Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-03-26
NUMBER 10.


acts for the abolition OF capital punishment In
these times OF crime. The arguments and grounds
they take TO sustain their positions and their CON-
misera,ions aud sympathies for the murderer, have
a damaging influence in suppressing the crime OF
murder in the State. They fail to recognize the
fact by abolishing the punishment Of death, the
crime Of murder becomes by the constitution
bailable offence What then would follow Per-
sons guilty Of murder would be at large on ball.
al liberty 20 escape or IL necessary, in situation
70 take the life or lives Of the witnesses against
them This would be one of the results of a milder
and more inefficient penalty for the crime OF mur'
der
Crimes OF all kinds arc no doubt more frequent
and common on account OF the uncertainty OF
punishment. Every person that commits crime,
does il with the hope OF escaping the pensliy OF
the law, and at the present time we find al over
the country especially in own state When
crime OF the highest grade, and such rs shock hn-
manity, is IN every-day's occurrence, that the
criminal is receiving sympathy in many directions;
great care and caution are being exercised, much
l. said and published to make his punishment
lght-not ia any proportion TO the crime commit
ted The executioncrs Of the law are even
blamed ridiculed called wicked and inhuman In
executing it, penalty IL is doubtful which mas
the greatest sympathy, the criminal or outraged
society. All this We see supported by examples
OF impunity which weakens the fear Of violating
the law, and does much to invite the perpetratlon
of crime throughout the state This sympathy
and lack Of virtue detracts much from the GER
tanty OF punishment, takes away that natural
fear OF mankind in violating law and order,
strengthens the hope OF escape and dlspels the
apprehension OF deserved punishment. The
State country and times are becoming notorious
in the preparation OF the most atrocious, diabol-
lcal crimes and nhuman actions. believe much
Is owing 20 the sympathy with which some por'
ton Of the press and the community for long
space of time have been rife, and want of virtue
in the people in not uniting with more dctermina-
ton i'm the execution Of the law. The penalties
for crime should be measured by the injury done
10 sacety; All should unite 10 make certain the
punishment OF the guilty The talk about cruel,
Jdrtarous and unnatural punishment, breeds In
the mind, OF the wicked passion to violate the
criminal code So long as the vile and wicked
are instructed that their lives not lawfully In
the power Of any one, with their hardened hearts
in crime, tEey take life and expect this defence
for their own, AT the hands OF their teachers. L
cannot believe that severe, certain punishment OF
death for the crime OF murder in any country, has
n tendency to invite the commission Of such OF
fence This might possibly be the case in
country where the hand ~ the lawmaker and his
subjects are directed b. the same spirit Of feroci-
Is on account of oppressive, inhaman and une-
lual laws-whch would bc the government OF
man--noia government OF the people. II can on
Is be in those countries and nations where long
;'mc agO kings aud tyrants dictated laws Of iron,
torture and death % their subjects for all OF
fences and omissions, and in private, counsel and
instisat, ;h, subject u sacrifice LAY assassin
stc one king or tyrant 10 make room for another.
The conduct OF men l. governed By the impress
sion- they possess Of good or evil. II they know
no evil or do not have il in their hearts, they will
! do no wicked action and need no Law - govern
| ;hem-thcy only need Laws Of protection. II they
know evil and have il in their heart, they need
aad must have laws 70 regulate and deter them In
! tie commission OF evil. Tie degrees of punish
/ mcni uiu.t be such a. 10 meet the degrees Of
cra, Hence the human provision both Of God
! and man from the early agr- 10 the present, OF
| Scering always in view the death penalty for
| murder II Is humane, because it naturally pre-
| vent many evil and wicked men from committing
murder and saves the lives of The innocent and
/ un-u-pecting admire the man who Priies him
self upon his sympathy for the good, innocent and
unfortunate but | lose my admiration Of him
when he goes so far rs to place all the sympathy
h. ha. upon the wilful and deliberate murdererto To
ia. exclusion OF the welfare OF society, and the
outraged feclings Of The relatives and friends Of
the murdered man. With the horrid tragedies
aud murders in Auburn Poland, Portland York,
at.I II E.sf ~fur-
ton and nearly score Of others that might be
named that have within the few years past been
perpetrated, now fresh and vivid in our memories
think we should pause long before striking from
our criminal code the penalty of death for vilful
premeditated and deliberate murder Pause, did
I say? W, We should = forward and By proper
legislation ppt the statute relative 10 the penalty
Of dcAII beyond all rayil or doubt, so that the
min who might have pa-sion tp commit mur
d., should not be in Ob,cuiity, or ignorant OF the
consequences cf h, actions. There can De no
doubt, that the better criminal code is under
i BOD and the more certain punishment can be
made lcss frequent crime will be. This principle
Z, illu trate, Ia our OVID state from 1870 20 1895
There was u, doubt ~ to the penalty imposed FOR
murder, which wa death; during that time we
had but t,,J murders m the Stltc. Since the r.
mcndmeIt of tAc tatute giving the governor the
right 10 commute the sentence OF death, and il be-
ing generally understood that no execution
would follow a conviction for murder, the crime
continued To grow more frequent, until the oc-
currence ceased to shock The people.
Is not the nfcrcacc ll:r one, that had there
been no doubt a. the death penalty murder would
have becn less frequent anongus Notwithstand-
igi IN Of
Maine, the senator from kennebec and the adyo-
cate. Of abolition, claim that capital punishment
and severe penalties for the commission of crime
induce and invite persons 10 commit Ii. To prove
this, the senator asks Us 20 consider the increase
! OF crime in our own State. He compares Maine
with Wisconsin and Michigan, where the crime Of
murder j. punished in the former state by i'm
prisonment for life, in the later by solitary con-
inement Mt hard labor for llfe-claiming that muir
| ders there are unfrequent. The Senator did not
calculate or tell Us how many more murders there
would have been in those states had the death
penalty been upon their statute books neither did
he calculate or inform Us how many less there
| would have been by the omission of the death pen
alty According 10 his theory the number Is sus.
| centable of calculation In one OF those states,
,r.h;,a, (which was introduced 10 prove that
the death penalty on account OF its cruelty, in
v;,os the commission Of the crime Of murder) has,
in fact, solitary confinement at hard labor for life.
This in effect, is death penalty, where for long
time death is doing it, work; because solitary
confinement most assuredly must shorten life and
according to Gods Ldic there is no more authority
to shorten life than TO take il at once. ask, who
would not prefer instant death to certain solitary
confinement for life, and consequently lingering
death. IL would be only the hope of escape or
pardon that would induce one 10 choose the later
Hone Is a heavenly gin, and might turn the scale.
When the Senator from Kennebec compares WIS.,
consin and Michigan with Maine, which for fifteen
vears had but two murders within its borders,