EXTRACTS FROM TWO REPORTS, MADE TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF LOUISIANA, BY EDWARD LIVINGSTON, LATE SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES. CONTAINING HIS ARGUMENTS FOR THE ABOLISHMENT OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS.
Providence: Knowles, Vose & Company, 1838. 24pp. Disbound without wraps, some spotting, Good+. Contemporary owner's signature at upper margin of title leaf.
Renowned for his groundbreaking work in establishing penal codes, Livingston explains why capital punishment should be banished from the criminal justice system. "The exalted standing and character of the author", according to the introductory Note, require "the attention of the members of the General Assembly of this State, and to the citizens generally."
Livingston rebuts the argument of deterrence: "The fear of death will rarely deter from the commission of great crimes." And even those who commit horrible crimes may be capable of rehabilitation-- indeed, some such crimes "are, sometimes, produced by a single error." And Livingston reminds his readers-- if more persuasion is needed-- of the Holy command, "Thou Shall not Kill."
Cohen 3820. AI 51308 [4]. Item #38373
Price: $500.00