St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-13
MEN MUST DIE
By the Hands of the Law fol
Crimes Committed.

u.
1t took a very few moments yesterday
morning for the house to effectually
kill the G. r. Davis bill to abolish CAPT
tai punishment. Except Mr.. Searle,
Mr.. Davis was the only one who spoke
on the subject. The latter said, among
other things:
81 have been accused of being a SEN
timentalist in this matter. AS rule all
human reforms are of slow growth.
Theories which aim to elevate mankind
are often agreed upon long before man
is willing to put them into operation,
This element i'll society we call con-
servations, and as rule it has been the
enemy of progress for many years. 1t
has, however, some valuable qualities
a catchpin upon radicalism. If [ con-
tinue in this strain though the Pioneer
Press may be right in calling me SEN
timentalist."
Chair-The chair would rule the paper
out of order.
Mr.. Davis-Thanks. 1 hope the house
will sustain the ruling. The theory of
capital punishment is wrong in ali Of it's
principles. As long as the government
holds that it may kill one of its subjects
it is hard for the subjects to see why
they should not kill one another. Gov
eminent is contract, partnership, to
which the people concede certain rights.
But is it possible for us to delegate to
that power right which we do not DOS
sess ourselves? 1t has been held that
this punishment was one of Self-defense.
l maintain that the state can only use
this defense to the extent which
the individual can. The principle
of self defense then is that of attack by
highwayman when all other means of
protection have been exhausted. Can
the state extend the principle farther
than this? Sumner said no combina-
the individual. The time has gone
by when the state can only defend it.
self by taking life.
The form of punishment is irremedi-
able. 1t can never be recalled. Mis-
takes cannot be remedied. When we
stop to consider the fallibility of human
testimony, the passions of press and
public, we must realize that an error is
irremediable and correction an impossi-
billty. In my opinion, when innocent
blood is shed every member of this
state IS guilty, even as this legislature
the lawmaking power of this state.
Every time that jury is empaneled
for the trial of murder case there
may detect the flows of a mechanism,
but when we strike the brain, even the
most scientific disagree. Does it not
seem ridiculous when we seek to
demonstrate motive and intent, that 1T
is entrusted to twelve unskilled men to
determine where sanity ended and
where insanity commenced?
One of the cheap popular fallacies of
this subject is that it is a menace to
crime. In my opinion, this is only fall
lacy. do assert that there is no pas
sion in the mind of man so weak but
what it will make him master of the fear
of death. Legislatures have gone on
the theory that all the good there is in
life is to live, and all the evil simply to
die. The idea of legislating men out of
this world simply to make them msera-
blel
Representative SearIe-I have been
rather opposed to this because | believe
lynching is more common without CAPT.
tai punishment than with it.
Mr.. Davis moved that the bill be
recommended to pass. This was de-
feated by vote of 80 to "A. A motion
to indefinitely postpone was passed by a
vote of 81 to 20.