The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-03-05

in my opinion, was to substitute love
for mere spirit OF revenge, not for a
proper sense of. or demand for,.iustice.
Christ was no indiscriminate sentiment
talist, and those who think so would do
we'll to remember with what sternness
and expedition he cleaned the temple.
Nowhere in his life did he show any
disposition to protect a criminal from
justice. God is just as much God OF
justice as he is of love. He is just be-
cause He loves, not because He hates,
for it is by justice that He defends His
people and kingdom from the wicked.
The Bible holds out but little hope
for the murderer from Genesis to Reve-
lation. "And We know that no MUIR
durer hath eternal life abiding in him. !"
In Revelation we are told that the muir
Iderers shall have their part in the lake
that burneth with fire and birthstone.
do not believe that means that there
| is no hope for the murderer; but all
this talk about converting such char
acter and turning him loose on society,
though it sounds we'll, believe is more
specious than wisely practicable. By
all means convert the arch criminal if
you can, but to depend on that alone
to prevent such crimes would, l believe,
be absurd, for other desperate charac-
tiers, including the murderer, would
have absolutely no deterrent set up be-
fore them, and the salvation that they
might get after the crime is committed
could have no effect on them before
and while they have the murderous
spirit, to stay their hands. To convert
the man before the crime would be
dependable preventive for murder, but
to do so after the crime, though it
would mean his individual salvation,
would act as no stay to other such char
acters. Neither would he have any au-
thority in the Bible for thus substitute
ing religion for penal law, but if that
we're done all murderers could be easily
converted-in appearance at least.
And no laws, says Montaigne, are
in their true credit but such to which
God has given so long continuance
that no one knows their beginning. "
And if that be true, certainly capital
punishment is in its true credit, for it
has been law among the greatest civil
lied nations, both Christian and pagan,
from time immemorial. 1t has had
the sanction of God and the worlds
greatest lawgivers and wisest people for
ages and ages. The demand of life
for life, says Gibbon somewhere in
his Decline and fall, is natural feeling
that belongs to all people. And just so
long as man is man, l will add, and
possessed of normal virility and rea-
son, it is my conviction that that de-
mand is going to persist, because it is
grounded in mans deepest sense OF
justice.
Tennessee is the last place under
heaven that ought to think about abol-
ishing capitol punishment. There are
more murders per hundred thousand
in Memphis than any other civilized
city in the world, and Nashville comes
third. Such condition is but too elo-
quent of our weak kneed timidlty in
dealing with vicious criminals. A less
sentimental and more virile, resolute
and determined people would not allow
themselves to be so overridden by such
characters.
Instead of abolishing capital punish
ment, it would be much wiser for us to
follow England's example if we would
curtail murder-that is, try the accused
capital offender speedily, and if he is
certainly found guilty of murder in the
first degree, execute him with firm un
swervng certainty. Then, like Eng
land, we may hope to have few muir
ders, consequently but few innocent
people butchered by the brutal red hand.
Firmness is crying need in our law en-
forcement.
/ EUGENE MCSPEDDEN.