The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-11
The Death Penalty.

The Death Penalty.
From The Tribune.
The countrymen of Beccaria have carried to
their legitimate conclusion the principles Of
that remarkable philosopher, and capital pun
ishment is to-day abolished in Italy. This
happens at time when the most advanced and
liberal of our own State Governments can rarely
be appealed 10 with success for commutation
OF the death sentence. While in republican
Massachusetts, the galows still bears its horri-
bic fruit monarchical Italy is so far!enlightened
by the liberty she possesses as to have cut away
with the axe of pioneer, that tough old relic
of barbarism. Her suffering experience OF the
policy of public murder taught her the justice
of the act. Her history for many decades was
a compendious torture-the gibhet set up in
the shadow of the church doing a bad business
In the making Of martyrs or criminals
Italy, like France, has had opportunity in her
day to examine Tor herself every variety of capt.
tai punishment. Every part of Europe has
had a full share of the dismal record, dating
back TO days when executions were thick as
leaves in Vallombrosa when Sir Edward Coke
wTOte-'WhaJ a lamentable thing 1t is to see so
many Christian men and women strangle on
that cursed tree ofs the eallowsW After so
many cen .UTies OF murderous legislation OF one
kind or anotber-the death penalty having been
assigned to every crime, from larceny up to
murder Europe Is realizing not 100 soon that
but violence upon its drst principles
Italy has abolished the death penalty, and it
is probable that Belgium Is about to do the
same. Thus the pollCy OF Europe is tending
to wards humanity; lor me obvious reason that
humanity is economy, that if pays best ana costs
least. European sentiment is so far advancing
that a detail Of the progress Of the antlkilllng
| movement Will surprise some OF our native
patrons and ConsCryators OF hanging. Tuscany
! influenced hv the wisdom o. the Marquis Bee
cara, abolished the punishment OF oeath, eX.
/ perimentally, i'll 1865. After twenty-one years
! trial Of the reformed penal code, the Grand
| Duke Leopold, in 1855, decreCd its perpetulty,
! averring that "nstead OF increasing the NUN.
! Der OF crimes it had considerably diminished
! that of the smaller ones aud rendered those of
all atrocious nature very rare" THE mildness
OF the penal legislation" reports NJ. Berenger
to the French Deputies i'll 1880, had so far i'm
proved the character of the VusCans, that there
was a time when the prisons Of the Grand
| Duchy were nearly empty"
This NOBLE example has no doubt been effec-
tuai in the slow but evident gravitatlon OF
| Europe towards reform. In France, in the Last
four years OF which Che statistics are accessible,
little more than one-halt of "a death condemna-
tions were carried INTO effect. Out of l27 SEN
tences tor murder in Prussia, from 1858 to 1862,
there were but thirteen persons executed. In
Austria, during ten years ending with 1864,
ninety-hve per cent. of death sentences were
commuted From 1880 TO 1858, the whole num-
Der OF death sentences pronounced in Belgium
was 919, Of which only fity-seyen were inflicted,
or lessGthan two for every year. In Portugal
the IaSJ execution occurred III 1916; III a large
part OF Switzerland there have been no execu.
tions for thirty-hve years. In Denmark, Swe-
den, and Holland, the combinations have been
ninety per cent or more, England with the
most cruel OF criminal codes, condemned annu-
ally TO death in the ten years ending with 1882,
nearly 1880 persons out OF which number the
annual average OF sentences carried into effect
was not more than tfty-nine
But in the decade ending with 1862 the an
nual number OF condemnations fell to 60, of
which about II were executed, so that even
England, brutal and remorseless as her penal
system has been, and still exhibiting the horri-
BILE spectaCles of public executions, prepares to
array herself on the side of humanity and COM
mon sense. We cannot assure ourselves that
even in this iree and humane republic the
record of the death penalty is quite so credit
/ able as these statistics of the "tyrannous sys-
tens" of Europe. In Massachusetts, for twenty
| years, up to 1865 says Governor Andrew, "the
record discloses only 10 executions out of 2S
convictions, leaving l8 commutatiOns.n But
Massachusetts, with her tendencies to enlighten-
ment on the subject OF capital punishment, can
not stand IN this respect for the country. IL in
each State of the Union there have been two
executions in the course of the year, our portion
OF responsibility for the taking of human lite
would seem TO be as great as that of France or
England, or IN shameful excess, II we Judge
ourselves by the standard OF that superior en-
hghtenment and freedom we claim to possess
The commutation OF the death penalty has
loDg oeen the subject OF eloquent argument
and appeal by the best men OF every country.
With rare ability, Robert Rantoul pleaded Tor it
years ago before the Legislature of Massachu-
setts, as did Mr.. Livingstone before that of
Louisiana; and in this State, IN l84l, Mr.. John
l.. OSulllvan, in paper remarkable for Its
logic and research urged II upon the Legisla-
tuIe. 1t Is well remembered how certain min
lsers OF the Gospel, fired with piOus zeal tor
the cruelty OF the old Jewish dispensation, and
determined to employ the Bible to keep man
Knd IN a state OF religious destructiveness,
opposed the able effort OF O'Sullivan and other
men on the side OF reform and progress. They
made the Bible the buttress for capital punish
! ment, and. i'll the words Of Dr. Lebbeus Arm
! strong, declared that 1.-THE commutatiOn OF the
HulGefers sentence was virtually a repeal OF
the Divine law
: In other words, to quote the same extrava-
giant pamphleteer I'll man may legislate into
; oblivion one of Gods laws because it is bad,
: then all Divine laws and penalties max be
aDollshed Tor the same reason.n The educa-
. ton of these earnest gentlemen did not allow
them TO reflect profoundly on the full scope
ana meaning OF the Commandment Thou
Y shalt not kill" Had they done so. they would
not with divine and human nature to assist
ther Interpretation, and with the revolving
4 spectacle OF the gallows in view, have rem
} oeIed u, apsurdly, Thou shalt not murder, but
D shalt XIII MIN who has murdered" Happily,
tDe CROWN OF nature in the bosoms of the
a most LeVlncal OF cleTgymen has effected a
: chahse IN some too narrow views of Scrip
i ture ana or men, and the presentasentiment
: on the subject OF capital punlshment (witness
: the amnesty extended to the South) Is much
n At all events, the death penalty here and in
Europe gives torewarning of a sure though
n SLOW decease' It's commu tation and abolition
are proofs IN various degrees that mankind is
e growing better; for 1t is simply automatic that
d as the aggregate OF society does less and less
g eyll py example, so individual crimes mus