The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-04-02
PAYABLE IN ADVANCE,
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

ihe ph'lantlrorsts Of the present day,
VINO are SO eager for the abolition of capi
tai punishment, and expcnd all their sym
pathy for the hardened criminal w;,bou,
any regard for the victim whom he has
hurried into eternity, or for the misery
which he has brought upon the surviving
family and friends, appear to continc their
view entirely to the effect of punishment
upon the fclon himself They lose siyEt
entirely Of tho necessity OF protection to so.
c'ety. They forget hat every innocent and
orderly person in the committeeman
man, woman, and child, who is not in ,b.
habit Of violating the laws of Cod and man.
has vital interest in the question, whc,h
cr they shall he protected from the Hand Of
ruilian violence, Or designing malice. Its
useless I" deny that there arc many hard
; encd and wicked dispositions in every cc.n-
! mnnIty, upon whom the cheeks of conscience
| and the plcadings of humanity have no in
ii"encc whatever. To restrain them from
| the commission Of cruelty aud crime, some
SANCTION is necessary hey ond moral suason.
ar an imprisonment OF uncertain duration.
Shall Tie larger class Of the innocent le
abandoned to the tender mrrcies of ,hos,,
viii" have neither mercy nor conscience 3
or Shall the class of the guilty-who, We
| hope, are comparatively the smal!er-b.
Kept IN restraint l'y Il punishment far mild.
or than the fate whicl, they wou!l nll;.:, or
have elnfllcted upon their victims
Ono pEIlanthropi>t wishes tho public
mind 'ndo",rlna.cI with the true idea that
human life is Il sacred trust, of which IN.
Divine Being alone has fixed the c"inninr,
continuance and end. But WIS not tho
murdered victims life IN equally sacr.J
trust! And is it not rather violation of
that sacred trust 10 permit Il murderer to
escape, who may put an unnatural end to
ten innocent persons, than, by punishment
c"nsonant with the prevailing sentiment Of
human justice, in all ages of the world, TO
stop at o"co and clf.etualIy, the murderous
career OF one who las himself prof.ncL tic
sacred trust.
Again mans liberty, the unrestraincd
use OF his limbs and faculties, is a sacred :
trust. A mans pe>sonal immunity from
the lash is a sacred Eust The argument
proves too much, and would lead US t. abol-
'si' every species of punishment or restraint,
and allow crime to riot. a genera; jubilee i
OF thieves, robbers and murlcrcrs, would Le
the result Of these mild ard pilanlhronic
doctrines. y
Tho possibility that jury NAV, in some
Cases. convict an Innocent man, is an arg,i- :
me"t to prove that human judgment is fall
hhle. but not to disprove the necessity of.
sufficient punishment. An unjust sentence
OF imprisonment, or even an unjust censure
OF an ecclesiastical tribunal, without secular
punishment Of any kind, has, in some cases, 3
shortened the lille Of the subject of ccnsnre.
and within less than the time ixed hv our
laws for the execution OF - capital sentence;
but no one ever thought of citing these re-
suits as arguments against all Jurisdiction =
whatever i'll instances Of similar charge.
What, after all, is ;hc exercise of tie
death penalty in II State, but the embo,i- !.
ment in laws made and executed without )
passion, Of one Of the first necessities andSs
lI'st rights o: men in rude societies OF &;
s'l!-dctencea In fact, we owe it to .il,0
very protection which civil zed govcrnmcnt 81
pr"vides,:by taking the exercise of lltisrigI,t3s
from the rash hands Of the injured, md s
using it Judicaly, that pseudo pllilantl,rgss$:
p's's can find place to pron,ulg ulgatc. or mcn 3
to hear their doctrines. Tic Whole Of. this s
sentiment against capital punishment sfforss s B
murder, is a pcrversion to unworthy oil, ciss
OF feeling which, ii. properly directed;ss
would be praiseworhy in its nature. Boz
ton Courier. ESS
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