New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-03

TIE DEATH PENALTY.

A bill to abolish capltal punishment III the
State of New-York attracted large majority
Of votes in the Assembly on Thursday by the
oxorcisc Of some force which is not thoroughly
understood but which is suspected to resemble
the attraction of gravitation to the extent OF
operating directly as the mass and inversely
MS the square OF the distance. 1t is at least
wcll.nigh certain that the force, whatever IT
NAV be. was close at hand, in fact, to all in
tents and purposes within the walls OF the
ConitoI Until some better explanation Is
o(fe,cd most persons will believe that it was
conorated by dynamo. General Curtis whose
GOOD angel has left him i'll the lurch several
times this year, introduced the bill, ana pre-
sumably knows what made it so suddenly and
phenomcnally popular. lie declares that there
is no ground for the suspicion that the West
nchouse Electric Light Company is behind 1t,
and that its swift flight through the Assembly
ot this precise uncturc is merely strange
coincidence" 1t is extraordinary how many
strange condolences have occurred this week.
II is proper to say that General Curtis himself
i not new convert. lie has been identified
for several years with feeble attempts to abol-
isb capital punishment. He must be almost
naralvZed by his sudden and dazzling success.
Having passed the Assembly, the bill went
q, once 10 the Senate where Mr. SaXtOnS in
cxplicabc advocacy came near ordering 1t to
= third reading Fortunately, enough reason
was left in that body to secure its reference to
the Judiciary Committee, in whose possession
il row is. II is scarcely possible that meas
ure of such immense importance can bc act
ually sent to the Governor during the last lew
DAYS of the session without debate, or con
sideration. or popular approval. IL must be
sent 10 him in that manner or not ut all. lhere
i, no time left in which 20 weigh the merits
of the proposition or ascertain the wishes OF
the people. Il received practically no con
sideration in the Assembly and the hearing
which the Judiciary Committee of the senate
has promised to give next week Will furnish
no adequate rest.
No sensible man denies that strong argu-
mcnts can be airaycd against capital punish
mcnt. but when A>>embyman Hit says that
only two classes in the community still advo-
cate it. namely clcrcymcn and prosecuting at
torncys. he merely makes himself ridiculous.
An ideal society might find better use Tor
murdcrcrS than the execution OF them. except
for the fact that an ideal society would have
no murdcrcrS 10 deal with. The very imper-
feet civilization of to-day would certainly aban-
don capital punishment universally, as 1t has
done here and there if there were universal
conviction that human life could be better or
even aS well protected by any other means.
Humanity j. rcvolted n executions, says Mr.
Hit. II that be granted, the fact remains that
humanity i still more rcyolted At pcmcdtatcd
murder and that society will continue to re-
gard its own welfare Of more importance than
the welfare Of a criminal
When however, the opponents OF capital
punishment assume that larger proportion OF
convictions and iirmcr hold on muidcrouS
ua>siOns would be obtained under "a law which
made Imprisonment for life the maximum pen
atty. they take ground which can be stanchly
if not trumphantly defended. When they
have succeeded hy Il campaign of reason in
arraying upon their side OF the controversy
pIcpOndcrancc Of public sentiment, and have
demonstrated the tact by a popular vote or
otherwise. every reasonable citizen will await
the result of the experiment with cOmpOSure
and hopclulncS,. such Il crusade, conducted
with intelligence, candOr and courage, and
from high motives. would lc an honor to those
engaged in if. whether they won or lost. But
there is absolutely no defence for an attempt,
in the closing hours Of legislative session to
enact a change of law 80 radical, 80 visibly
sustained by invisible Influences, and 50 deSti
tutc Of other support Il change on which the
pcople have never expressed an opinion, and
TO which the Institutions Of the State have
never been adapted.