The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1891-10-22
ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
In a sermon last Sunday, suggested
by the execution of Rose, Rev. w. S.
Vail made the statement that the only
argument for capital punishment that
has any defense is, that these men
are dangerous animals, and that as
dangerous animals they stand men
ace to the state, and are therefore to
be killed in order to rid the state of
their presence, which is pestilential."
We beg TO dissent most strongly
from this statement. In our opinion
the only justification for taking human
life under any circumstances is self
defense, and this right must sometimes
be exerted by the state as we'll as by
individuals. If the lives of citizens
are threatened by an Indian uprising
or by an attack by foreign power, it
may become even patriotic duty to
take life in defense of the citizens of a
state. If it can be proven that capital
punishment prevents murder in a
much greater degree than imprison-
ment, then to our mind the present
law is justified. But reven2 9 or exter-
mination is not an argument to be toll
Grated for moment. The strong arm
of the law was not merely raised
against William Rose last week, but it
served notice to every person of muir
derous instincts throughout the state,
that the state is bound to protect the
lives of its citizens from assassination,
even to the extreme limit of taking
the life of the assassin.
The New Ulm Review of this week
contains valuable symposium on the
subject of capital punishment, from
which we copy the following:
Hon. Geo. T. Barr, state senator
from Mankato: l have never favored
the death penalty" and would prob
ably support any reasonable measure
looking to its adjustment. While the
law remains, however, it ought to be
executed and the sentence having once
been imposed should, save in very rare
cases, be carried out, first, because it is
the law, and, again, because otherwise
it soon fails to have any effect in re-
straining crime.
1. Donnelly: If the Legislature
should abolish capital punishment, the
law should be so changed as to take
out of the hands of the governor the
pardoning power, in capital cases, so
that the sentence of imprisonment for
life should mean all that it's name i'm
plies. There should be a provision,
however, that, in case of after-discov-
cred testimony, the Supreme Court of
the state should have the right tore
view the case and set the prisoner free,
if, in their judgment, the testimony
justified it.
Ex-Gov. A. r. McGill: Whether the
crime of murder is minimized by pun
ishing the murderer with DEATHS still
a much discussed question. If such
punishment does not operate to deter
the crime, then capital punishment is
not justified. Whatever the power of
the state, it has no right to take the
life of human being simply for re-
venge. Assuming that the extreme
penalty provided by law serves in some
instance to stay the murderer's hand,
| would not favor its repeal. The law
abiding citizen is entitled to every safe
guard the state can throw about him.
Con. JoLu D. eouborn. Whenever
capital punishment has been abolished,
vigilance committees have soon sue
ceeded to the place of courts of justice
organized by law and administering
justice under the general rules adopt
ed by the people of the whole state
and applicable alike to every citizen of
the state, and these committees, gov
erned 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 suspension of capital
punishment,than would have been put
to death by courts of justice acting
under the law.
We ought never to lose sight of the
fact that crimes and criminals in our
state and nation have increased in
three or four fold ratio in the last thir-
ty years and the question whether or
not in our revision of the criminal
codes and in the administration of the
criminal law we have not been driven
by our sympathies for the unfortunate
criminal class to ameliorate to too
great an extent the punishment pre-
scribed by earlier codes, is worthy the
most careful consideration by every
thoughtful civilized person. To repress
crime and reform criminals is one of
the great duties of the state. NY con-
viction is. that when a criminal has
reached the point where he can DELHI
erately take the life of fellow man
that he has passed the point where
there is any hope Of reformation. His
life is no longer of any value to him
self nor the state, except as an example
to repress crime, and it becomes the
duty of the state in the repression of
crime, to carry into effect capital pun
ishment in al such cases.
Speaking of Grants funeral at the
II ~