The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-01
Against Capital Punishment"

Editor OF The virgin,an:
air.-under the above caption in Tho Viz
gilman OF the twentp.sixth- F.-a. h. has
article to which / wish TO mako a brief
ply.
+. c. d. demands that the advocates of
capital punishment shall produce positive evil
dence that capital punishment In this the
Christian dispensation. Is by divine grant -
God given principle OF Justice j, q. u. should
remember that 1t is not incumbent upon the
advocates OF capital punishment TO offer such
evidence All that they have to prove Is. that
God has at any time commissioned man to
nhict capital punishment. 1t is then incum-
bent upon him to provo that God has with
Drawn that commission. whether In tho Chris
tian dispensation at any other time. 1t is
easy to prove that God did give 10 such
IL commission, Gen. =. says. Whose kheddeth
mans blood. by man shall his blood be shed
Tor in tho image OF God made Ho man"
sun stronger Mum. Is: IS, IS says. And the
Lord said unto Moses, the shall surely
be put To death: and all the congregation shall
stone him with stones without the camp. And
all the congregation brought him without the
camp, and stoned him with stones and he
died; a. the Lord commando Moses"
Having shown from his own word that God
did commission man to inatet capital punish
men, shalt rest that part of the until
+. Il. II. proves that God mas over Withdrawn
that commission.
Arain II seems To the that F.. G. H. i-
SWIMMING the surface when he Gays, I'VE. as
| created beings. possess equal rights indi-
vlduas. This being what right has u col
my life shat be forfeited because | have
rrrded my tudividuai- rights In taking tho liza
or another He should remember that each
individual Is brought into being for some wise
and benancent purpose. and when person
refuses TO funll the benencent object OF his
hei#s,-e4- sat.4-t-t4e,r s-tu w-of-tuve
he th~rrhtr- feff-rsts his right to live: and
shown above. tiod has delegated to His agents
the powers that -be"-thc right to take the
lffo Of such beings As In the OF Aehan,
for Instance.
lie again falls to go 10 the root Of the mat
ter. when he asks the advocates Of capital
punishment If they VIII hold death to be a
Just reward for Sabbath breaking. stealing.
etc. with us to-day. God thought II was
just punishment for Achan. who stole. and
Tor the man who gathered sticks on the Sab
bath day. In the deculogua God nuts Sab
bath breaking, killing and stealing all on the
same plane. and the violation OF one is
much an act OF dsobediencs 10 Gods law IA
is tho violation or any other OF the pre-
oepts 80 If We would go to thu root OF the
matter, must look not SO much at tho mere
act. but MT the state Of mind the attitude Of
the offender towards the ofrended-~-or from the
view point of disobedience and rebellion. Hence.
1t Is manifest that in order to maintain civI
MS we'll divine authority. circumstances might
arise. when II would not only be necessary, but
Just to infict capital punishment for other acts
of disohedienee than that OF murder Gle
delegates this infection to the powers that
be- for they are ordained OF 0od)
No one. I think. Will claim that this life
IN mora precious than that which IL to come;
and surely +. q. u. believes that God Will
consign the habitual thief and Sabbath breaker
to the second death.
Not only, 10. but r. q. D. puts niinsef IN an
exceedingly awkward position when he says
The truth - II Capital punishment) Is unjust
In NIL cases" II he meant what he said. no
either meant that the Bible is not true or
that God In unjust. For not only In the texts
quoted. but In many other texts He gives tho
dvinA command to infiict capital punishment
And Just as God changes not. 40 justice Is
justice In all ages
l.. HUNTER EARLY.