New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-07-21
THE TRIBUNE.
lew. York Constitutional Convention.
SEVENTH wEgK-XXXlXrH DkY.

The Pafd0nlnS PoWef-Ld" dS IL -
son-Checks on Pardons-HalFs CaSe-Crlihe
and Cash in England-Laws oil Dlslriouilon-
The Two Thirds yote-C0mmlttees Ia and i.-
W P. Hallet-Flags on Financc-Where the
Money Goes Funds in hand" and Securl-
ties (" new DefntiOn-Canal Revenue.
ALBANY, July la.h, l5is-sa.urday.
tn he Editor Of The TribuHs
Sir. The Pardoning Power was again under con
alteration to-day. ! wish they would look little
into the Educational Power. the Moral Power over
the minds OF the young, and the Intellectual Power,
~ be Frightened up like the diamond the lepidary
,ha, would be the true way 10 lessen the necessity
for pardous for it would lessen the quantity Of crime
There is much done 10 extend useful knowledge,
bu, far TOO tle considering the IMMENSE moral and
physical advantages the society has obtained through
Its past efforts. How different even In this Con.
ven,ion, would be the mode Of reasoning. if the
elements Of the scence OF legislation were gathered
up, arranged, and attempted 10 be generally taught
In our fifteen thousand schools
The speeches were, some OF them, rather tedious,
bot the importance Of the subject seemed 10 war,
rant the fullest discussion. Various amendments
were agreed to, and not few were rejected. ~
the whole people Of New-Yorh could see, as I 40
daily, able, honest, and experienced lawyers o.is.
ing as 10 what is ADD ought to be law ana "hetII
words and sentences have, or would nave Inns
meaning or that if applied in this way or lna', 'ney
would with one voice declare, We must ana VIII
obey no laws except such as are con- Pf'seo III oei
tain books 10 be named and sanctioned oy us
our representatives" Gods law isdcciared oy the
clergy 10 be recorded only IN ine nioe, anu ' nc
hooH of Nature. The English law, ooeyed by
A nericans. is contained in from one TO ten thou,
.and different volumes, and what and how many oil
these volumes DO contain IT, and what II - "hen
you have agreed the volumes, no hail dozen OF
LAWYERS en- this earth have ever agreed. LIE! as In
,Lo,g raa nricana nat
their LEGAL bible authorized by the Country, and
which any man may open and reao. Messrs
WHITE. CgATYIELD WARD &c.-the Seec, Com
mi,tee on Goodwill, it is said. be soon ready to
submit some plan whereby the scourge OF IN
KNOWN laws and judicial discretion, may, at some
future time, be removed from as ano our cnidfeh
There was again, to day, as On & former day, sew
eral references made the crime OF State treason,
as defined in the statutes and referred TO In the Con
s,itution. Many pamphlets were placed On the
DESKS Of members, containing legal argument In
which il was asserted that high treason against
State can have no existence.
Mr. STow wished 10 strike out thai provision
which required the Governor to give his reasons.
Mr. STEPHENS said, that il the Governor when
he granted pardon for crime. knew that the Legs
lature were empowered to demand from nun MS
reasons for granting that pardon. and might DO So
he would grant none that he could not give sucn
reasons for as would be likely to be satisfactory to
the people. When he vetoes bill he states reasons
believed TO be in accordance with public sentiment
and public justice.
The Convention negatived Mr.. Slows motion
72 10 90.
Mr.. HAwLEY proposed an amendment &c section
;, TO prevent pardons from being granted Until the
intention 10 apply had been made known to the pub
lie for some time, especially TO the neighoorhood
where the convict had been resident and commit
ted the crime. He siateda case where young man
of skill and talent bad been Tor ten years scourge
1 LII ant 1nFtr m
victed. and sent to the Auburn State Prison: be
soon protested to be convert TO religion, and was
said that he WINS often found reading his Bible, and
that he wanted pardon in order lhaI he might go
forth and save sinners, by prct hing TO perlshnS
sinners the gospel of Christ. "A secret application
was made for his release unknown 10 his old neigh
bors and the then Governor endorsed on The npplica
zion rather favorable answer, and his successor Ia
Office was Induced he said chiefly by that endorse
men to pardon this young ielon, (Alonzo Hall who
took TO preaching with all his might
and after he had continued al ii four or five weeks,
he united with it the more lucrative trade oil horse.
stealing. He got together congregation, preached
10 Them. and stole n span of horses, somewhere on
the confines Of Ohio. on lake Eric. was caught ana
is now serving out in the State Prison OF ONO, Ill
Columbus, the five years he ought TO nave served
q, Auburn. MIR. Hawley referred TO other cases, in
which, had the neighborhood interested been made
aware of the applications, the convicts would pro,
badly not have been let loose again upon society
The Convention voted down MIR. Ha"cy' 8 amend
ment.
The commitals for SERIOUS CRIMES in Scotland in
1905. numbered only e9--in ls4a. they were 1884,,
Similar commiitals in England, Wales and Ireland
in laO5, numbered .205-in SAG they had Increased
TO 5272l. Peels income tax returns show 10000
persons whose property must be over worm over
eighleen thousand millions OF dollars. for they pos
sess among them, and are assessed on yearly IN
come of due thousand millions of dollars, or Sli2s5
per annum each, on an average. While these 10000
persons and their connections walow in wealth,
seven millions of the British people, being one fourth
of the entire population. are, as Backwood stated
in May 1915 In state of restitution or painfully
supported by legal relief Might not British stalls
tics. showing advance Of population OF only 40
per cent and of crime 100 per cent, caution this
State TO think seriously OF the laws of distribution
and the tenures Of landsl The regulation OF the
pardoning power is great question but is not The
proper distribution of wealth among the people.
with checks 10 inordinate accumulation afar greater.
What have the Convention done TO improve the
condition Of the millions here in the sevens weeks
they have sat Literally NOTHING.
You stated the particulars Of vast accumulation
OF misery and desiiiution in New York last Win
ter. | remember In recent w inter there that over
so 600 persons received public charity. Much
DO done, through constitutional enacments, to les,
sen crime and misery-but do not see even be-
ginning of the work, by the responsible majority
as Mr.. Chslhed calls the caucus men of this we'll
informed body of delegates.
MIR. CHArFIELp proposed TO give the Governor
power TO commute ons sentence for another, and fix
conditions Of pardon.
MIR. MORRIS would allow the Governor pow.
er of placing condition upon bis pardon 10
send out of the State those criminals who had been
disgorged upon US from some other state or foreign
country to depreda,e upon US. Gentlemen from
New.York were aware that in that City there was
class of pickpockets who came from London aud
who were among the most genteel citizens; and IN
the case of the murder OF whole family on Long
Island, tho murderer was found 10 be convict from
another country, who had commi,ied the ssme crime
at home. In instances like these, the Governor
should have power TO send such persons back
whence they came"
Mr.. CRATrlELp's amendmen, was lost Sc TO 81.
stated in my letter of Thursday, that | had
severe headache. On reading the reference made
to Mir, Pauersons remarks, find thai he is made 10
Interpret enormously the effect OF the wo,hirds
clause now in the Constitution. by means of which
the Legislature can nuiliiy Governors veto. He
said that IS members form quorum of the Assem-
bly,, and Il of the Senate-that the Constitution 81
lows TWO thirds OF quorum to pass BILL although
vetoed BY Governor, that is, "two-thirds of the
members present in each House-that two,thirds
Of the Assembly may thus mean any number be.