The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-02-08
DEATH PENALTY
FOR Crime.
Doctrine Very Ancient But is
M 1t Good?
Judicial Murder the Most InexcuS
able When Considered Calm
ly and DispaSSi0nately.

nal few days ago suggests the
timeliss of formal protest against
the infection of the death penalty
for crime.
1t is the experience of all ages
that mankind departs with sluggish
reluctance from laws and customs
already made venerably by uses. This
in mind can scarcely hope for the
credit of attention in protesting
against a custom bearing the UNI
broken sanction of historic times, anG
that is at the same time so consonant
with that spirit of vengeance inher-
ent in every human mind. Whatev-
err our established theological no.
lions of the nature of death, to the
cold reason of the profoundest think
ers that have graced the earth 1T
remains forever an inscrutable mys-
terry, and the passing up of human
soul to a condition, the terms OF which
we cannot know, must be almost but
unreckoned risk.
AS civic problem capital punish
ment must be regarded wholly as
question of expediency. If killing
criminals by law will more etfectuai-
ly restrain men from the commission
of crime than other forms OF punlsh1
ment then on purely civic grounds
capital punishment were Justified;
but this evidence wanting the trend
of modern thought is setting strong
ly against the barbaric custom.
The doctrine that society has
right to exist even at the price of
the lives of its citizens is very an
cient and very universally accepted.
but it has been questioned by such
sober philosophers as the divine Sa-'
crates, the immortal Plato and an
obscurely born Nazarine teacher;
the first and last of whom were
themselves put to death, the first
for corrupting the minds of the no.
BILE youth Greece, the last for cor
rupting the religion of the provinces
of Rome. How strange! that the hui
man conscience has not revoked law
that made possible the bloody
slaughter of these first Princes OF the
earth. How often since this revolt
ing law has led innocence to the
block and the gibbet only the record
ing angels know.
With the profoundest sympathy
for all the weaknesses of a weak race;
always forgiving and always praying
to be forgiven, yet often find my
self in unguarded moments gloating
over the possible execution OF a
DR.. Murphy or Harry Thaw, but
in my sober moments, with passion
not moved by recent recital OF re-
voting crime, and reason weighing
principles rather than passion con-
templating incidents. turn from
judicial murder as the most terrible
and ineXcusable crime Of organized
society. With the crudeness of So
ciety the frequency Of capital pun
ishment increases until we reach a
state of savagery where the bloody
custom had its origin. Here the
wilGness of unrestrained passion for
revenge gloats over violence. revels
in torture. 1t were strange that the
process of a sober court of the realm,
having in mind only the security OF
society. and. the mad method of
the bowling, cursing mob, of the
viscious and vulgar rabble. should
be pursued to the same end. Has
not the policy of States to preserve
the public by appealing to fear, the
lowest and basest of human passions,
been pursued already too long?
When was it man did not hate the
thing he feared? When was it that
threats of vengeance moved mans
heart to goodness? If seem to argue
against all punishment for CRIME it
is only because the spirit Of venge-
ance rather than the spirit of mer-
ciftil necessity seems behind it all.
Whether it is the grewsome scaffold,
the filthy Jail. or the dark forbidding
penitentiary, the deman of hate is
seen in each in all his revolving hide
business. On the scaffold cruelty is
blessed in brevity but in State
prisons, presided ovei by small poll
ticians, naturally men of coarse and
brutal instincts, the process of ven
genance is drawn out, and the result
is a school for hardening and brutal
izing criminals that the State could