New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-10-21

ground we might advocate the destruc-
struction of these as unproductive ele-
ments. But human nature revolts
against all such propositions.
Then we forget that crime to some ex-
tent, IS q disease; to some extent the re-
suit of an emotional infatuation that
settles into habit, and that there may
by a hundred threads of inauencein the
criminals life that should make us at
least stop to think.A silver cloud hang
ing in the evening skyi is the product of
many influences. Is a man good or bad
the product of less. Who will tell me
how many influences entered the char
acter of the criminal?
The theological argument as I have
shown, has proved failure. What we
do want is humanity, nothing mnre and
nothing less. It isn't worth while to tell
usihow bad men are, we know that al
ready. We want prisons that will hold
men. We want the exclusion of all
political or other friendship. We want
the punishment that is based on separa-
ton and solitude-and this used in
moderation - and those opportunities
that come in such cases for man to
realize what he is; when he does thishe
will have all the burden he is able to
carry. Without cruelty for any, with.
out such ghastly displays as we have
had in the past week, certain punish
ment based on separation and solitude
will surely accomplish all that reasona-
BILE men can ask. Humanity in punish
ment is the watchword we advocate.
Gen. John B. Sanborn, St. Paul:
Your circular note OF October 18th,
has been received. My views IN re-
gard TO capital punishment are, that
it is absolutely necessary for the rea-
sonable protection of the law abiding,
and Industrious classes OF society, and
that the human race has not yet reached
a point in civilization, where it can be
dispensed with without in practical
effect dispensing with civilization itself;
in other words, that without capital
punishment, every person instead of
relying upon the law for his protection,
as he ought to do, is driven by the ex-
cessive perils of life and limb and loss
of estate to which he is exposed TO re-
sort to the pistol, the dirk and the
bludgeon for self protection. Besides
this the loss of life by violence is vastly
increased by the ahrogation of capital
punishment. No other punishment
prescribed by law has one-hundredth
part DEMONSTRATING influence of capita
punishment in my opinion, and this
opinion is the result of fifty years of
observation, and intimate connection
with the execution of criminal laws for
many years. Whenever capital pun
ishment has been abolished, vigilence
committees have soon succeeded to the
place of courts of justice organized by
law and administering justice under
the general rules adopted by the people
of the whole state and applicable alike
to every citizen of the state, and these
committees, governed wholly by the
wild impulses and passions of the hour,
have always put to death more people
for the supposed violation of the laws of
society during these periods of suspen-
sion of capital punishment, than would
have been put to death by courts of JUS
tice acting under the law.
In considering question of this kind,
we all know how apt people are to for
get the interest Of the great mass of law
abiding and laboring people, and
have all the powers of their mind and
their sYmpathies absrobed with the case
of single individual in his great mis-
fortune. This never ought to be. The
question before the mind of every one
should be: What do the highest interests
and greatest welfare of the great mass
of the people OF the state, the fourteen
hundred thousand in Minnesota. REQUIRE
to be done? If these require the sacri
fee of the life Of one man, or one hun
dred men, or one thousand men, the
sacrifice should be freely made. [ am
willing to concede that as there is in.
herent imperfection in human judg-
ment, there must be the possibility of
twelve jurors and q judge, thirteen per-
sons in all, making mistake as to the
guilt or innocence Of a single citizen
of q crime Of murder, but it must be adj
mitted by every person that there is far
less liability to make mistake than
there is with the viligence committee or
the mob. And when loss Of life by Vi:
olence is frequent the laW-abidiag peo-
pie Of the Anglo Saxon race will sup
press it, if it costs the life of every other
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