New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-03-18
THE PARDONING POWER.


State showing tie communications, pardons ana
repricyes granted BY Ex-Governor Seymour
during the last year Of his administration. This
document is replete with facts which cannot
fail to be of general interest.
The tabular statements annexed to the report
show 26s instances Of the exercise of this power
in behalf of convicts during the year 1854.
In 62 of these cases, the parties were restored
to all the rights Of citizenship. In ia cases
the criminals were pardoned. In 81 instances
the sentences were committed. One was case
of simple reprieve.
Twenty-Five Of the restorations to ctizNl-
ship Is of the pardons. and As OF tho com
mutations were granted after the election OF
Gov Fenton, and before his Inauguration.
The az combinations subsequent to the
election exceeded the number of all The
communications during the ten months preced-
ing. The periods to which the terms OF i'm
prisonment were reduced by Gov. Seymour in
AZ of these cases. were such that the COM
mutations were to take effect by the liberia
ton of the criminals during the administration
of his successor Thus, nine of them were to
be discharged in January, eight in February,
five in March, nine in April, and so on, from
time to time, during the term Of Gov. Fonton.
Gov. Seymour was doubtless right in holding
that there was nothing in these cases to justify
the immediate liberation Of the cOnyicts. lie
had clear authority so TO abridge the respective
terms of sentence, that the prisoners would be
discharged, from time to time, during the
official term of his successor; and ii Is fair to
presume that he exercised that authority ju-
diciously.
Some complaint has been made of the dis
charge Of convicts since the commencement of
Gov FentonS term, by those who were not
familiar with the established practice on this
subject, and the prospective effect of comnuta-
tons, as distinguished from immediate pardons.
Any such complaint is unjust toward him, and
would probably have been unjust if aimed at
his predecessor in Office.
The power to grant papdons, reprleves and
communications is not only benign in its nature,
as a mode, in appropriate cases. of mitigating
the rigor of the law and temperng justice with
mercy. Int it is alSo at times essential, TO the
end that the innocent may be relieved from con-
victions which afterward prove to have been
unjust.
This power is wisely committed to the Chief
Magistrate, and as tho circumstances Oh which
its exercise depends, and the representations on
which he acts i'll each particular case are known
TO him and unknown 10 the public at large,
every presumption is in favor of perfect good
faith in the discharge of so delicate and diff
cult duty. We have no reason to doubt that
Coy. Seymour exercised this discretion with
fairness and fidelity-though it is possible that
involuntary errors may have occurred occasion
ally in passing on so large number of applica-
tions--and especially, as nearly fifty of them
were disposed of by restoration, pardon or
communication amid the pressure Of other ex-
acting duties during the last neeL of an active
official term.
The tables appended to the report of the
Secretary of State illustrate the variety Of such
applications and show that no class Of crimes is
so heinous, and no order of criminals 20 infa-
nous that active influences cannot be invoked
10 solicit Executive clemency for the offenders.
Gov. Seymour took occasion, at the recent in
auguration Of his successor, TO warn him, in the
first paragraph of his valedictory address at the
capitol, that the elevated position to which he
had been summoned by the popular will was
lone of anxiety and toll, and that one Of the
onerous t1uties imDOspd IN the ncnmbcnt was
"to listen to thousand pleas for pardon, which
are urged at all times, and in all places, where
hearing can be gained for tho sacred rights Of
misery and suffering cannot be restrained by
rules OF methods"
Some Of the results deduced from these
tables lead US almost TO doubt whether
rules and methods might not be devised TO
shield the Executive from the unreasonable in
trusion of the sacred right, Of "misery"-ss
represented in the persons of detected rogues-
and of suffering" awarded in expiatIOn Of
broken laws TO convicted felons, as the fore
warned penalty Of guilt.
These tables disclose facts OF much general
interest in connection with the statistics of
crime.
OF the 26S cases in which applications for
clemency were granted by Gov. Seymour in
seven counties which embrace our principal
cities. OF these, ~ were from New-York and
Kings, 81 from Erie, "a from Albany, -
from Monroe, III from Rensselaer,, and from