Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-03-02

~ :.
IL man. stele to the value of five shil.
lings, the penalty was death; if he shot
rabbit or cut down young tree, the
penalty was the same,-death; and
hundreds, nay, thousands of noble
men and women we're sent to the block
merely because they were unpopular.
Those times, history has styled the
Ozark Ages" The onward march of
progressive world has gradually
abolished such barbarous practices.
We live in an enlightened age; all the
superstitions of past ages have van
ished in the distance, and civilization
and christianity have claimed us for
their own. The gladiators of the Ro-
man arena are but imaginary person
ages to us; the persecution of Chris
tians is a thing of the passive look
back to those darkened ages, and
think, how much wiser are WE the peo-
pie of the nineteenth century? And
yet, one can scarcely pick up paper
which does not contain the account of
some hanging or electrocution.
Civilized nations are gradually abol
ishing the practice of capital punish
ment, in fact, Brazil. Holland, Portu-
gal, Switzerland and perhaps others,
have abolished it entirely. Though
some of our states have done the
same, yet the United States as whole
still permits it and ought not we, as
citizens of this republic, as Christian
men and women, to do all in our power
for its suppression?
For what right has anyone to take
what he cannot restore? Who will
willingly add to his already innumer-
able sins that most terrible crime of
murderY What good does it do the
prosecutor or the prosecuted to have.
the latter sent before his Maker in a
storm of passion, cursing God and
man alikep say, let him live; give
him chance to repent; and if he does
not improve his opportunity, it is
none the worse for us; we will have
nothing to answer for. On the other
hand, if the criminal is repentant, OH
how much greater crime do we COM
init by numbering him!
You do not call it murder, Oh. no.!
you say "justice," Justice! and who
gets justice2 l am sure it is not the
victim nor the country, so it must be
the prosecutor even though he may
not receive his justice in this world.
The worst kind of murder is that
committed on circumstantial evidence
If capital punishment ever is Justifi
able, it is when every doubt as to the
innocence of the victim has been re-
moved. when he has been proven
guilty beyond question.
Some say, that to abolish capital
punishment would be to put prem
ium on crime. / maintain that it
would not be SO: on the contrary,
death, to the hardened criminal is pre-
ferable to life Imprisonment and hard
labor.
Only few months ago, all Europe
was startled by the assassination Of
Elizabeth, Empress of Austria. Ac-
cording to the laws of Switzerland,
Luccheni, the assassination, could not
be punished by death. He was tried,
convicted, and sentenced to life i'm
prisonment in an underground cell,
which daylight never reaches, and to
receive his scant measure of plain food
through small door.
Do you think the desirability of
such life sufficient to induce anyone
to commit crime? Would anyone pre-
fer such sentence to death?
| 1t is also argued that the Bible up
holds capital punishment. What
though the Old Testament does say
that "Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by
man shall his blood be shed? Does
not the bare fact that no such words
occur in the New Testament, cut off
all the force of that argument?
And as far as killing criminals to
get rid of them goes, necessity will al
ways find way.
"A man does not kill off his cattle, if
they are vicious, nor his horses if they
are unmanageable, but holds them in
restraint until he may teach them bet
ter; then why can we not pursue the
same course toward our criminals :?
Keep them in confinement until they
become harmless-it may be for a
short time, it may be for life,-but in
either case it is far more desirable
disposition of them than execution.
We Americans think ourselves al
most perfect; we boast of the liberty
land justice OF our laws; we condemn
England for her cruelty!towards India;
Spain for her despotism and flights.
q But Is not the execution of human be,
ings q. relic of that same practice?
Then are we not condemning Others
for what we do ourselves? How much
longer must this work be tolerated?
How long shall we, who call ourselves
Christians, continue in our barbarous
course?
Is "Thou shalt not xiii except by the
consent of the law" to BE- substituted
for the commandment Of God!
Rove oprooI ~ yo,, ,,,,6co' ,.;if ,oon