, 1874-12-26

/
NORTH. UunAL.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
Views OF s.n Oppoucnt of sl,o Dcnsh-
| Penalty.
10 the Editor Of The Chfeauo Tribune:
And now comes anothor .spas,nolio effort, in.
stigatcd by mob-law. md encouraged In ita
liollis work by portion OF tho prcaB, to restore
| that vllo barbarisin, capita! punishment which
was abolished aome tgo yoara ago In Town.
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE htateB, In lato editorial
that "T'l,o Logislaturo Of Town. III loforcrco to
| q mandlin md sickly Rcntimontalty, abolished
capital punishment u; md boaats Of its prot1ic-
| tion Tint an incroaao or crime aud Lynch law
would follow. This prediction, 1t claims, Inns
already como to pnss; and 1t argues, for this
rcason, that "Lyncl1 Inv n,ny Homctimos bccomo
o terrible good" II it will only Rcryo 10 restore
linnging for murder. Precisely tho samo
oEorts wore made In Michigan md Wis.,
conBn : by tho I.ynchors and their
abettors to restore tho dcatl,-ponalty In those
States, twenty years ago. But, thank Godt
their worao than wickod dosenB hayo failod.
No stato has yet restored tho death-ponnlty
whoro its abolition has bcon fair1y tested nor
can any good reason, in tho light Of facts mid
history. bo assigned for such blind and foolish
policy. -~
viii not dony that murder, for fow months
past. has bccu frenuont in tho State Of Iowa; hut
lint its frequency Ia tho result Of tho repoal of
capital punishment, do most cortninly dony,
unless tho believers In capital punishment l1ayo
by encouraging. Lynch law and banding them
soyos into snurderous 1nobB. TnE TRIBUNE or
rrcsscs tho artcnt hono that ts,eso Vigilance
Committees will induce tho next Legislature
tntn tTGRe A.-xx IL
roatoro i long sssi o,.oagl to n0y cot "0qid pid
Of tho rlnglcalors Of Lynch inv, It might soryo
as satisfaction to tho friontls Of lnw and order;
bnt only wish TINT allch nbottors might lind a
them to Judgment .-.. -.
1t 10 foolish to t,rgo tint capital punishment
should bo rc-establ!slod In 1owa, simply because
Vigilance Committees have deprived men OF
TIA: protection which tlio law throws around
them. No wonder rnE Tribune oirors weak
apology for Haca Villains as compose q
Vigilance Committee, when It In composed
Of men who agrroe with TIM TmtnuNE
upon this subject. As Christ said That tho nun
who lnsteth after o woman hath already conn
United alultcryin hla own heart 80 Ia it oqually
truo that All men WHO would murder by laiw, or
otherwise, arc guilty of murder i'll thoir own
iioarta, and arc always tho promoters and oxocu-
tors Of Lynch law. Tho appeal Of The Tn1pusE
weight with the sober Judgment, nor conform to
he facts Of history. or bear the tcst Of research
ai.i argument. ~-s
Ina injustice ana inexpedionoy Of capital
punishment III any community hare been irrc.
tltably established beyond reasonable question.
not only ny tho best thinkers Of our times, but
tacta AMI statistics have FULLY established it. It
- ito longer question Of fancy or speculation,
oilt OF factH anu ligslres' The Ignorant and un-
informed nj, may bo LED astrey by dognlatio aasor-
Olit this cannot docoivo or pre1ndico tho we'll
Informed. u every country, iu every age, when
capital punishment has boon abolished, crime
nas always uecroasod. Not one single exception
call bo iound to the above statement, where ita
abolition 10; laa ! bocn fairly tried,
When IHE TRIBUNE states that "In.-
prlsonmont tor life Is .nonentity," tho
assertion would havo. Hotno weight If IL could
prove 1T by Il comparison Of States whore tho
acath'ponalty ~ tn force with toao States wI1ero
it has bcen abolished for periud Of twpnty years
or more. challenge my comparison tal1oi, from
official reports, which does not apcak iu tundor
tones for its repeat. Capital punishment pre-
vents, III every instance, tho very object Of
punishment, Which IL prevention OF crin1o md
reformation OF tho criminal. It certaiu-
y doea nos reform him, but rather
hardons human nature, bllshts tho morn
sense. aud inctca others to similar crime. Tho
instances arc numerous to provo this. had tho
time to present them here. Human life cannot
70 ancred In State whio'. takes it, nor IL taking
life tho gteatost dcterment to crime. 1t rather
by az many executions. only mnitiplies another.
Aiurdors nro moro frequent in proportion to pop
nlatton whoro hangillg is the law, tlan in those
communities where 1t is not.
Nor ID abuse Of the paldoning powor any OK
cr,se for an il}ction of tho doatl-penalty. Abol-
o ~ er a MeEs tue
ia H.,