Washington sentinel., 1901-03-23
'.>,IE - SENTINEL
PuNIsHMENTs.

ing the puniShmen[S winch thS IOl
eign envoys have decided that the
Chinese Government must in1lct
upon the leaders OF the Boxer
movement" 1t is easily accounted
Tor. The punishments seem 10 the
Caucasian "cruel and unusual -
cruel because unusual. To great
many worthy persons whatever IS
new or unfamiliar to their narrow
range OF thought and observation
is viewed with aversiol Il and appre-
hension.
Decapitation and strangulation
are in this country uniamlliartorms
OF the death penalty. We are ac.
customed to the horrible phenom.
enon with the more horrible name
OF "electrocution"-a name which
outrages every scholarly sensibil
ity oil the human mind, But decap-
itation and strangling-these, un'
known to our laws, are repulSlVe
to our sense Of the fitness OF things.
That they are familiar punish.
ments-and comparatively mild
ones-in China is nothing to the
purpose. Killing has its :onser-
vatisms, its conventionalities, its
etiquette; to put a man to death in
a way unknown to the local code
Of good manners is in bad taste.
And then there is a suicide by
inVitation-that, too, IS something
new and strange to Us. We do
not all remember that it was a
familiar method OF execution under
some Of the Roman EmpeTOrs-
that the great Seneca himself took
poison and opened a vein at the
suggestion Of Nero.
Lest our condemned murderers
"cheat the gallows" they are sub
iected to the inconvenience OF in
cessant scrutiny by a death
watch" The Caucas an ministers
at Pekin have consented to the
suicide Of several high officials Of
the Chinese Empire who fomented
the disturbances oi last summer;
the Emperor is to invite them to
strangle or poison themselves, and
they are expected to accept the
suggestion.
This seems to US very horrible
because very novel; it would be
difficult TO give any other reason.
To some OF US it seems more civil
aud merciiul to let man kill him
self than TO kill him. But not all
OF US are enlightened-not all
superior TO the preiudices geneT-
ated by custom. Even Congress
is maniiesting a disposition to
know Why an American Minister
in Pekln has assented to decapita-
ton, strangulation and suicide o.
Chinese offenders.
Apparently a considerable class
Of our people-co nsiderable in re-
spect OF numbeTs-isa averse to any
executions whatever. These amia
ble critics declare that "blood
enough has been shed already
and that is so--encugh and more
than enough. Unfortunately 4
was the blood of the wrong per
sons True, the major part Of 4
was Chinese blood, but the Chin
ese who supplied il were women
children and ignorant soldiers
The exalted scoundTels who SCI
the mischief going have contrib
uted nothing to he crimson tor
rent themselves.
That is commonly the case; the
gentlemen who make wars manage
to keep out Of them, and wher
peace is reestablished they g
about their business with full vein
and in fair health. They are no
ashamed to escape the slaughte
that they brought upon their fol
lowers. Even Jefferson Davl
thought il consistent with courag
and devotion to try to get away.
The third Napoleon compliance
that he had been unable 10 fall Oh
the field Of honor, so he surTen
dered and was permitted to die a
Chise' burst years later. II he ha
tried with a particular dIllgenc
and perseverance he could hay
got himself shot all right. ,6.
We gave Mr.. Davis hiSbut
That was an act not Of jusfo ex-
OF mercy. He had no Hent, was
peat 't, nor, in my jycept it.
1t altogether ripht kSnsible for a
Those who, Fand take their
var var go to b~the soldiers, may
S;-les ;HanGes I'm the same exemption
,nE eIaptured that is accorded to
- other surviving combatants.
They have proved their sincerity
in the highest court, and con-
scientious men should not be put
to death when no longer danger
Gus to the Victors.
But the chap who stays out OF
danger and "cheers on the fuTse"-
in obedience to whose counsel his
friends and neighbors have laid
down'their own lives while he re-
mainei, comfortable and secure, a
long way behind the firing line
his claims to life may ftly be con.
sidered TO depend upon the right
eousness Of his cause. If the
sword has decided that gu estion
against him his plea has not leg
to stand upon. From the Victors
point Of view it is right and Just to
punish him for the mischief he has
esUa uoTrp AM