New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-06-12
8eip Orleans &epnbneats.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL Of THE UNITED STATES.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL Of THE CITY Of NEW ORLEANS


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OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CITY Of NEW ORLEANS
written for the New Orleans Republican
THOUGHTS ON CAPITAL PUNISH
MENT.
Those who have read the local columns OF
the city papers for the past few weeks can
not fail to be astonished at the frequency
and GOODNESS with which murders are per-
petrated, and the public may be at loss to
discover what legal remedy can or should
be applied to meet the evil.
Upon the question Of capital punishment
much diversity Of opinion has long existed.
Several able articles have lately appeared on
both sides of the question. The crime OF muir
der ia taking away PERSONS life with design,
and without proper reason or authority.
The divine law concerning murder (Genesi5
iy) requires, rs has been generally thought,
that the murderer should be put to death:
"Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall
his blood be she'd" The national code OF
the Jews, inserted by divine authority-the
punishment OF death for few other crimes
beside murder. This punishment was not
only permitted but required to be inflicted.
Now, the question that ought to settle all
dispute-putting aside all maudlin senti.
mentality for the youth, beauty, ignorance
or otherwise Of the crininal-in regard, at
least to the proper mode of disposing OF the
crime of murder, is this "Well, did the
Judge Of the whole earth do right" He
has decided that such punishment is due
to murder, from man to man He enacted
the law under the civil policy OF which He
was the civil as well as the religious head,
and He is the supreme disposer, because the
author of civil life. To infict such penalty
can not be considered wrong or iuexpedieut
without impugning both the wisdom and
Justice of God. The fear of sudden and vio-
lent death conveys more terror than any
that enters the human heart.
1.-THE wssriest and most losthed life
Thstage. ache pennfy and Imprisonment
To what we fear Of DEATH
Why is it that this punishment is opposed
by pulling philanthrophy Because it is
terrible. For this very reason, all who
would not light the torch and whet the
knife of the midnight murderer, desire to
have it retained.
1t is but a short time since that a noto-
1ious criminal in New York, after numbering
an inoffensive gentleman, declared that he
would not have done 80, only that he knew
hanging for murder was played out" Yet,
with all the terrors of the death penalty,
how astonishingly frequent is the crime OF
murder. Would 1t be safe to commute 1t
for milder punishment?
1t brings upon one of our brethren of the
human family, what human nature abhors
and breads most; it cuts him off from all the
enjoyments of this life at once, and sendssj
him into another, for which possibly he was
not yet prepared; it defaces the image, and
defeats the design OF God; it overturns the
great purpose of human government and
laws-mutual safety; it robs society Of a
member, and consequently of its strength;
it robs the relations, friends and dependents.
Of the person destroyed, of every benefit |
and pleasure which else they might have had |
from him; and the injury done in all these |
respects has the terrible aggravation, that |
it cannot be recalled.
Most wisely, therefore, has our Creator |
surrounded murder with a peculiar terror; |
that nature, as well as reason, may deter |
from it every one who is not utterly aban- |
doned to the worst of wickedness, and most |
justly has he appointed the soDs of Noah
that is, all mankind, to punish death with |
death.
Further, supposing what seldom happens,
that the murderer may escape judicial ven.
geance, yet what piercing reflections, what |
continual terrors and alarms must he carry
about with him And could be be hardened
against these, it would only subject him the |
more inevitably to that future condemna-
ton, from which nothing but the deepest
repentance in this life can save him. For
no murderer hath eternal life; but they
''shall have their part in the lake that
burneth with fire and birthstone, which is
the second death"
But while murder must be punished wit h
death, and there is authority given from
the example OF the divine government of the
Jews, to punish some other crimes in the
same manner, the general spirit of the Cos.
pei and of r3ason seems to allow OF miider
cases beside murder, when the safety of
society may be equally well, or sufficiently
guarded.
Indeed, we think that death by hanging
should be the sentence on every person who
takes the life of fellow. being, except in
case OF self.defense. When man is at.
tackled he is at liberty to defend himself and
II IN the conflict the intending murderer
shall tall, no moralist would say that the
defender was guilty of murder, provided that
he honestly thought that no means of de.
Tending himself were left but the taking
away OF the life of the aggressor. Assurediy 81,
he was not bound to be more careful of the !
life of his enemy than his own.
Insuch case the law can afford him no |
protection. He must use the power which |
God has given him to preserve the most ]
valuable of all his possessions-to ward off -.
an injury which can never be repaired. , ,
Human laws accord the same right in de- :
tense of our property when an attempt is :
maze 10 take 1t from US. W.
Boys In Green va. Heys In Blue.
OGDENsBURG, n. Y.-Mr. Fuller. q cor.
ductor on the Rome, Watertown and Oydeps.
burg Railroad has published tha fnlIo,,;,,, | .