, 1869-02-02

down Inc AMY es&A pllShMent about one
third not BY merely reducing appsopria-
lions this year to be made up by deticten.
cy bills next year, but by the'mustcr out
oi men on the pay rolls, and discharge Of i
supelumerafles, clerks and other unne-
cessary employee. Forly-three millions
are more than the people will consent to /
pay for the support Of the War Depart
mlntin q time OF profound peace and
reppsc.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. |
Two yesrs ago the Legislature Of this (
State modified the.law intlictfng the death !
penalty for murder by providing that no
person should be sentenced to be hanged |
unless the jury, by their verdict, should |
SO find. This; was intended to secure con-
7lctions in cases Of murder when the jury |
might acquit if the only penalty was
death. In few cases this law may have !
operated well, but in certain flAgrant
casts of murder the ends Of justice have
been utterly defeated. Eurderers have
pleaded guilty, and in euch CASES there
having been no juryto order the death
penalty, it has been found impossible to
sentence the prisoners to be hanged. and
the Courts have been compelled to, let
them 70 unpublished. THIS remark.hle
deficiency in tic Law necessitstes addl-
tioDal legislation, and the whole general
| SUBJECTS now before the Legislature. The
general sentiment throughout the State Is
in favor OF the repeal Of the
act OF 1867, and q return to
| the penalty OF death for murder. There
are those in the Legislature who favor
tho abolition Of capital punishment
altogether and the substitution Of i'm
! prisonment, but the experience both in
England and the Unihd States Is that
imprist tnmentas penalty for capital crime
has lost allits preventive value The re-
peal Of the death penalty will reduce the
crime Of murder 10 the level ot
burglary, arson, OF grand larceny.
Thure Is not more. than five per cent of
the persons who arc sentenced tu the
Pcnilcntiary FIR terms over thres years
who serve ou! their terms, and those
who do 90 sre irlentllcEs aud poor, who
flnl themselves Infinitely batter OF in
prison than out It.
A reisun contemplating t1ie murder ot
another wil1 we'll weigh the consequences.
IF rtllr t'ri1Alty be death IL will deter lIiin,
,fshy teghl t'enattY will. III! II sl,urt bo
ho snoh ttt,aity, II hiB llfo be
tte,i,u III my cAse, Ae vii
MT iratsnta t,uoa'lso Ut any ntha,
legal coHhtIuHnotR. lle win take t',,
ehanGch,-~l, q! tacaplng tiatao.tnn AMI
ot avoiding n1Ieat by light \. OF us
Gaping oonvintinu by ths want nf prt,o
ol hIH gull, hy Tho corruption Of wilt
neases md jur'rs. hy thu long du}ny4
and tcchplcA'lties Of tho law, ani by tn
aid and cn.operatiou Of irtiuentih!
lrfonla; Q. II ccnvicttd he csn ruly upon
the strongest cIiUrts tn have Ills tern
matto short. tho cllanCes Of csCape from
pr,aen, and thu chanCcs OF pardon. Bhou1s
hc lie imprisoned, tho circumstance, o
bis case will s,on die out NJ public NOM
ofy, md tho FEELINGS Of tho fow VIII
mny remember them will be softcntd BY
IL time. New Jn',RtR will he OH tho bcncl,
h new nt'ornrys will represent tbr S:att
I ncw Ouvcrnors will bu tn oillcc. l
!, never bus been nnd nuvcr will br din
Z c,tl', undrr thcso circumstances, tn ta,lsI
I. kuch lliclnla tint the demands ol Justtt
q ltnvs l,rrn subtinHllally compiled will
nnd thu! the Ecpcntnnl and excnplAf
prisoncr who hns aoryeA one, two
il!stc ycArs OF hlH ntniencc In Il II. hut
iccs !or clemuucy. Friends and Eel
uyea, male ald tcmalc, religion
N and political, Wilt not taii
= p1css tho matter until at las. Il
a prison bars Rre removed, and tho 1nu
II dcrcr walks forth in health and v!gc
Is purified OF all crime in the eyca ot Il
10 law, and worth, In tho estimation
nc society, q hundred dead men.
We arc not presenting an imsgina
~ case. II is one that occuss every day, q
Is. OF late, SO crowded and improbable /
ca been cur Stale Prison, that the pris
NJ officials regard q pardon OF criminal
IN apositiyc 1ellei to them. Tncy count I
|of cost Of keeping him, and not the crime
NC, committed. a pardon reduces the c.
u just the same whether the person D:
no doued be murderer, burglar, OF
Is thief
'"' But tif the peIalty be death, the chan,
.S' OF escaping punishment are reduced
ne hundred ftl3. The murderer then c.
mlts his crime knowing that thereby
lo own lie will be forfeit. He knows Il
as when the penalty of the law is execu.
that that is the end OF hin that mon
eu personal and political influence, fem
lck Establishments or religious intertcren
~. will be unavsiling TO revoke the penal
sno OF restore him to life. It is asserted, o
m ml.e no doubt truly, that the; mutdc
~ is naturally a coward. he ahhors 8
y, shrinks from death and hanging #
.uu fearful terror. The tear Of death is
~ him, as il by special Providence, an c,
'lu abiding horror, following him IS
- shadow, and haunting him under all c
cumstanccs In nine cases out of
on. nothing but the seducing hopes Of esc'
~ ing this penalty permits such men
o'o commit the crime. We're murder to
ueo inevitably followed by the death Of
1na guilty, there would be comparatively
ls' murders. The gallows is the only It
such men fear, and the fear OF that is
auu they cannot shake off.
anu The removal OF the death pcnalt,
'4sc false mercy to the murderer, and a
q" crimtnation in his favor against soci
the It Is q premium on assassination. II
80 vises the crime. No man whose in.e1
rye arc to be promoted by tho rcmova'
"en bis teliow-man will shrink from mu
, because OF the remote poss b!iiry OF
o.s. OF three years. Imprisonment in
Will Pcnitcntiary. To abnlish capital pul
x as mens lie, therefore, 10 place the live
INC all mcn and women at the mercy Of
person interested pccuniarIIy or CT
;, nal1y in getting rid Of them. Dead
w. tell no taica. Dead wives or dead
.uc bands are no longer obstacles in the
1o'n Of the survivors. Otllcers ot tho
II. whe.hor Judges. prosecutors, polio
osca witntssca, may be chcap1y silence
~ nv ~ death BY lew years good living lu
wv ststo Prison, where tho moral and
y ap' tary condition OF the prisoners arc
ehco admirably attended TO At tho publ
yes: pcnsc. There ia no ono who will b
~ o1 .tcrzcd from crime by fear Of such q
.'a'es ishmens. An old man who livcl
'as' too long, md keeps Ills money iron
nele' ependthriit chllorep,' lnay be ossil
~ o. moved by fiirtlipg, willing to RI
'h'cu risk OF five years Imprisonment,
'Hue, followed by He Of atlluencc; but
slsno penalty were death, tuch hircl.ul