New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-09-05
THE PAEDONING BUSINESS AN
ILIISTRATION.

Anewspaper rumor states that there are nearly
fifty thousand applications for pardon on file IN
Washington, and that they are coming In at
the rate of four hundred a day. This enumera-
ton will give us nearly hundred thousand ap-
plications to be decided when Congress meets.
The President finds time to pardon three or four
a day, which is about as much as could be e1-
pected with his much occupied time and his sin.
cere, earnest desire to do justice between
man and man. He cannot do more. But
when we consider that this rate Will require
nearly seventy years to pardon the hundred
thousand we see how impossible job 1t Is.
Notwithstanding the previous assurances, it
really seems that We are to have Pardoning
Bureau after all, and that John Wilson of
Chicago is to be at the head of it, Nay, more:
we are to have rush of business, for 90 a ma
chine has been invented to apply the name of
the President to pardons." This is the current
talk of the day, and we accept it in place of
any documentary information. A Bureau of
Pardon Machinery will be novel; and with
proper diligence we should have the Rebels
turned off into Union men. the Secession bark
scraped off and the surface polished at the rate
Of hundred day. John Wilson can scarcely
do better, and he will probably have his job
finished in about three years.
Fortunately, We have never had occasion
for such o great exercise of the pardoning
power as to require machine for its use. His
tory has had few great Rebellions and accord
ingly few Pardon-jobs. The Duke OF Cum
berland pardoned the Rebels at Culloden by
sending his cavalry into their midst and open
ing his artillery upon the flying masses. lie
was afterward called 1.-The Butcher'-bad
taste, many of our friends will say, who think
Grant made mistake in not doing the self
same thing to Lee. After the Monmouth Re-
BE- lion, We had an exhibition of Pardoning by
Machinery which forms one of Macaulay's most
graphic pictures. When the foolish boy Mon
mouth failed, England had what has since been
called "A Bloody Assze." The terror of this
Assize, with Jeiireys at the head Of it, made
every unfortunate Englishman who had had
anything to do with the Rebellion hurry to
London to be pardoned. The Whitehall and
Westminster jobbers had rare time. Even the
ladies took part. Every poor wretch of rebel
was taxed and fleeced, and made to impoyerlsh
himself, before he became once more an English
citizen. The maids of honor, the servants, the
courtiers-everybody who had the ear Of the
king or a minister, rated that influence at the
highest figure. Ii we had room TO print the
whole narrative it would make our Washington
jobbers shed tears and wish for the good old
times We make the Illustration for what it is
worth President johnson has put his foot
down, recalling one pardon which had been
procured by broker for fee. But President
Johnson cannot do everything. With all his
honesty he will be hoodwinked. His dctermi-
nation will not stop pardon brokerage, but only
make the brokers more careful. We shall have
no engagements, nor fees, nor business con-
tracts, but understandings '-debts of honor,
magnificent dinners at Wormley's or elsewhere.
A. b. knows that, if he can procure apardon for
c. d., the wealthy cotton-dealer, his wife will
certainly receive thousand dollar ring from
auction) may be sold to the admring virtuoSo
C. d. for large sum. Won't they do itf
There IS too much money in the thing for them
to be frightened by the stamp of Johnson's
foot.
How much more easy, clean and nice is the
amendment We propose. We do not want
bureaus nor machines nor pardon-brckerS, but
a simple proclamation setting forth that certain
Rebels, for the good Of tao country, arr