The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-06-10
Strestor; Elias A. Black, Yorkville; w. ii.
Miller, Aurora: VIM. Reddick, Ottawa.
Lonsworth Pardoned.

| William Longworth, the man who was tried
in our circuit court last summer for his con-
nectiOn with the murder of a man named
Robinson, near La Sale, found guilty and sent
to the penitentiary for five years, has been
pardoned by Gov Palmer, and is now at
liberty. The case was an exceedingly hard
one in the first place, and although the cir
| cumstances We're such as to render a convic-
ton by a jury unavoidable, there is no doubt,
under all the surroundings, that il was very
proper occasion for the interpretation of ex-
ecutive clemency, and the action of the Coy
ernor is cordially approved by all who have
any knowledge of the facts.
There is, however. Il matter connected
with the procuring of this pardon Of Long
worth which we allude to with extreme pain
and reluctance, but which We dare not, in jus
tiCe to Gov. Palmer and others, pass over. The
Governor OF this state is paid for his services
Gy salary, which under the new constitution
is a liberal one, and Is entitled to no other
pay, fees or emoiuments. His Office should, at
all times, be open to all persons desiring him
to interpOse the executive clemency in their
own behalf or that of their friends, or for the
transaction of any other business which the
humblest individual as well as the wealthset
or highest in station, many have with the
Governor, and he is bound to attend to al
such Legitimate business, no matter how much
labor it may involve, free of charge. The
Governor is the servant of the people, and for
his services is entitled to no pay or fees, UNI
der any conceivable pretext, beyond his req
ular salary.
Governor Palmer is an honest man. fully
understands and appreciates his position, and
it is base SANDER upon him to hint that to
procure pardon, or his attention to any other
business in his official line of duty, fees, brides,
or the payment Of money in any other shape
or form is necessary Yet We have positive
information from such source as to preclude
all doubt, that an attorney Of this city, who
bore leading part in the defense of Long
worth on his trial, did go to his family and
relatives and tell them it would he necessary
for them to raise five hundred dollars to be
used ut Springfield to procure the pardon of
Longworth, and that relative of Longworth
thereupon did mortgage his property to raise
this amount of money, and that the attorney
alluded to now holds that mortgage
Now we state 1t as a positive fact, that the
petition for the pardon of Longworth was got
ten up, circulated and signed by leading cit
liens of Peru, La Sale and elsewhere. without
the aid of this attorney; that the petition
was sent to Springfield, there received the en-
dorsement of Senator Reddick, Representa-
tives Clark, Armstrong, Gallagher and we
presume also of Mr. Edgecomb, was present
by them to the Governor, and that solely on
their personal application and Enforcement of
the petition, was this pardon granted What
is the inference? Were there five hundred
dollars necessary to pay Gov. Palmer for
granting this pardon, or to pay Senator Red
dick, or Messrs. Clark, Gallagher, &C.? TO
say so is a base SANDER on these men which
in their name we hurl back with scorn What
then? The inevitable inference is that these
$500 were sheer eXtortion, little better than
highway robbery of the poer and needy.
We have but one more word to say to-day
on this subject. The evidence laid before our
representatives, and the Governor at Spring
field shows that $3.50 dollars were paid by
Lopgworth to subsdisc the Ottawa FREE
TRADER. the Ottawa Rtp@Iica" and Chicago
Times to manufacture public opinion in favor
of Lsngworth before the trial came of. AS
none of that money was ever offered to us nor
ever was intended to be, for the good reason
that the party who swindled poor Longworth
out of the amount knew very well that we
would have rejected it with scern, the cues.
ton is, what was doue with the money! Whe
got it, Was it cNtortcd as so much IN addi-
ton to the enormous fee that had already
been secured for defending Longworth9 We
pause for an answer.
The New York Tribune ia disnclined to un-