The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-02-03
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

Among a large number of recent
ma agazine articles on. capital punish
ment but one was found which offer
ed any apology for the practice. This
one was written by the Professor of
Moral Philosophy" in Cornell I'm
iversity. The Professor favored
capital punishment as means OF
doing the victim good. This was
said, not in the sense that dead
Indian is said to be a good one. The
Professors idea was that the murd-
erer needed this shook to make him
sufficiently penitent and bring him
back into harmonious relationship
with his fellow-beings.
Now comes another Christian
scholar, the President of .Oberlin
College, who declares that the
question of capital punishment is
not one that can be decided upon
principles of abstract right and
wrong"
If the question OF capital punish
ment cannot be decided upon prin-
ciples Of abstract right and wrong,
what question can be so decided ?
Can thing be wrong in the abstract
and right in the concrete? If we are
to ignore abstract principles In deal
ing with the murderer, why may we
not set them aside when we trade
horses or sell life insurance? Are
there any "principles' of right and
wrong? If so, when Is a man bound
to respect them? Might not the
chicken thief plead that his trade is
one that should not be judged by
principles of abstract right and
wrong? If the executioner is be-
yond the. jurisdiction of morality,
why not the thief?
Would society have more to fear
from murderers If capital punish
ment were abolfshed? This is the
only question left If there are no
principles involved.
There has been no execution in
Switzerland since 1879, none in Hol-
land since 1860, none in Portugal
since 1S43, none in Finland since
1926. If the humanity of these
states had resulted in great in
| crease of murderers it would seem
that they might have discovered the
fact by this time and returned to
the blood for blood plan.
If life Is less safe in Michigan or
Maine than. in Ohio or New York
statistics do not reveal the fact.
But none who believes in the
inherent justice of the universe
world expect to find that an insti-
tuition which is wrong in principle
could be expedient in practice. Tell
me what is right and I'll tell you
what is practicable.
Judicial murder must brutalize
men: lt:.cannot beget a respect for
life. The murderer is not to be
hated. He; most of all, is to be
pit1ed. :. We should look upon, him
in sorrow, not In anger 4 His crime
|sdueH not give us the least warrant
[for injuring him It rather puts sns
under greater obligation to do him
good because his need is great.
If the state: is to have hangmen,
would it Iot=be appropriate to draft
for that service the preachers who
profess to be disciples of the Naz-
arene and still defend the garlows?
What right has a man to claim the
name and still defend the gallowsS
What right has man to claim the
name Christian, who does not
acknowledge the duty to return good
for evil?
No man can believe in capital
punfs when once he compre-
hends tht truth of Victor Hugo's as
sertion that the slums are the pro-
duct Of social injustice and that vice
and crime are but the vomit Of the
slums. 1t Is monstrous for society
to condemn and kill the victims Of
IT'S own stupidity
Most criminals are more sinncd
against than SHINING. Let the mur-
dcIer be taken care of for the oro-
lection of the state and his own good.
Jr our condemnation of his act, let
us not forget our share of respons-
ibility. The social wrongs, of which
we are all guilty, chief Of which is
land monopoly, have filled our cities
with the disinherited children of
hunger and neglect and these fur
nish our criminals.
Justice, not Punishment, is the
safety c. the State.
HERBERT S. BIGELOW.
Pastor Vine Street Congregational
church, Cincinnati, o.
January 28, 1906.