The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1867-07-11
" From the Independent, July 4.
The En1N Of fMnNimiIinn.

MaXmOn has been shot by order of the Mex
| iCAn Government.
! p What shall we say of the justice or injustice
of this act? .....
Ever and everywhere, we are opposed to CAPT
| tRl punishment, whether for high crimes or low
whether upon small offenders or great We hold
with Jeremy Bentham thab}'thc worst use YOU
can put man to is to hang him We desire the
universal abolition Of the scaifOd--the universal
| Introduction of the death penalty. In some of
the States Of the American Union o better system
OF public punishment prevails we hope to see it
prevail IN al The hangmans rope is not an in
strumcnt of civilization 1t Is relic of barbar-
ism. Twelve soldiers shooting at mans bare
breast in prison yard is not a spectacle agree
able to Christianity, Let states and nations, rs
soon as possible, have done with all these ghasty
acts of death,
But meanwhile il is a solemn fact that the death
penalty either by hanging or by shooting, is the
common mode, practiced by the civilized world,
OF pnnishmg the perpetrators of capital crimes.
Tie deallrpenalty Is tile prevailing law in the
United States and In Mexico. This being the
case, on what criminals shall this law be executed?
Shall obscure cuprits taste the bitterness of Il
bitter iate, aud illIstriOus offenders 90 tree?--
Shall great nation, In netting cut the punish.
ment OF death, say to MI the world, The mur-
dcrcr of man shall be hung, but the assassin Of
nation shNll be pardoned?"
The two greatest criminals Of the nineteenth
century have been Jefferson Davis and MaXlfniI-
an The one was guilty Of treason against his
own country the other Of usurpat0n over an
alien people, Ii II Is ever justltnble 10 punish
any criminal with death, tue American Govern
ment ought to have executed Jefferson Davis. as
tile Mexican Government has executed Maxi
MILAN The only vlndCatlOn poss he to- the
American Government nr its release of Jefferson
DAVIS is consistent policy by the Government
IN iuture, ct non-punlShnsnt of any and all
criminals by death. The escape Of jefferson
Davis ought ipso .fdcto to abolish tho DEATH
penalty forever from the Republic Since the
greatest Of American criminals has gone free
lhon hereafter while time shall last let no other
and lesser wretch ever suffer death
We depwcate in Mexico, as In America the
taking OF lie by the State. We believe that,
morally considered, no government ON earth has
right to stlelch a nuns neck from cr0ss-beam,
or to shoot at his heart in public square. But,
such being the law of Mexico, II any man undUr
IL has ever proved himself entitled to tell It's
caus were ever Justified In hanging or shooting
any criminal, thcy are justified In the execution
of MaNmilian, Not villain living in any dun
geon In Vera Cruz, for whom the laws halter is
now waiting, could ever he Justly hung in Mex
leo II Maximilian had been pardoncd
This ambitious foreigner was no doubt an ac-
eomplished aud amable gentleman but he wls
not shot for being gent leman he was shot for
oeiug hrigand, iilibuster pirat G, q usurper
deSp0t tie was an allen who ent cred Mexico
WIN an invading army and sought Herewith to
oNertum the Mexican Republic, and ON It's ruins