New-York tribune., 1906-11-25
France About Ready to
Substitute Life I'M
prisonment

No nroblern has excited wider degree OF III
forest and of discussion during the last huhdreo
wears than that of capital punishment which
Empress Catherine the Great of Russia was 'iio
first of European sovereigns to Abolish proihp'
ed thereto by the French savants whose presence
in her encourage relieved her court or the Iia'oi
of Oriental barbarism impaired thereto by men
of the stsmp of Potemkin and her other un-
savory favorites Nearly every parsonage or
mark In the worlds of literature. art SCIENCE
law and stateCraft has given utterance 10 eN-
pressions OF opinion about the matter; ana III
France Victor Hugo. Lamartine Beranger anu
st. Augustin have been among the most cum
spicuous champions of the abandonment of all
penalties consisting of the taking of the life OF
human beings. Even Robespierre, who is on
record as having consigned more men and wom-
en- to the scafold than any tyrant Of modern
times and whose name will be forever asso-
ciated IN popular eXecraton with that or the
guiIlotine professed himself strongly opposed 10
excutions For the benefit of those who may
hesitate to accord credence to this extraordinary
assertion, I may cite the following extract from
one of his speeches in the convention at
Paris:
when an enemy attempts my life, and can
only oppose my own individual strength to his
and am confronted by the alternative Of either
being killed myself of killing him. then the
law of natural defence justifies me in taking his
life. But when the strength of all is united
against a single person. and when there is no
question of self-defence. what principle OF JUS
tice is there that can furnish pretext for put
ting him to death? What necessities are there
to in the matter? A conqueror who puts
captive enemies to death is a barbarian. A man
who Stays q youth whom he could easily disarm
and punish If attacked offended is monster.
A convicted prisoner is in the eyes of the COM
munity nothing else than a defeated and alto
gether pOweress enemy. He is more feeble
with regard to society than a child in the pres
ence OF a grown man. These death sentences.
| therefore, executed in the name of truth and of
| justice, with much official ceremonial, are
nothing more nor less than cowardly murders
| and crimes, perpetrated, not by individuals, but
| by entire nations. with a hypocritcal pretence
! OF legal form"
Fine words these and worthy of a statesman
of the most humane and enlightened principles!
1t is only a pity that Robespierre should have
| failed to put them into practice. Indeed falling
from his lips they sound almost like a Satanic
satire. Yet they in keeping with one of the
earliest laws enacted by the Revolutionary gov
| ernment of which he was so conspicuous men,
| Der. and which follows; From this day
! the penalty of death shall be abolished in the
| French Republic" This decree, however re-
mained without application and a subsequent
statute. bearing the date of Sth Nivose of the
| year Y, declared that the penalty of death
should be maintained.
Greece the first of the civilized nations of
| Europe not merely TO adopt but also apply the
principles enunciated by Robespierre. and to fol-
| low the example of Catherine the Great of Rus
| STA in decreeng the abolition Of capital punish.
ment in 1S62-that is to say, before the cleo
ton of King George to the Hellenic throne. Ru-
mania followed suit In October. 1864; Portugal
| In July, 1861; the Netherlands in September
| 1870; Italy In June. 1889; Brazil. Venezuela and
other South American republics. we'll as thai
| OF san Marlno and the majority of the cantons
of Switzerland, in 1903 and Norway. In 1904
| In the latter instance, however, an exception Is
| made. not in favor. but at the expense, OF the
| Ministers Of State, who alone liable 10 the
penalty Of death. This discrimination against
| them seems at first sight extraordinary. Ye
| on reflection 1t is only natural that an eXCep-
tion should be made where they are copcemed
For whereas ordinary crimes and felonies foI