The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-07-27
1he Pardsnlag Power.

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That the pardoning power has frequently
been unwisely, and in some instances, reck-
lessly exercised BY some of the iormer Gov>
ernors of this State cannot be denied. 1t is
high prerogative, vested in the Executive
for wise and humane purposes and ought to
be cautiously and discreetly used. L: may
be made to subserve the legitimate ends OF
mercy, or it may be perverted into an in
strument dangerous to the peace and good
order of society. In the hands of wise and
prudent man, its exercise is not greatly to
be feared, but when welded by an Execu>
tive 50 conspicuously vain, weak and nm
scrupulous as John w. Geary, it becomes
an unnixed evil. It will be remembered,
that at the very commencement of his adj
ministration. he published set Of wise and
salutary rules, by which he said he would be
governed in lis exercise Of the pardoning g
power. He was not in office three months
until he violated every one of them, and
since that time they have been practically q
dead letter. Constant complaints have been
made of his. frequent and disgracsful prosti-
tuition Of this high POWER, and especially In
the city of Philadelphia. Last May, at the
dictation of the notorious William B. Mann,
he parGoned Brill, who had been convicted
of gross fraud on the ballot~box. Mann
threatened Geary that if he did not pardon
him, he (Mann) would prevent any resolu-
ton being passed by the Radical State Con-
vention endorsing Geary's administration,
and Geary surrendered at discretion and is
sued the pardon. For doing so he was un-
spacingly denounced by all the respectable
effort in the pardon line is the case of Will
liam Hart, one of the most dangerous char
acters and infamous thieves in Philadelphia.
As specimen Of what the radical press of
that city say about Geary's action in this
case. we publish the following sharp com
ments from the Evening Telegraph:
Hart, SO far from bong q man Of pre-
vious good ch aracter. industrious, quiet aud
inoffsnsive,' as the Governor represents him,
is one of the most notorious scoundrcls that
has ever infested this city. Upon his trial
the evidence was most clearly and unmis-
takably against him, so that not single
person in the court room had the slightest
doubt Of his guilt. Judge Pierce, who never
gives a very heavy sentence except when
the evidence is very positive and the crimi-
nal one who most richly deserves a severe
punishment, certainly thought Hart guilty
or he would not have imposed upon him the
extreme penalty of the law. Ia face of all
the well known facts of the case the Cover
nor presumes to liberate Hart, and to start
him again upon a course of depreciation, in
the assumption that there was a conspiracy
against him. and because Of his good char
acter. II the statements Of the pardon were
true. why were they not produced upon the
trial and if there was any doubt at all OF
| Hart's guilt, why were not the Judge and
the District Attorney consulted before the
pardon was granted ? Not to waste words
on the matter. the granting of this pardon
was a scandalous abuse of power upon the
part of the Governor, and, in connection
with his other extraordinary performances in
the Same line. if II proves nothing else, it at
least proves conclusively that Jno. w. Geary
is not a fit person to be entrusted with the
responsibilities of such an Cffice as that
which he now fills; and we hope that the
people Of this State are by this time so
strongly convinced of this fact that they will
take good care that after his retirement to
private life he shall never again have an op-
portunity to abuse great public trust Or to
disgrace an honorable and responsible Of
ficeD