, 1874-03-31

With all Ills morits, Reccarin was something Of
visionary. II any proof Of this woro noodod,
1t would sufacc to quote one paasago from hls
celebrated book In which ho epoakH OF tho
right OF property aH THAT terrible right" and
remarks that 1t was porhaps not necessary to
retain It as right.
1t is sufficient answer to tho allegation Of in
Justice to say that tho right Of solf-prosorva,on
Inherent in society embraces the right to talso
away the lifo Of an individual whose oxistonco is
dangerous to its security. Wothor or not tho
dcath.ponn1ty shall DO retained In d State ie d
question Of cxpedionoy rather tban OF Justice,
md human society has not yot reached such h
dogroc Of perfection thut 1t is oxpedlent to abol-
iRh capital punishment altogether.
1t Is urged, 1t Ia true that, vhoro tho doatl-
ponalty las been abollslod, capital crimes arc
1oHa frequent; mud 1guros aro brought forward
to prove this position. It may bo doubted hore,
whether the Cause is not tnkon for the effect
and tho effect for tho causo. When people or
q State ronolvo to a1,d do abolish tho death-pen-
atty, Ia 1t not because crime has been dimiutBtl-
lug, and they SEQ no good reason why thoy
should continue lts But snppoBlng that this is
not the case, how can it DO shown TINT the
diminutlon Of tho number OF capital crimes Is
tho result Of the abolition Of the doath-ponalty7
ALL arguments drawn from statistics on this
mattor must DO necessarily very iuooncluHvo.
At tho request OF homo Of the .advooates OF
abolishing tho death-ponalty in this State, we
print this morning tho report Of the House Com
mittoe which favored tho abolition, This report
omboaios tho staple arguments VIC hnve already
referred to. Tho proper position on
this question, It sooma to uH, Is thia &:
Tint no universal ru1o aH to tho oxpo-
dioncy Of tho death-penalty can be 1aid
down; that 1t is q question Of place, time, and
dogroe OF education. The question for us, in
Illinois, is q question Of tho character of tho
criminal class Of the stato. It may DO safo to
abolish tho death~ponnlty in Wisconsin or n1ichi-
gan, or whcro thoro is really no 1argo city. It
would DO very impolitio to abolish it In Illinois
or New York. It would 10 worry impolitio to
abolish It whore any 1argo portion Of tho popula-
tion 1.-Two in largo citios. Largo American cities,
like New York, Clicago, and st. Louis, attract
10 themselves tho deBporadoos Of tho whole
Garth. European nations not unfroquoutly turn
loose their criminals upon us and wo
open to them our hospitable doors. These
desperate characters fluid their way to our largo
towna. We should bear those facts in mind
when discussing the abolition Of tho death
penalty. No are, in fact, the last people in tho
world who GILL afford to dispense with it. I'm
prisonmcnt for lte If there were my suoh thing,
does not dotor the lower classes Of criminals
from crime. Their naiuds do not grasp the fu-
ture. They grasp only the present moment.
Present pleasures and present pains alono ill.,
1uonco them. Then, again, tho prisonor for life
has always the hopo Of pardon or Of escape be-
| fore Ills eyes.
The argument that tho innocent may aomo-
times suffor, md have sometimes suffered, tho
dcath-pcualsy, is hardly applicable undor our
laws or under our jury system. The common
law admits that whenever there is reasonable
doubt Of prisoners guilt, he shall be acquitted.
With such guarantee, little is to DO feared. Be-
! sides, where capital puniallment is unknown,
| Lynch-law has not untroquently asserted itsolf
and malo tho innocent suffer for the guilty.
There arc some crimes that can be atoned for
| only by death, and, unfortunately, when the
powers that be will not inflict it, the mob will.