Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-04-03
PardOned COnYiets.


cy towards imprisoned convicts Heartless and
unprncipled politicians often. the vindic-
tiveness of the people, and successfully appeal
to this passion 10 effect their purposes. The
worship Of gold, has hardened the hearts OF
the people and blinded their eyes, till they think
the chief end of man, is the acquisition Of
property, and the chief end of government, its
protection. 1t must therefore, be protected at
whatever hazard or suffering to individuals sus-
pectcd, or convicted Of violating this, to them,
most sacred of all rights.
Doubtless, the man who disregarding reason |
and Justice recklessly tr6es with thel liberty
or even property of his fellows, should be re-
strained; and IL possible, educated to happier
life. The victims Of our penal laws arc gener-
ally unfortunate specimens of intellectual and
moral dclornity. These organic deformities,
society has rather aggravated, than alleyiatcd!-
1t has presented little to attract and improve tho
good and much to agravate the evil ofits victims.
For their offences it has arraycd itself against
them as an implacablc enemy. For slight Of
fences, it blasts all character and thus removes
all hope and all nducement for improvement.
1t finds it easier to doom the man for term
of years or for life to the solitary cell, than to
correct those evils in itself, which present the
strong temptation to wrong doing.
The child bosn with defective conscientious
ness is no more to be blamed, than he who is
born with imperfect limbs. And he has equal
claim upon us for aid in its cultivation and de-
/ tl,o hill xNhn Ia haru with de-
fcctive sight, hearing, or articulation. We have
noble institutions where the blind are taught to
read, the dumb and the deaf tO communicate
and even intelligence is developed from what
has heretofore been thought hopeless idiocy.-
We should have institutions where all the NOR
al faculties, could be developed, cqualized and
harmonized whcro the deformites Of moral
monsters should be reduced.
Our pcnitcntarics can hardly claim to be
such institutions, nevertheless If the Governors
Of our states find this work progressing in any
of the inmates of ihe prisons, or, that for other
causes, the odiousncss of restraint should be re-
moved, it is certainly one Of the most God'likc
of their duties to remit their imprisonment and
for such acts of humanity they should receive
honor, and not vilifcation. The executive has
far better opportunities of judging of the pro-
pricty of their enlargement, than the court and
jury which condemned them.
These remarks have been suggested and their
Justice is fully sustained by the following COM
muncat;on from the Warden of the Ohio Pen.
itentiary. Within the last fifteen months, III 3
persons have received the benefit OF executive
clcmcncy from Governor Woods. OF this num-
bcr not one has as yet been returned. liberty
is treasure too dear to all intelligent beings to
imperative necessity.
From the Ohio State Journal.
Newspaper articles hive become some
} what frequent OF late, censuring tho Cover
t nor for pnrdoning convicts out OF tie Peni-
Q .entiary; and cuses are generally cited to
show how indiscreetly Executive elemcucy
has been exercised. These cases nre almost
: always very enormously stated, probably from
u the fact of having been the result Of rumOi
d rather than reliable information.
: Tue Governor may be, aud probably is occa
q sonally deceived us TO the character of solnt
of those pardomed; but, us an evidence thn
y this is not of very frequent occurrence, no
u one has been returned to this Prison who wa,
s pardoned by Our present Chief Magistrate
IS and this seems rather remarkable, thut, undel
i the embarrnssmenis, the difficulties, and the
= oppression ofpublic opinion, and in the mids
OF the most ulluring temptations, and will
all the Jealousy, prejudice, aud not unire-
u quently muice, that awaits discharged con
" vict, out of one hundred and thirteen par
|, doned since the LIST of December, 1850, M
" 10 the present time, not one has found hi.
way back to this place as prisoner.
" Ii is extremely mortibing to me 10 hea
q these attacks, for ] am sensitive OH this sub
m ject. know something about the prisoner
l. here confined, and can feel for them. TheN
j. are not all the "unmitgated scoundrels" AM
- villains we nre told about; aud can say, 10
know il 10 be so, that where one is pardon
" ed that ought to remain here, twenty at leas
III are left here that ought to be pardoncd.
as Because a human being has been unfortu
,e nate in his education, associations aud habits
or if he be deeply ilnbued in crime, shall h
receive no leniiy, no encouragement?
4 punishment to be unrelentiDg, unending?
conceive this not 10 be in accordance wit
ie the spirit of the age in which we live.
10 The Governor needs no justification or dc
is icnce from me. lie will probably get alon
n, very comfortably without il. But imagin
or if every one could be Governor awhile, O
:. were as well acquainted with his trials, an
So unpleasant and difficult duties in regard l.
~ this prerogntive, or with The conditions an
s. characters of those for whom application
IN are made as am, and had hearts TO feel fo
l. and sympathise with the unfortunate, ther
would be less said about the indiscriminat
exercise of Executive clemency. This hay
written because these assaults upon the par
doning power affect, to some extent, III
O. prospects of many who ought to be set O
A. liberty, and whose prospects regret to sc
o. blighted. ID. w. BROWN, Harden.
il o. r., March l6, 1852.
Colonisation.-A writer in the National Into
he ligencer seems quite over-joycd, that Ne