Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-03-14
EVENING STAR.
WASHINGTON:
MONDAY, MARCH IA, 1853.
Punishm emit OF Crime.

with regard to the punishment OF crlmlnais,
says:
"There are in the law so many corners to
turn, that great crimes may evade punish
-nent, if the criminal have the means to
employ the best legal aid in his behalf
Somehow this has become so notorious q
belief as to give immunity to evil doers.-
First, We see everywhere in the criminal
records Of the country the bold and habit
ual enemy of society almost invariably es-
Gaping This breeds in q bad man indif-
ference to legal penalties. 1t makes them
so little terrible to him that he never doubts
his escape from them. Then, secondly,
there seems to be in all cities class COM
posed of people who do nothing else, under
the plea of philanthropy, but help these
pests to escape retributiOn. A man is no
sooner condemned to death than these peo-
pie swarm around him, and, forgetting the
crime, make of the wretch martyr. This
brings the law into contempt. Thirdly,
come the governors, to encourage these
people in their crusade against social Or
der. A few gentlemen in white cravats,
with countenances in philaLthropic suise,
gather at the capital, and what with pray
ers and importunate appeals, they melt the
heart of the man, instead Of strengthening
the soul Of the magistrate, and thence pro-
ceeds respite or pardon, and the criminal,
with stimulated sorrow in one eye and
leer in the other, is sent abroad to run a
new career of guilt.
''These things are so common that any
scoundrel, with hope pretty largely de.
veloped, is sure to count Oh getting clear
by some device Or other
Recently we had striking instance of
this sort. The governor of New York par
doned o man named Lopez, convicted, we
believe, of murder-and not six months had
elapsed before, in another community, he
was arraigned for similar offence.
'The governor Of South Carolina has
shown wisdom in such mattars He has
positively refused to listen to appeal for
pardon or reprieye, unless they come from
those who sat on the trial of the culprit
The quality of mercy ought to rest some
where, while We have the hanging penalty
in yogue-for cases may, and do, often oc-
cur where it is the only check to the great
est of all crimes-the punishment of inno-
cence. But in such cases it should be fact
aud justice that ought to control-not the
mere mawkish sentimentality which so often
makes heroes of those who deserved no mer-
cy.
"Something of this official and '' philan-
thropic'' weakness is due, doubtless, to the
belief, lying remote in the nature of every
humane man, that the death penalty is
hardly in all respects justihable. There are
few men who cannot see that the safety of
society-which is the object of punishment
may be secured without dealing out death
to the criminal-and seeing this they will
hesitate to infict it; and after having in
ficted it, according to the order of the state
will seek some modification of the RESPONSE
bility they assume, by helping to get the
culprit clear, to the great detriment of soci-
ETY., and the nourishment of all it's nascent
criminal propensities.
1--WE know how very difficult this subject
is to deal with practically, and complete
reform can scarcely be ever expected. But
little adnonition occasionally through the
newspapers may keep justice awake, with
out entirely shutting up the avenues to