St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-08
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

sponsible for the growing opinion that
there is too much of a false sentiment
tality underlying all legislation intended
to prevent or to punish crime. In con-
sequence we observe the inclination of
modern opinion to be iii the direction of
return to the more vigorous methods
of dealing with the criminal classes
which characterized former ages. HUI
manity is a eommendabe trait, but 1t is
not humane to spare the guilty when
the innocent and unoffending are made
to suffer by it. This humane sentiment
went so far a few years ago as to create
wave of public sentiment favor
able to the repeal of capital punish
ment, and as a result many OF the
states eliminated the death penalty
from their statute books. Minnesota
was carried along with the sentimental
tide, but like most Of the other states
vino were swept away in the same food,
she finally regained her footing and got
back to the point from whence she
started. 1t is, therefore, all the more
of surprise to see the determined ef-
fort that is being made in this legisla-
ture to have the state swept from its
base once more and carried away in
this sentimental tide.
The arguments in favor of abolishing
capital punishment are of a purely SEN
timental favor. The minds of the adj
vocates of the proposition are haunted
by the horrible thought that human life
must be sacrificed in eXpiation of crime.
Iu their opinion, the willful and pre-
meditated shedding of blood by the
state under the preteXt of punish
ing crime. has too much of the
tinge of barbarism to be tolerated in
this age of enlightened civilization.
Those of us who differ from them Oh
this question respect the sentiment
which creates this opposition to capital
punishment, yet we cannot be unmind-
full of the fact that an over indulgence
of this sentiment has had baneful re-
suits.
In most of the states the two crimes
supposed to merit capt. punishment
are murder and rape. individuals capa-
BILE of committing these are not
only insensible to moral suasion,
but are absolutely undeserving of
sympathy OF protection. 1t may
be true that some of them are
irresponsible for their viciousneSS.
They may have inherited their deparv-
ity and are thus constantly In subordi-
nation to the influence of all evil genius
which was born into the world with
them. But that does not remove the
fact that society suffers by reason of
their existence, and the sooner they are
shuffied out of this world the better it
will be for the world.
There is another class of high crimi
nails, and by far the most numerous
class, who cannot attribute their vicious
practices to the accident of birth.
They reach the summit in crime by
self-educating processes. They start
out early as wrong-doers, and continue to
cultivate the evil in their nature as they
grow older. The only protection against
this class of criminals are those grades
of punishment which have truly de-
terrent quality. Agreeing with the
advocates of the repeal of the death
penalty that execution is a horrible
form of punishment, we insist that its
horribleness makes it necessity. The
horrors which surround the gibbet are
the only possible checks that can be
placed upon the worst criminal classes.
1t is so seldom, if ever, that an innocent
person is hung. the bare possibility of
such thing does not stand as an argu-
ment against capital punishment.