On this page

• Text (2)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    March 10, 1S60.1 The Leadei' and Saturda...

  • 

    A DREAM OF TAXATION. [As it is the objec...

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    Trials For Muepeb In The Papal States.* ...

    and treachery . The court of appeal decides , on what seem sufficient grounds , that there is no proof of treachery ; and tlierefoie the crime not being-of . so lieinous a character , seduces tie pewdrf Stakna ' s punishment from twenty to fifteen years , while it . confnrns the sentence of death on Volpi . ' r ' Again , as a matter of course , there is an appeal from this sentence to Hie Upper Court of tire Supreme Tribunal ,, which appeal comes off , after four months' delay , on the 9 th of September , 18 o 9 . The only ground of appeal brought forward is one which , according , to our notions of law , should have beeri brought forward from the first , namelv , > ' that the guilt of StarxjL is not sufficiently P ^ yed on the unsupported statement of his accomplice Staena , and that the evidence which corroborates this statement only constitutes an a priori probability of liis guilt . " The Court , however , dismisses this appeal at once " on tlie ground that it is not competent to take cognizance of . an argument based on the abstract merits of the case , and therefore confirms tlie sentence .

    On the 25 th of November the sentence is submitted to , and approved by his Holiness the Pope . On the 3 rd of January , IS 60 , orders are sent from Rome for the execution to take place .. On the 17 th the authorities of Viterbo notify to the prisoner that his last appeal has been dismissed , and ' ' call on the military to lend thensupport to the execution of the sentence ; " and on the following day , two years and eight months after his arrest , STAn > 'A . is executed for the murder of Ugoli ^' i on the Piazza de _ lla Rocca , at Viterbo . On that day , too , appears the first report of his crime and trial . The third and last murder case , of which I have obtained a report ; is of a very simple character . In July last there were two galley , slaves in the bagnio of Civita Vecchia , A >* to > -Io Simoxetti and Domestic . © . Avanxt . SiaioKETTi , the murderer , was a man of thirty years , whose life seemed to have been a long career of crime . Pontifical and

    He had enlisted at an early age in the Dragoons , served for seven years . On " leaving the army he became a porter , and within a few months was sentenced to the galleys for life on a charge of liighway robbery ; then to five years ' hard labour for theft ; and again to seven years at the galleys for an attempt at escape . How the last punishment was . consistent with . the existence of the first , Vis a fact I cannot hope to explain . Of ¦ Avanzi nothing is told , except that he was an elderly man , condemned to a lengthened imprisonment for heavy crimes .- Prisoners , it seems , ^ sentenced for long periods , are not sent out of doors to labour on the public works , but are employed within the prison . Both Simoxetti and Avaxzi were set to work in the canvas factory , and , according to the ' system adopted' in most foreign gaols , they received a certain amount of pay for thejr labour . An agreement had been made between them that one should twist , and the other spirt the hemp ;

    and the price paid for their work was to be divided' between them m certain proportions . About a fortnight before the murder this sort of partnership was dissolved at tho proposal of Simouettt , and some days after Avxszx made a claim on his late partner for the price of two pounds of hemp as not paid for . There seems to have been no particular dispute about this , but on the morning of the murder S . tmonetti was summoned before the overseer of the factory , on the ground of his refusal to pay the sum claimed by AvANzr , of fifteen baiocclii , or sevenpenee halfpenny . Simonetti did not deny that AvAXZi ' had some claim upon him , but disputed the amount . At last the overseer proposed , as an amicable compromise , that Stmonktti should pay seven- baiocchi , as a settlement in full , sooner ' than have a formal investigation . Both pnrties gladly adopted the suggestion , and returned to their work apparently satisfied . An hour and a half after , whilo Avakzi- was sitting at

    his frame , with his face to the wall , Sijionetti entered the room with an axo lie had picked up in the carpenters' store , and walkingdeliberately up to Avanjsi , struck him across the neck as l | e , was stooping down . Almost immediate death ensued , and on the arrival of the guard , Sijro'isnr was arrested sit-once , and .. placed in irons . With what the report calls justly ' < laudable celerity , " the caso waa got ready for trial in n week , and ori the 30 th of July the Civil and Criminal Court of Civita Vecchin met to try tho prisoner . There could lie no concoivnblo question about the case . The murder had been committed in a crowded room , tind , indeed , the prisoner

    confessed his guilt , and . only plendod gross provocation oh an excuse There was no- proof , however , that Avaxzi had used irritating language ; and even if ho , had , too long a time had elapsed between tho supposed offence and tho revongo takon for provocation to servo as an excuse Indeed , as tho sentonco of the Court argues , in somewhat pompo . ua lang'ungo , ' Woe to civil intercourse and human society , if , contrary to every princip le of reason and justice , an attempt to enibrco one ' s just and leg-nl rights by honest menus wore once admitted us an extenuating * circumstance in tho heaviest , crimes , or as a BufHciuxit cause for exciting pardonable provocation in tho heart of criminals . " The tribunal , too , considers that tho crime of

    tho prisoner ia aggravated by tho fact that his mind was not impressed " by tho horrors of his residenco , or tho dreadful aspect and and fellowship of his thousand unfortunate companions in guilt , oi ; by tho flngmut penalties imposed upon him for so many crimes . On all thoso gwmiaf-i tho Court declares tho prisoner guilty ot tho wilful ururder of Avjvnssi , nwd sentences' him to death . ' On the morrow this eentonco is convoyed to Simontotu , who appeals . With considerable expedition , tho Supromo Tribunal meet to'honr tho caso on tho * 23 rd September , Tho pnsonor alleged before this Court , that bin indignation hnd Leon excited by improper proposals nindo to liim by tho murdered wan , and that it was on this account that their partnership had Tbopn dissolved . HesHloa oortnin inhoront improbabilities in this story , tho Court decided that

