Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1856-03-13
c.anita1 Pnnish,nent.

rious arguments have been employed, both in faa-
vor and against the inhietion of Capital punish
ment, as the extreme penalty of the law. Most
likely those who advocate taking human life for
murder, and those who advocate nothing more
than imprisonment for that crime, do, and will
stand, for a time at least, imperyious TO convic-
ton. But large numbers of the inhabitants of
our State have no doubt failed to canvass the sub
jet, and have not formed ultimate and final con-
illusions in regard 10 it.
A common interest might warrant Us in believ-
ing that nothing disadvantageous to the interests
of truth, or humanity would be likely to be real
lied in the discussion Of this subject even should
the pro and con Of the question appear in the same
sheet. Mr. Sholes, and Mr.. Schoff may have
their views, and our views may differ materially
from theirs, and discussion is well nigh a Stree
institution, in this country, we can see nothing
that could be endangered thereby; no principle
OF law violated, no rules of courtesy sacrificed
In addressing ourselves to the subject of cap
ita punishment, our first enquiry is, whist has
awakened the public mind in Wisconsin to this
subject; and if the answer should be what we an
ticipate it necessarily must be, that murder in
must then point to that significant fact as an
overpowering argument against mere imprson-
ment for the horrible crime of murder. If the
'milk of human kindness" Ia Wished upon those
who have gone before, in the commission of that
crime, does not indeed deter others following in
the same road, but rather fearfully increases the
number, might it not be well for us 70 mark the
fact, and well digest the important consideration
which it presents? But lea wing that question,
the increase of murders, as disputed point, as
not established, and not known, and we shall 90
on to inquire what arguments there may be to
show that lenency in punishment for murder de-
moralizes community, and naturally leads to a
more frequent commission ofthat crime In what
respect then, is the law of imprisonment democrat
izlng to community! In answering this enquiry,
we shall naturally look around US and see if the
working of the law has been harmonious with
public sentiment. We shall see ifno popular out
breaks have ensued, caused by the impotency of
the law to meet the demand of safety and public
justice Upon enquiry we find terrible TRACE
dy occurred at GAINESVILLE; a murderer was lynch
ed and hung by mob, and this mob was witness
cd by the youths, and by the midde-aged, as we'll
as by the aged, and the mob itself was composed,
it is sad of respectable men" What occasion
ed this mob?' We are told that these "respecta-
bic men, did not consider the punishment which
the law inflicts and an adequate one for the ter
rible crime that had been committed. If we en-
quire again, we shall hear of apother mob, and
another case of lynching in Washington county,
in this State This too was case of murder, but
the demands of public justice outstripped the
milder appliances of the law. We may abhor ri
OTIS, we may preach against them until we are
gray, but that will not prevent them from being
enacted, and we cannot call law conservator
of good morals, which by its own teebleness
and incapacity to protect its inhabitants, calls out
the ultimate sovereignty of a State to admins
ter justice, warning and reproof. If the argu-
ments we have presented should show that the
community were demoralizcd by the present law
would it not in some degree establish the evil
dencc that murders would be more frequent from
the fact that demoralized people would have
less reluctance to committing crime.
But when State fixes the measure of punish
ment that shall be awarded for a certain crime,
does it not also establish the degree of moral guilt
which attaches to that crime. If then, we pun.
sh all alike by confinement in the state prison,
he who commits larceny, he who commits forge
ry, he who commits murder, will not at least the
ignorant, estimate these crimes as about ON par,
so far as the moral guilt is concerned? Establish
it in public sentiment that murder is no worse
crime than larceny, and you have opened the
door in our opinion for fearful increase of muir
dcrs. We entertain the opinion that if it should
be established as the law of the State that larceny
should be punished by Imprisonment in state
prison for % years, and that highway robbery
should be punished by three months imprison-
ment that larcenies would soon be scarce and
that highway robberes would be frightfully nu
merous Indeed highway robberics would soon
be considered as mere exhibition of spirit, to
which but little or no odium should be attached.
1t would be well if crime should be punished
in all cases with certainty, and that the degree
of punishment should correspond to the atrocity
Of the crime All parties would then acquicsce
in the due administration of the laws find their
great security in UNFOLDING the supremacy. We
have been conversant with persons from differ
ent parts of the State, and what information we
have been enabled TO gather, warrants us in sta
ting that two-thirds of the population in IA
vor of the death penalty law. And so far as this
county is concerned, we believe there is no pos
sible doubt that two thirds of the people are in
favor of hanging. 1t is crazy and idle for the
friends of the present existing law for the crime
of murder, to enforce a law, which is repugnant
to the viii of a large majority of the sovereign
people of the State. b.
BARSTOw MEETING!
The RESOLUTIONS sustaining him VOTED