Plymouth weekly banner. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1856, 1856-06-26
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Capital Punishment.

hS hiuku ~ tCot itOH ia
ves:igation. it will not | conceive be
amiss TO advance few ideas on capital
punishment. Is the penalty of death for
any crime. right or not? If Unsuitable ct
all. il il for wigful murder. Legal writers
consider this the most heinous crime thar
can be committed. Holy writ inculcaies
the same idea. The enormity Of the o.
fense is admitted By all. Still can SEQ
no good reason why life should be taken,
even for crimes Of this character.
Some advocate capitol punishment on
Scriptural grounds. One of the mos,
prominent Of their arguments is the COM
mnnd of God 10 Noah. whose sheddeih
mans blood by man his blood shall be
she'd II is claimed that this command
is still obligatory upon mankind; and will
be 10 the end OF time. Ans: The Law
here enjoined. was undoubtedly superse.
ded by the Gospel dispensation. if not by
the Mosiac. To suppose that it forms
part OF the Christian system. requires IL
seems 10 me. a considerable strech of ere.
dul',y. Circumstances indicate. that il
was ffsmed for patriarchia times alone.
We will now turn our attention 10 the
laws Of Moses. These | know. punished
those who committed murder with death.
So also they punished with death. those
who committed many other offences. II
the Mosisc law is still obligatory. it
should be carried out in full. Adul,er-
ers and Sabbath breakers, should forfeit
their lives Us we'll as murderers. But
the punishment Of crime. belonged 10 the
political regulations Of the Jews; and
none will pretend presume. that these
are still in force--thsi nations OF The pre-
sent day. are required TO frame their mu-
nicipal laws according TO the Mosaic
code.
Let US now contemplate the Gospel
dispensation. This evidently. swept
away all Jewish institutions except the
moral law, or law Of the ten commend.
ments. Well this law does not snjoin
capital punishment. True. it says thou
shalt not kill. but it does not declare
that these who do kill shall be put TO
death by the civil authorities. Neither
is this declared in any o:her par, Of the
New Testament. can find nothing in the
snme. OF positive or infrreniiai charac-
ter. which enjoins capital punishmen,
even for wilful murder.
Again some advocate capital punish.
men, on political grounds. They maiG.
ta in that the idea of death has a more re.
s,rsining influence upon mankind than
any other penslty; ,ha, if death was not
the doom of those who commit murder.
crimes Of this character would become
more frequent. Ans: Snme would dread
death less. than they would confinement
for life. 2. These who commit murder.
do no; expect TO be hung or imprisoned.
Their calculations is 10 escape. and avoid
punishment entirely. This is the case
with uine hundred aid ninety nurderers
out Of a thousand. Of course then the
nature OF the punishment, has little or no
influence over such persons. A law
which takes away their Liberties. would
restrain them as much. as law which
takes away their lives. Legal writers
declare. that crimes are more ef1ectualiy
prevented by tie certainty. than by tbs
severity Of punishment.
Let US now examine the oiber side
The penalty Of Gedih for crimes of any
grade. should ] mainisin. be abolished for
several reasons. /. Because Gods laws
do not require it. 2. Because il does
not tend 10 the preservation Of life, or The
ss fety of society. 3 Because il jeopar-
dies the lives of innocent persons. We
know the course pursued in trials for mur-
der, Those who are con6e mned. are al
most invariably condemned uron cir.
cumsta ncial evidence. This frequently
fails TO point out the real culprlt. A
strong train Of circumstances mny be
brought up against those who are entire
ly innocent. We have read OF persons
who were hung. on apparently strong and
clear cases OF circumstan ncial cadence -
But after they had been dead for years.
their innocencys was established beyond
any doubt. Now if they bad been i'm.
prisored. they could upon this discovery
haze been set at liberty; but they were
in their graves. and the cruel wrong which
they had suffered was irreperable. 1t
may be said that none should be put 10
death except. on positive evidence.
answer. this would nearly or quite amount
to an entire abolition of capital punish
ment; for positive evidence cannot be
obtained in one murder case out Of o
thousand.
Finally. let US contemplate State ar,
rayed against desenceless being charged
with murder. The State has power 10
place him where he can do no more harm.
but this is not enough. His life must be
sscrificed-he must swing on the gal!ows.
To me there is some thing repulsive in the
idea. l cannot believe that a court of
justice has the right TO condemn human
beings 10 death. that an officer has the
right TO carry this penalty into execution,
or that legislative bodies have the right
to pass laws which require such pan.
ishment. Suppose that the alleged mur-t
derer is really guilty. His death will
not bring The murdered person TO life. or.
benefit the surviving relatives. Suppose
on the other hand. that he dies innocent
Of the crime with which he is ch,rged.--
Where does the responsibility rest lhens
Let this question be pondered.
Not designing TO enter into lenghty
of this subject, | will now