    it was incredible that , if true , SliipNETTl should not have brought it forward at his first trial . The appeal was therefore dismissed , and thei sentence of death Confirmed . 'This sentence was notified to the prisoner on the 18 th of November , who again appeals to the higher Court , which meets on the ' 29 th of the same month . This ' Court at oiie ' e decided that there was ' no ground for supposing the crime was not committed with malice prepense . It is not stated whether the sentence ' was submitted to the Pope or not ; but on . the 20 th of January , 1860 , the rejection of his final appeal is notified to the prisoner ; and on the 21 st the execution takes place , and the report is published . Now , if I had wished solely to have decried the Papal system of justice , I should not have given the report of the last trial , which seems to me far the most favourable specimen of the set I have come across . I have little doubt that all the criminals whose cases

    I have narrated were guilty of the crimes alleged against them , and fully deserved the fate they met . My object , however , has been to point out certain reflections on the Papal system , which must , I think , force themselves on every one who has read these cases carefully . The disregard for human life , the abject poverty , and the wide-spread demoralization throughout the Roman people indicated by these stories : the great protraction of the trials , and the utter uncertainty about their . date of occurrence ; the unsatisfactory nature of the evidence , and the identity between the Court and the

    prosecution ; the want of any cross-examination ; the abuse of the unlimited power of appeal ; the extent to whkh this appeal , from a lay to a clerical Court , places justice virtually in the hands of the priests , and the utter absence of any check on injustice through publicity- and , finally , the secret and private character of the whole investigation , are all things patent to the most careless observer . If such is Papal justice when it has no reason for concealment , and has right ou its side , what would it . be in a matter where injustice was sought to be perpetrated and concealed ?

    March 10, 1s60.1 The Leadei' And Saturda...

    March 10 , 1 S 60 . 1 The Leadei' and Saturday Analyst . 233

    A Dream Of Taxation. [As It Is The Objec...

    A DREAM OF TAXATION . [ As it is the object of this paper to encourage the free expression of those who have ixnver of thought and utterances , essays are occasionally admitted to which the editorial sanction may not be given in full detail . That an entire change of our fiscal system is needful—indeed , rather that a si / stem of taxation should be established—is a feeling fast gaining ground with all persons capable of judging in such matters . The principles of our contributor are undoubtedly sound , but the details of a new system require much deepey consideration than he appears to have bestowed on them , ; and we by no means think those proposed of value , . except as the roughest suggestions . ^—Kl > . J npHOTJGH Mr . Gladstojne is a gifted and conscientious man , and J- though his financial genius is considerable , yet manifestly it is not he who is destined to solve for us the great problem of taxation .

    In the first place , he is too crotchetty and casuistic—too inclined to the complex and the entangled . In the second , he is signally deficient in pitli , purpose , and persistency . . _ Theieading principles of taxation are the following : — Taxation should be as fairly apportioned and distributed as possible . . . , It should jiever interfere with the productive power of a country . It should never hamper si country ' s external or internal trade . It should never tempt to evasion or dishonesty . Taxes should bo levied at a minimum of cost , and throug-h the very simplest niachinery . .... ... , ., .,,. _ ., _ . moral considerations ot

    They should not be complicated with a pedantic , sectarian , phnrisaip kind . Surely our present taxes answer none of nil these requirements . They are exceedingly ' unfair : they are obstacles , not helps , to commercial intercourse ; they tempt the unscrupulous to cheat the Olovernnjent ; they aro levied at a maximum of cost , and in tho most complicated fashion ; and tliey are mixed up with all the cant of the conventicle , fill the humbug of the hypocrite ,, and moan in response to the " moaningof the JVlAwvvoims . . , ,.,,,. In a thorough , comprehensive reform of taxation tho first tiling wo should do would be to sweep , away the Custom-house , whioh we regard as a stupidity and n , barbarism . How absurd to talk of free trado while duties are paid on the export anc [ import of any article whatever ! England seeks to make herself tho gathering point of tho world ' s commerce ; and this is a noble aim .. Jiut it inust be an aim futile and fruitless as long as the Custom-house rises—ugly , idiotic ,

    and brutal—in the path of civilization . Tho Custom-house having fallen , the excisemen and other robbers would , along with the cuHtom-houso officers , have to look out for some bettor tnido than that of being troublesome . We should forthwith proceed to simplify . We should have in . London one grand department for the taxes , innloud of a host ot lesser and , it may be , clashing departments . To this one grand department tho Government tax-collector * nil over tho country would be immediately subject . The system of licenses might bo certain classes to tor

    made universal . Why should you force pay licenses , while so many others are exempted P But licenses for Ufa would often bo-bettor than licenses nnminlly paid for . Ahoy would immensely diminish tho labour of the collector , win o the person receiving tho license , having- once paid , would bo froo from all future anxiety . Lot ; an ijttornoy , for instance , pay a hnndvea pounds , and then lot him practise in any part ot the ««««» dominions ho chooses . There might nbo bo spqoiho hoon »«» ' m general licouses , according to oirounistniioos , If ai man only vaiitea to rail coftoo or to » , ho might nny so much « but if toj ^ SJ *™ a grocer in tho widest sonfle , then he would pay a grocer » license .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), March 10, 1860, page 13, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10031860/page/13/