, 1875-08-10

Again comes tllo old, old story, from Town,
Of violence, nssault, rape, murder, aud other
crilnes, Tho most Of them going unpunishcl.
Fifty-soren cases Of rape t1is summer, md
only three conyictionsl Six murders during
tho last month, and not one OF tho murlcrers
will 10 hanged-pcrhaps not one of them will
be punished And alt this time tho silly
sonti1nentalfsts Of Tho BovEE school arc a..
pcaliug for mercy for tho 1n1rtlerers, and
have no gympathy for the murdered, no word
of comfort for the friends md relatives of tho
victims, no demand for the protection Of
society against tho passions mud n,alevolonco
Of nlurdercrs. Tho chief cause of this fear
fail avalanche of crilno in Iowa il tho aboli.
ton Of capital punishment. This applies to
murder, bnt, from tho prevalence OF other
crilncs it would almost soem that all punish
1ent }ad been abolished. As tho result Of
this abolition Of capital punishment, there ia
to-day 10 check or restraint upon tile evil
passions Of mon. But, say tia nontimon-
talists, pnnish tho murderer by imprisoning
him for life. This IL light lotorring influence
to u.an grown 30 vicious or so desperate an
to deliberately talso Tie life of his follow.ma,l,
and, aven we're it a punishment, it is nuliifle,l
by tho fact that statistics provo tho murderer
will DO parloucd before lis term expires, md
will 10 let loose to proy upon society again.
Tho worry noma Penitentiary" loo8 not
imply punishment, but repentauce, aud, Oh q
rule, repentance, whctller renl or feigncd, IL
followed by pardon. The murderer, therefore,
Of tue very outset, il ho should bo 60 unfor-
t,mato rs to bo convicted, instead Of escaping
by tcchpicalitics, Ms tho most Of thom do,
knows TINT 10 will go to prison with the pros
poets Of pardon sooner or lasor. Ho knows
TINT in the penitentiary lIo will only have to
work moderately hard, that he will be we'll
fed with good substantial food, TINT 10 will
also be well clothed, TINT ho will hayc q
physician when he is sick, that he
will havo his Sundays to himself,
tlat fresh privileges will grow out of them,
md that lo will bo allowed associntion with
his fellows; in other words, that lie will en-
joy condition Of lie which, in 1noyt re-
apecta, is preferable to hiH ordinary condition,
aud that ho will bs no worso oil in prison
than he ia out Of it, hut, on the other hnnl,
better. 10 assert that this Is punishment for
murder ID tho hoight Of absurtlity. 10 assert
that 1t has adequate restraint upon the CON-
mission Of crime is tlisprovod by tho incrense
Of crime lnco hanging in Iowa was abol-
ishcd. The only restraint upon the murder
ously disposed is thu certainty that he will
bo publicly hanged by tho mock until he is
dead il he tales tho ifo Of his fellow, and
TINT the punishment is as suro to como rs tho
sun is to rise or Bet. He must know that
this punish1nant will be sure, that there Is no
appol from it, and nohope Of pardon. Thik
is not cruelty, as tho nenti,uentalists claim
and, oven IT it woro, it il infinitely less cruel
than tho muriaror's odious CRIME. It ia
simple justice, md the only adequate CON-
pcusation that can be- made. It is moas-
ure Of safety Which it is tho duty Of tho
Courts to promptly take, 30 TINT society
may be protected, aul there Is no protection
in my otlser form Of punishment for mur-
der. Imprisonment o1fors premium for
murder, aa ID shown by the news from Iowa.
The only hopo and protection for tho people
Of that State ia in the re-ereesion Of the gal.
lows anl It's vigorous use. II Is time that
they abandoned their costly and dangerous
experiment OF tampering with tho sanotity
Of human life. It is time TINT they ceased
to listen to the emotional vaporings Of silly
men and women sentjmentalista pleading for
immunity for murdarorR,