New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-04-15

>AS>9~A~SAo
arrogant, aud SO indignant becaus
Isaac Sadler has been pardoned of tn
stupendous ofense of shooting COW, hat
been attending to their own business il
time, they might, perhaps, have avertet
some of the releases which now so worr,
them. The pardon Of fifty prisoners il
one year in great State like this, with
an ample list to select from, is not grea
matter. But great or small, if sufficient
reasons existed for the pardon of even q
greater number, We hope our Governor
would have had the nerve and Justice to
do it. There are cases in which man
has an actual right to a pardon, and
doubtless the majority of those who have
been set at liberty within year had es-
tablished some sort of claim of this
kind.
We believe Governor Kellogg takes the
ground that he can exercise the pardon
ing power only during the session of the
Senate. Hence all the cases have been
reported at one time. Some of them date
back a long time. The Dicksons, for in
stance, convicted of killing Thomas C.
Kirk, We're pardoned by Governor War
moth, and had been running at liberty
for several months. Lately, however.
Senator Thomas, General Bragg and other
relatives requested Governor Kellogg to
send the pardons to the Senate for confr
nation, which was done, and the consti-
tutional advice and consent obtained. A
number on the list were convicted and
sentenced by courts composed of officers
commissioned by McEnery. Under the
decision of the Supreme Court in the case
of lack McFarlane, these convictions
were Illegal, and the prisoners, never hay
ing had fair trial, were entitled to their
discharge.
We do not hold, with the Governor
that his power to pardon is limited to the
time the Senate is in session, believing
that an error may be cured at any time;
yet as he acts upon his own construction,
it throws the reports of all the releases
upon he.public at the same time when
the proceedings Of the executive session |
are made public. Doubtless much of the
advice offered the Governor in favor of |
prisoners has been questionable. Yet it
came mainly from judges and iuries
who tried the cases; from ministers of the
gospel, and these were largely reinforced
~ that very numerous class of men in this
'ity who are proverbial for signing any pa
Der that does not contain subscription. A
gentleman who knows some of our "mer-
hants, bankers and shrewd fnanciers,'
4olds himself ready to undertake to pro-
ure five hundred signatures in favor
f the St. Philip canal one day, and the
anne names in support of Eads' jetties the
ext. If the occasion be petition to a
Judge, to Congress or to an actress praying
er to accept a complimentary benefit, it
) all the same. The polite old gents sign
gaily, including petitions for
ardons; everything, in short, except an
litigation to pay money. But this is the
'eakest defense the Governor could make
case he thought proper to defend at all.
n recent occasion, in one of the coun-
y parishes, the most indignant persons
meeting of citizens for the purpose of
assing resolutions condemnatory of a
ardon were three or four who had sionn1
petition to the Governor asking for it.
'e believe, however, they had this excuse
Y their conduct; the offense for which
le convict was sentenced was against
'me negroes. What aroused their ire
as the ungrateful fellow came back and
ole some of the old and respectables a
'rses. That made great difference, of a
'urse.