle ages cannot fail to be appl
cable to his case. j. b.