New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-03-20
A Rellc or Barbarlsm i.

For several weeks there has been con-
excitement in New York concern
ing the fate Of Foster, the so-called car
hook murderer" The people are divided on
the subject, and 50 is the press. From many
sides strong pressure has been brought to
bear on Governor Dix to commute the death
sentence -thus far without avail-while from
others IL Ia urged that he should be made to
feel the whole rigor Of the law. The papers
have opened their columns to those who want
to discuss the question in ali its aspects, and
whatever the final decision may be, there
will &c "a many who viii dissent from it as
will agree with 1t. 1t Is not in Our line TO
enter upon the merits Of this particular case,
to discuss whether or not there were any r.
Irregularities in the legal proceedings, whether
greater criminals have been either acquitted
On an unfounded plea Of insanity, or let of
with a comparatively light punishment, nor
do We mean TO say that everywhere, and In
New York in particular, murder and homicide
Of all degrees have become o great deal too
frequent and rampant not to warrant the
most energetic means for their suppression,
ali that We mean to demonstrate is the ne
cessity Of the abolition Of capital punishment,
for the sake Of humanity as well as for that
Of expedency. What is it that makes the
conviction Of a murderer so difficult, the car
rying out Of the sentence quite an exception,
but the natural reluctance of men to doom
another man to death? If Imprisonment for
life were the highest penalty Of the law
every juror would feel 1t bis duty towards So
ciety to protect 1t by deprivlng the offender
Of the means of inHicting further injury, and
consequently would not hesitate to give his
verdict Of guilty, while, even if not opposed
TO capital punishment in theory, he will
shrink from being himself instrumental in de-
liverng a man, no matter now criminal, TO
the gallows. He will endeavor to find ex-
tenuating circumstances, and the more kind
hearted, the more humane and refined in his
feelings, the greater his reluctance will be,
even If he should jeopardize the security Of
the community. There is, moreover, some-
thing reyoltingly brutal, cruel, nay, cowardly
in capital punishment, and particularly in our
mode of inficting it, that our adherence of
the worst criminal turns partly into pity when
we see the people of whole State, as il
were, avenging themselves upon one man
whom they hold in their hands by taking his
life in barbarous manner, though they are
fully able to render him harmless by other
means, that one Ia at loss to understand
how this worst remnant Of barbarous ages
could outlive so many minor ones. The
criminal behind prison walls Is not pitied J.;
every one thinks him treated as he deserves,
but on the scafold he becomes an object OF
pity, Of morbid curiosity, and in the eyes OF
some, even a martyr. Even in those darker
times when the propriety, the necessity OF
capital punishment was not at all questioned,
when its infection partook Of the character OF
public show, those who carried it out were
looked upon with horror and disgust. The
executioner, the hangman and their assist
ants were Stunned and not allowed to asso-
ciate with other people, and though in the
service of the Government, were held Pari-
abs Of society. In our days only the most
degraded and hardened in feeling want to
witness an execution, and even the most
Jealous advocates Of capital punishment
would be Mortified and indignant at the sug-
gestion that they should tender material aid
In its infection, and thus give an evidence Q!
their better instincts in spite Of their errone-
Gus notions.
Yet, after all, it is not so strange that il
countries where human rights are but impar-
fectly understood and the majority is kept in
subsection by tyrannical minority, this relic
ofbarbarism should have been preserved With
other old abuses, particularly as in times Of
civil troubles it can be made a powerful
weapon in the hands of the ruling party but
il almost seems incomprehensible that we,
with Our institutions founded on the full re-
cognition Of human rights, with that natur-
ally lepient and humane disposition which is
a characteristic feature of the American peo-
Pile, should have preserved just az we III.
herited them all those horrible and grotesque
paraphernalia Of the gallows with the whole
hypOcritical religious display, BY which the
masses are to be deceived about the cruel and
cowardly character of the death penalty. 1t
is absurd to assert that We, who conquered a
gigantic rebellion without INJECTING capital
punishment on one traitor, should not be
able to take care of single criminals without
resorting to this extreme means. The en-
lightened and humane men now at the head
Of the Spanish Republic, intend to abolish
the death penalty; shall they oyertake us in
the race Of progress, Guido US In civilization
and humanity?