New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-02-03
uuux;ux-Pubisc and Private.

Han2iuY-Publhc
To he EdRo, IF The n. " 7rt1Har.
SIR: A kind friend has furnished NE WIN a
sopy Of your paper of the date Of JAN 20 leo" when
contains an article under tho caption hHoh'r hoTdl /
Exhibition with which. FIR as 1t relates to tue SUD
,ect of Capital Punishment, wish TO express my DE
,,6ed dissent. While doing this sm very far from
dissenting from every sentiment therein expressed con
,ernius the executions which called forth your sTic
lures There can he but one opinion among decent
people in regard to dosing cupri with whisky before
he ia hanged or while he is in Jail OF prison. As 90
"singing hymns ip his ears. let that depend on bis
osn wish and the Willingness Of spiritual advisers il
yoad not be 10 my taste unless in the man eyi'
tie1ce of genuine repentance.
One popular argument against hanging, and it IS The
argument of the article 10 which refer is the demon
sljyipg effect of public executions Now, contend.
and think that herein expressing the opinions OF
large number Of the purost misded aud most law
abiding portions Of our own country and OF the world
that execution is demoralizng. tho fault is not ID
e thing ITSELF but in the way in which it IS managed
Set may safely concede that all public executions are
acknowledging and yet deny that this fact is anything
more than an argument against their publicity. 1t is
ssot an argument against Capital Punishment
Is il any argument against parental discipline and
family government, that punishment before friends
md visitors and neighbors is unseemy and If possible
10 be syoidedi Must not the poulant disobedient,
auarrelsOme child be corrected because correction be-
Gore visitors and friends sometimes necessary, IS an
pleasant, and in almost disgustingi Should
some visitor in family so away and publish an account
VI mother spanking" child, who would consider
the scene disgusting though it may have been, as an
argument against family disciplnei No doubt the
correction Of children in the presence Of the family
and Of others better than correction at all though
whenit can be avoided il is undoubtedly in bad taste
And have no doubt that the public execution Of a
murderer though il be in bad taste is better than none
81 all Could il be made certain that every detected
murderer will be bung, whether IN public or IN secret
khe effect Of such executions would be wholesome and
restraning-more wholesome if secret than II public
when man is convicted of murder, let the ofceTs OF
Abe law take him aside and put him out Of the way for
nv the decree Of Justice both human and f'vlDe, snch
man ought not TO live" The mu Tderer is declared
enemy of society and Of human he-yea. of God him
SELF for he has maciousy slain man who was made in
the Image Of God Therefore 70 take his life is OF
once TO do justice and 20 vlndcate the sacredness oil
human life. God, who knows best how His own image
TO he bonored has deereed the death of the murderer
In precept given to the whole human race then com
prised in the family OF Noah: Who sheddeth man
Blood BY man shall his blood be sheds in tie image
OF God created He him." IT il, believe one Of the
FIRST principles Jurisprudence that an unrepealcd law
in force 90 long the upon which il is founded
holds good. The last clause Of this passage shows
therefore, that the command which precedes was In
sended 10 b Of perpetual obligation There lsa 70
yerb-and the proverbs certainly not Jewish out
Of application universal as our raee-which says:
"Who so doeth violence TO the blood Of any person
hasteth 10 the pitt lee stay him" l. therefore
question the right of TIN TRIBUNE Of any lawyer
Of any Governor 10 nteIose 10 prevent the execution
Of any murderer fairly convicted. however much he
may he stumbled by the deinoraninS effects OF public
executions.
wish TO ofyere few words on the very snGn saying
shat The worst use to which YOU can put man Is to
hang him." / answer. that il the man is murderer,
rhe very best most wholesome use 10 which we can put
him is to hang him. Why not consistently carry ont
she sophistry and say II is bad use 10 which TO pot
thief garroer or burglar. TO imprson lim or re-
sfaetory child 10 whip himi WY not when drunk
ard disOrdery person Is 6ued talk about legal steal
Ing as, when murderer is hang 10 call II legal
murder p Can we have a more convincing
vsduetio ad obsrrdum than thisi
Before leaving the subject permit me 10 say that Gov
Andrew Of Mass. than whom none has more patri-
cite record, has been guilty OF most gross incoDsst
spcy in delaying the execution o. Green notorous! a
murderer and in committing the sentence OF another
murderer, while doing his best 20 send out nearly
100 600 executoDers against men, who however guilty
in making war upon our Government. IN multitude OF
pases honestly supposed they were defending the right
Hit be unjust TO execute the murderer then IL IL much
more unjust to defend ourselves IN where arc
compeled to destroy the Innocent and guilty alike
presume upon your accustomed lberality in pub
fishing both sides Of every question TO ask you toinsert
this article in your next Weekly and you please in
your other issues that u may nave az ieas as VIDE
circulation the which called il forth Yours &c,
OSCAR BIssELI.
Ao1bury. ~ H.. Jan. q 1866.
Remarks.-Though Mr.. Bissell denies our
right to advocate the abolition of Capital Pun
ishment, we freely admit las right to commend
his opposite view, and We cordially make room
for his argument as he would not for ours
Just word on the main question. We use
the conceded fact that public executions are
demoralizing as an argument against any exc
rntiOns, reasoning that a Government should
be ashamed to do what II is ashamed 10 have its
subjects see. If all murderers could be caught
and shut up in solitary cells for life, We should
be glad to have every child in the State taken
annually to see them, and have the nature of
their crime and of It's punishment fully ex-
plained 10 them. We are sure this would have
salutary influence, and would prevent many
murders. Ii, then, Mr. Bissell wants his sort
of punishment inflicted in secret, is Mt our
presumption that it sn't the right Sort at least
plausible
Now, then, as to spanking children: we
don't say that there may not be cases wherein
st is justiiable: but this VIC do say, that the
children who need that sort of discipline have
been very badly brought up-that under proper
parental training they never ,coutd have needed
It, And We guess that parents who have to
punish their children in private as they would
not ike to do in public, have something yet 10
learn in the way Of family government.