The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1887, CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1541, 18 January 1887, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1887, CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

The hangman of New South Wales is likely lo be kept in good practice this year. He has made a good beginning —he despatched, four young men before breakfast oh the 7tb instant, and from accounts to hand since then there are a few more getting ready for him. The crime for which the Mount Bennie prisoners—as they have been commonly called—forfeited their lives, must be ranked as hue of the most brutal and revolting it would|be possib’e to conceive. Notbing cao be said in their defence ; the mind sickens at the thohght of their conduct—in fact, we think their crime deserved greater punishment than some kinds of murder, and it is, therefore, not easy to find fault with the law that connemned them to death. ’They have been condemned—they have bten executed—despite most strenuous efforts put forth to obtains commutation of the sentence ef death—yet a fen days afterwards we received news that there had been arrested in the same city five other young men for exact!v the same offence. If this is not calculated to make people think nothing can. Here we have persons committing the same offence to-day for which other persons bad been banged yesterday, proving beyond doubt that the fearful and barbarous penalty of death has no deterred effect Upon crime. Nothing could more forcibly direct attention to the uselessness of the death penalty to deter people from committing crime than this, nor could the advocates of The abolition of capital punishment have a stronger argument . For our.part, we have never believed in capital punishment of crime ; we ’look upon it as a relic of barbarous times, banded down to us from ages when human life was held very cheap—when a feudal lord held the power of life and. death over the people under bis control. Cue hundred years ago'people were banged in England for the slightest offence, and when it was suggested that this cruel law should be amended people opposed it on the ground that it would increase crime, One hundred years ago to steal a sheep in England was punishable with death—now it is punishable with a few months’ imprisonment ; yet for a sheep stolen now there were 20 Stolen then. As regards England and New Zealand, the awful death penalty has practically been restricted to murder, but in New South. Wales and Victoria the crime of rape is still punishable by death. And yet the crime of rape is more frequently heard of in these two colonies than in any of the'others. Only a few years ago two young men were banged in Melbourne for this offence, and in a short time afterwards it was proved that they were innocent of the crime for which they had forfeited their lives. This ought to have been a fearful lesson to the law-makers of that colony ; but, so far as we know, it has led to no change in the law. ' The law which condemns to death any man found guilty of rape is still in force in Victoria. The Mount Bennie form of the crime was the most brntal we have ever beard of, for it is seldom men are found to unite for the purpose of committing such a crime. Under ordinary conditions only one person is accused, and there is only one witness, and according to the law, on the mere oath of this one person, who may or may hot be a person of bad repute, the awful penalty of death is inflicted. It is monstrous ; it is barbarous; it is a disgrace to our civilization. No doubt it is because so much of the convict element exists in New South Wales, and a great deal ef the same element migrated across the border to Victoria, that the law has been kept in force, but it appears to ns it is time they gave over this old convict idea, and tried to settle dawn as respectable colonists. To keep this brutal law in force tends to perpetuate the disgrace attached to the original settlement of the colony ; it shews very little wisdom on the part of New South Welshmen. They ought, if they had sense, to make every effort to wipe away the stain of the convict, and one of the first steps in that direction ought to be to abolish capital punishment for any offence less than murier. Sjo far as are concerned we shoo’d be glad to see capital punishment completely abolished. We do not think it has any effect on deterring people from committing crinr, as proved by the fact that in countries where it has be,m abolished crime has diminished. To hang appears to us to be a crime in itself; it is nothing more nor less than legal murder, and to punish murder by committing murder does not appear to be justifiable. Besides it is not necessary. There are other forms of punishment which would be as terror-striking

to criminals as death, and therefore there is no necessity to punish crime by committing the crime of taking away human life. It is monstrous ; it is a disgrace to our civilization, and the sooner we abolish the abominable loathsome law which authorises the taking of life the better. WATER SUPPLY. Oh hext Thursday residents in the Bangitata -and Orari Water-Supply District iyi|l be called upon to vote for or against the"question of borrowing £2500 from the Government for the purpose of irrigation. The terms bn which the money is offered to the County Council by the Government are extremely liberal. The Council will get £2500 now, and they can pay it back in 26 years at the rate of 5 per cent per annum—that is the 5 per cent will pay principal and interest, and in 26 years the County Council will owe no debt on account of this amount. The terms are extremely liberal and favorable, and wo should advise the Rang!tala people to do all in their ■ power to secure the money, for it is possible they may not baye the ; same opportunity again. But let them not forget that there are difficulties in the way. More than one-half of the ratepayers must vote for it or it will not pass. For instance, let us suppose that there are 100 ratepayers in the district 51, of these must vote, even though not one man vote against the proposal. It is therefore very important that the peoplu should bestir themselves, and try to gel as many as possible to vote, - :. -♦—- — , CHEAP MONEY.' ’ The Government is offering to the local bodies throughout the colony how money at 5 per cent, per annum, which 5 per cent, will not only pay the interest,' but extinguish the debt in 26 years. If the Government bad done this long ago the country would not have been in the deplorable position it is in at present ; and, if (be money can thus bo lent to local bodies, why should it not be lent to farmers as well ? The fact that the Government can treat local bodies so liberally proves that they , can treat farmers liberally also, The money is lent to improve property, but would it not be as important to improve the position of the owners of property, and enable them to, improve their holdings wilfa cheap money ? But, of course, the Banks and money-lenders want the land-owners to' remain under their thumb, and it is probable that they: will remajn so, ; i