The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-07-30


on last Sunday isev. Tom Dixon In
his reviews ~ current rv,nt..
spoke "a follow:
rHk pEATu PENALTY.
The State oc New York has re,,u.
tiy visited upon four criminals the
death penalty. They were Killed by
the use Of electricity. vs. a. 40,
discuss the question of msthLd.. We
simply believe that IL a ian is 10 lsc
Killed, the mos; humane manner in
which IL can be done Is tho nest. We
nave no sympathy with the morbid
sentiment that makes II hero or a
martyr OF criminal against society.
we MAINTAIN that society has the
right 10 protect itself and to nr,.
serve Itself; has the right Inherent
IN lis very life 10 save that life. We
DO not object 10 the death penalty
because We believe & IL tou severe.
or thd IL is unjust In its severity.
There are crimes committed for
which the death penalty is utterly
inadequate. Crimes over which the
human soul in anguish ,...,s aloud
TO an eternal God for A. eternal
punishment.
HkuTALITIIsS.
When we read Of the brute vho
carried by force the girl who had
rejected him of into tho woods of
kentucky, and there starved and
abused her fer month in Il lonely
cabin until she did; a. &c seo the
searching party unlocking tho chains
from her limbs aud looking upon the
skeleton form Of what wa. once
beautiful girl; whom We turn from
that scene aud face the wretch who
murdered her, and see the mob level
their NinchcstcrS and riddle him
with bullets, we feel that the penalty
Ii utterly Inadequate 10 the crime
committed. Crime Is an awful fact
devilish crime. Crime set on fires
OF !.ell- crime that is wilful--crime
for which there l. no excuse Society
il it has the right to live has the
right to protect Itself against such
criminals. But The question arises,
how: II seems 10 me that the time
has come in all civilized States,
i. where frontier life has heon sunar.
ceded by the advance ofa real ciVili-
Zation, to abolish the death penalty
and substitute Tor It Imprisonment
Tor life. II seems to me that inn
prisoDment FOR life is infinitely
desirable in comparison With the
death penalty for the following
reasons:
PURPOSE OF THE DEATH PENALTY.
flrst. The purpose II penalty l.
not primarily vengca ce, nor Is it
punitive IN lis essence. Penalty, if
1t IS administered by the laws Of
humanity, has hot for its object the
punishment Of the offender, but the
safety Of society by the lessenIng of
crime. History will prove that the
severity OF penalties has never caused
decrease III crime. Enl land saw
the time when the death penalty
was inflicted for more than one
hundred crime- in her catalogue, but
those crimes against which the
death penalty Was hurled were Of
more frequent occurrence than In
fate years, when the death penalty
was abolished and less severe one
substituted.
RESULTS on THE DEATH PENALTY.
With the advance Of civilization,
the catalogue Of capital crimes has
been steadily decreased, until about
two or three noW find their place up
on the statute books OF civilized
States. The march of civilization
can be readily trace through history
bJ the decrease in the number OF
crimes on which tie death penalty
has been enforced. Aud all penalties
that have been adapted to TIE rcior-
nation of The criminals, rather than
their aniiihhatioB, has decreased
crime.
S"co'.d. The death peaaIty dos
moi det"r men from murder a,.y
more than impri-onmcu, for life, If
a. much. II does net deter bccaurc
il Cannot be enforced with any Ger
tainty ia the law cOurt. representing
Il civilization IL tar advanced ~ our
own. The appeal to The juryis
feelings is too atr nR; the ''TcasOra-
h:e' d-.uht c@a lyc expanded with
such iaciiity :hat loop huie, in
.iitsc ca-"r rout .: ten, l. made through
Whic.. b" cfia,i1ai, guilty or not
suiitE han arrignra iacing :h.
death i"'na!ty. escapes. Tie exrca-
ti"n ot men ~ lan- - men III
America mas grown 10 t5c the exc, r.
.I"n, ,iOl j." rule Recent Si3. site.
siit" ;hft II. On" year ihtrg acre
nih"i. eight legal executions and
b'.t"tcn three uid four I,unJied
l,n..l..n9s III America. Tia j. ID
say, oar legal machinery freaks
down il tie process ni il execution
The. penalty is out ct tune viii. The
thought aud spi:it o. or iiie. The
death penalty. therefore. dcc7 not
deter men from crime, nccause WHEN
their pas-ion- ARE aroused they aTe
willing TO take The risk. They know
!. that very few inen ever are exceut-
ed, they kao1" that they have nc
chance Of wears Ot prJtracted iitiga-
ton; tie chance OF facing, perhaps,
three or four different jurics. Men
it.o not calculate, therefore, Tho
magnitude oi. the penalty, but they
calculate the chance they have to
escape il. To substitute inprison-
ment for life wonld protect society
, and make c, nyictioa ten times
: assured, as 10 oday. Ii would lessen
| lby Ten the chances CT escape, and for
, that reason, II seems TO me, would
be ten times better determent Of
. crime.
!, THE DEATH PENALTY UNCHRIsTIAN
: Third The death penalty is ineon-
r lsistcnt with the highest Christian
Iciyilizatiou. The Bible dues not
: fContinaod on Fourth Rage.