Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-11-23

sE.zs ~. 23O, to pay drafted men the sum
Sse.eaeh that paid commutation money.
FIehy discussed by Mr.. Hinckley of Chel-
sea Mr.. Buel of Middletown, Mr.. Walworth
OF 0yentry, and Mr.. Field of Grafton. Mr..
f'd OF Hancock moved the bill be dismissed; /;
theyeas and nays being demanded by MIR.
B',i, We're taken-ayes l35, nays So. So
F1e bill was dismissed.
.. l5I, authorizing the listers of the town
q Pownal to correct the grand list of that
pwn for the year 1870 under a suspension
renee.
/ Special order.-H. 294, to amend chap.
H. g. s., relating to ofenses against the
sees and persons of individuals [being the
bill TO abolish capital punishment was
taken up, the question being, Shall the bill
pass Mr.. Marsh of Bethel, demanded the
yeas and nays. Mr.. Drake of Royalton OPP
%Qsed the bill, as not being in accordance
30 the nature of man, the Word of God,
Il The statutes of all nations Of the world.
\ !. believed the repeal of the law for capital
khment would tend to evil in the land /;
,s dhfAha greatly impaired by the
I'D .----sz, and sne-t9s tt99e5 9stu upI pI :
bEe10rts 70 repeal it and he did not ac-
cept as facts, beyond controversy, the state
ments in regard to the effect of the repeal of
Nh@ MtoN III OtuCr 0Ldtes- lie DelkcNcu l0dG
the penalty of life for life was the true one
there is no determent too great to prevent
the ASSASSIN from laying his bloody hand up
on the lives of our citizens and all the sym
pathy expended on this subject is false, and
only an effort to make the penalty for muir
Ger mllder than 1t now is it is only provid-
ing for shutting the murderer up, where he
Is boarded and clothed, attended by physi-
Clans If necessary by a clergyman-in fine,
cared for by the State. Let us retain the
penalty for murder as it is, only let us make
1t CERTAIN and leave no doubt that it will be
inflicted on the guilty man. lie was not a
sGH1LinGry man, as had been asserted by
some his sympathy would be shown in an
other form rather than to expend 1t upon
hardened criminals.
Mr.. Bisbee of Newport.said he voted in
iayer of the bill to commute the sentence of
Henry Welcome for no other reason than he
was opposed to capital punishment for If
! there ever was a case man ought to be
hung, the one of Henry Welcome was that
case. lie said that the effect Ofeapital pun
ishment was of itself to harden mems hearts
and iamiliarize them with the crime Of mur-
Ger. The old Bible doctrine was constantly
thrown in cur faces, but we have had anoth-
er doctrine given to US, and he believed 1t
did rot require the hanging of any man for
the protection of society.
Mr.. Perkins of Glover said he believed
the bill established the Justice of the law as
It now is, and we need to hold up before the
criminal that which they most dread and
he believed they would more dread the pen
atty Of death than that of imprisonment for
life. lie quoted the Mosaic law, - Whose
,heddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood
te she'd as the true law by which we
hs. l.. ehas ba
new dispensation had in the least done away
with the old law in these respects, and
quoted from the old and new Testament to
substantiate his positions. lie then reviewed
some Of the statements made by Mr.. Ballard
in his arguments the other day, and gave
statistics 10 disprOye his assertions in re-
gard TO the abolition of capital punishment
IN Russia, where the punishment substituted
was more horrid and more inhuman than
could now be conceived in Christian nation.
In Rome his data was more than a hundred
: i, ~. ~arianoe With the results clsimee
'lu England also, history did not eOrroborate
the results as given by Mr.. Ballard. lie be-
lieved there are few murders in this State
as in any part OF the world, and We had better
let the law stand ON our statute books as
Iromotive OF the good of community and
the safety Of our citizens
Mr.. ButteTfeld said he believed that the
injunction i" thou shalt not kill - is Just as
applicable to communities as to individuals.
No person has the right to take his own lif",
neither has he the right to give any other
person the right to take it, nor can he give
10 community the right to take it. As to
the uncertainty of the execution Of the law,
the reason was that the punishment is so
severe that there is hesitancy in it's inflic-
ton. Ii it is made less severe there will be
more certainty OF its iuhiction. Again,
there Is a chance that innocent men may be
made 10 suffer the penalty of death, when,
If delay was given, would be if impris-
onment for lie were substituted, their in
nocec ce might in time be made TO appear.
Let US repeal this law, and give it trial
If it does not work well we can resort to it
again
Mr. Crosby of BrattleborO believed that
the death penalty was one that belonged to
the dark ages, and he was surprised that the
o.ergy were arrayed in its favor. He hoped
il would he stricken from the statute book
Mr. Drake of RoyaltOn replied to Mr..
Crosby that he hoped no prejudice would be
gotten up, because he, as clergyman, op-
posed the abolition of the death penalty, and
further argued against the passage OF the
bill. He said if we will pass this law and
make it a certainty, it will be well but it
will be better still 10 retain the law as it
now is, and make it a certainty.
Mr. Perkins of Glover explained his re-
marks as having been misunderstood by Mr..
Bntterfeld Of Wilmington, and briefly added
his reasons for opposing this bill.
Mr.. Grout of Barton thought that society
mad the righi to do that which will best
secure its own protection ; and that this
question is really one of public policy, and
not one deduced from the Hebrew law. He
reviewed the position taken by the gentle
man from Glover, and thought the context
would not bear out the inferences deduced
By him from the text, " Who so sheddeth
mans blood, by man shall his blood be
shed. But this is not the real question,
which lis, how can we best preserve the
saSty of the lives of our citizens and still
maintain due regard for the principles of
humanity. He said he had letters from the
doSernors of those States where the death
penalty had been abolished, expressing their
approval OF its effects upon the people, and
that there was little OF no desire to restore
II % their statute books. He thought that
the murderer almost always committed the
Geed from mOmentary impulses, and not
from deliberately formed purpose to do so,
and hence the injustice of iuflicting the
penalty upon him. lie would agree with
the gentleman from Royalton as to the ne
cessity OF rendering the inhiction of the
penalty a certainty. He reviewed some of
the statements that had been made by gen.
uemen, and thought they had been over
stated. Those states where the death penalty
mad been abolished are we'll satisfied with
the result, and we ought to accept their
experiences in this respect. As another
reason, he thought this bill should be passed
70 prevent such scenes of passionate and
Sentimental sympathy as we had here few
e75s since. Let us adopt some settled policy
in.fegard to this matter, and be at rest on
,ne matter of capital punishment. He be-
heSed we can safely do it at this time.
Mr. Slade of Middlebury proposed to
amend SO as to add to the penalty of i'm
priSonment for life the further penalty =" at
hafd labor" and argued urgently for the
passage of the bill as in accordance with the