Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1873-03-09
Debate on the Capital Punishment
Ril1.

The following discussion took place
in the Assembly on the bill to abolish
capital punishment. introduced by
Grey of White Pine, after a motion
by Owen of Storey to indefi nitelr
postpone the bill
Grey took the tl0orin defense of the
bill. and referred to the fact that the
Committee ON Public Morals, after
long deliberation, had unanimously
recommended that tie bill do not
pass. He remembered one other bill,
the passage of which was unanimous
~ recommended by the Committee
on Public Morals, and that vet. when
The bill came up on its ilnal passage,
one OF the members Of that commit
tee Prague of NyeI, by some miracle
suddenly became converted and voted
against it. lie alluded to the bill to
prevent gaming. There was but one
other instance OF such sudden, conf
plete and miraculous conversion re-
corded i'll hiStury-that of Saul of
Iar>uS. The ignorant and nulnadic
h0rdes of Asia and Africa might find
some Xcu>e for clinging to the
Mosaic b~arbari>in of an eve for am
eye. Il tooth for Il tooth, and Il life for
Il life, because of their ignorance of
the mechanic arts and the usayeS and
refining Influences of civilization and
Christianity lut there is no excuse
or Justification Tor lis pursuing a
similar course in this enlight-
ened age, where the mechanic
arts have furnished us with ap-
pllanceS by which we can place
criminals beyond the reach of
danger to society !; trace tn history
ff eflI- ,nlf, al il ~, .i,, f.D.,, ~
days Of Moses down to the Anglo
SAXON despen>ation. and referred
with pride To the u%naninlitv of tie
press OF this Safe in favOring the bill,
and congratulated the people on the
fact that they had Il press at once 50
no~b!e-hearted and Intelligent said
that this tarbariSln had been perpetu-
a'ed through the false education of
the people. and believed that that
false education MAS being corrected
hV the advancement o. civilization
and enlightenment. and was salts
tied that it this bill were passed the
act would be ~applauded by the people
of the State.
Street opposed the bill because he
believed 1t would encourage the coln-
mission of murder, and thought the
title should lie changed accordingly,
DIuiilltl en- pldlictt ana uefent
the action OF the Committee on Pub
lie Morals.
Owen also opposed the bill.
Grey replied to the remarks of Mr..
Street, an SAID that in the great En-
plre Of Russia, an alISolue monarchy
where the lives of the subjects were
in the hands of their ruler, the E,npe
u had eve vet ali xed his sigma
ture to the death warrant. lie als(
alluded to many other countries anC
States where the death penalty hat
been abolished and IA decrease o
crime had been the result.
Notwithstanding which, the hil
was indefinitely postponed by Thu
following vote
Ayes-Messrs. Adams, Allan. An
drews, Arnold. drummer, burgess
Carpenter, Cole, Crawford. DangherC
Drake. Hart, Hnpuin, Kpvser. Lem
mon. Lyman. Mccall. Owen. Prague
Robinson, Sanford. Savage. Sessions
SheDperd. Shoaf. Smith. Stern Street
T%nbriner, TwiSs. Vinnedge, Wallace
and Wilson'S.
NoeS-Messrs. Darby, Elzv, Fox
Gallagher, Grey, Horton, Matthews
Morrison, Price, Randall. Rickey
Stoddard, and Mr.. Speaker-l3.
Ahsent-Messrs. Craigue and Mack