Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-11

Will Sust tam thelr action Is beyond a lqGestion. Hanging is dreadful busi-
 ness ; no Christian citizen desires to
 have Swift hanged through any hate for
 him. But there does run through the
 whole community a feeling that drunk
 enness should not mitigate other crime and that man must treat woman de-
 gently, whether we say even if or es- pecially if she is his wife. And there is
 a feeling, too, that law unenforced is
 really not law" According to the Post,
 "the sentiment of the law-abiding citizens
 of the state will uphold the action," and
 1t believes it twill in the long run do something to prevent the frequent re-
 currence of the crime of murder in the
 state. As the matter now rests, the
 majesty of the law is righteously main
 talned, and the people of Connecticut
 will, without any bloodthirstiness what
 soever, agree that wisdom in its execu-
 tion has been reached" The Times,
 which for over forty years has been an | opponent of the law of capital punish
 ment, maintains that this is one which,
 If any murderer ever deserved the baE- | barous punishment of the gallows, l loudly calls for that old Mosaic recon pense. Swift richly deserves his fate We have no wish to have that miserable young man hung up by the neck. It | would better please us if he were sen- fenced to hopeless life imprisonment, but there can be no secure life impris- l onment until, accompanying the aboli- tion of the gallows, a clause is inserted l in the constitution of Connecticut that no murderer, in prison, under sentence to life imprisonment, shall ever, under
 any circumstances, Le pardoned out, | unless the court which tried him finds important new evidence in his favor.'' stood up manfully for Swift, says that | Swift has had the full benefit of all that | could be done for him. His case has been heard at length by every tribunal, and he must die"
 Not less pronounced is the press else l where through the state in commenting the courage and conversion of the house. The New Haven Register declares that the final disposition of the case gratifies
 public opinion and the just demands of
 the law but it maintains that it ''has
 been reached at a tremendous sacrifice
 on the part of the popular branch of the legislature. What more striking illus tration could be furnished of the incom-
 potency of that body? Here is a case,
 involving the life and death of an indi- vidual, the happiness of innocent people
 and the majesty of the law, which yes
 terday's vote confesses was carelessly
 considered by the house as body when
 it was originally acted upon. There has
 been no new evidence introduced since
 the house declared Swift, in its opinion,
 to be second degree murderer, yet it
 now declares him to be guilty of murder
 in the first degree. Its reversed opinion
 is, of course, in our judgment, the
 second enc, but what are we to think of l a body whose conclusions are so fickle,
 whose consistency and diligence of
 thought are so effeminate? ? Are the in
 terests of the state safe in the hands of legislative body which does not know its
 own mind, and which confesscs itself so
 weak as to convict itself, without SO
 much as a beg your pardon at a mo-
 ment's notice, of careless legislative ten
 dencies." The Palladium, which has
 been on Swift's side throughout and
 made sturdy fight for his life, admits
 that, while favoring communication be-
 cause it was ''convinced that the great
 weight of legal authority in the legisla- | ture in favor of such action reflected the | drift of the evidence and that the evidence established the fact of incor-
 potency to premeditate the crime on Swift's Iart. at least left grave doubts in the minds of the legislators, neverthe- 1 less this court of last resort has decided otherwise and it is the duty of good citi- | zens to support it and demand the vindi- cation of law as interpreted by the legis- lature." The News demands that the | legislature now drop the whole question since cit has already shown, ill the influence of the views of constituents on individual members, that it cannot consider such a question as it should be considered" And the staid and ancient Journal and Courier wakes up to remark that .sthe | action of the house ill the Swift case in dleates that many of the members have heard from their constituents" The Bridgeport Standard declares that the | action of the house was "the result of the sober second thought as we'll as of l the additional light thrown upon the | case during the discussion which was protracted and free. The law will be vlndicated and while it is a law it should
 be vindicated, regardless of all consider
 ations save the dignity and effectiveness
 Of all law, which was imperilled by the l action proposed"
 1 All our exchanges which comment on
 the matter at all are equally outspoken
 in commenting the action of the house and demanding that no further efforts be made to defeat law and iustice And