, 1875-12-29

Its Exercise Mt the Joliet PGnitcn
tlstry on ChriasusnR- nay.

111 1sEGfEl$C III TIC IOIfGG FGn4tCI1e
tl1try on Christ usrlK- Nay.
10 tht Ediior " 4hs Chlraao 7rsbu,e:
CnlcAao, Dec. 29.-Pcrmlt rno to tako exccp-
ton 10 your article In this mornings Issue, Gu
titled "Tlo Abuse Of tllo rardoning powcr."
WAS 30 fortunate as TO Lo present ut tho poul~
tentinry iu Jolie! Inst Suudaf, when tic men
Butler and Gallagher zero patdnncd, and cau
beat ata,o tie ground Of my objection to tie
artlclo mentioned by nnrrasnR briefly what took
place.
Tho eccna Is familiar enough TO u1any,--1, 400
conviclB gathered ip QUO room, aud tho scoro or
moro Of kaspery,-but tho circumstances attend
Ing their assembling on that Hrccial occasion aro
exceedingly rare. II uaB well known TINT one
OF moro pardouH would be granted at tho Christ
maa seaRop l,ut who would obtuin then, OF
courso only tho Warden could hayo told. After
prayer, Bong, au1 an address by
goutlenau uot clergyman, tho War;
den arose to epeak 10 kho prisonerB- You
may imng,us Tie quiet OF that room. You
may call tie eceno "pathcto u; 1t was not that,
but exceedingly impressive. Let mo say just
here that, previous to my witnessing tho scene
Of laet Eunday. WAS most earliest advocate OF
the removal Of tho pardoning powos with refer
epce 10 mon convicted ct murder but now, for
REASONS which shall state, hold luto tho con-
trary opinion. Thu Warden said. 'Thoro Ia no
man hors who looa not hope At somo tluo to go
out Srum tlla Institution a FREQ man. Somo Will
20 Away before New-Year's, ,-1nany 10 fow
snontls all lopo to he froe ut sonc time"
Within 10 foot OF where eat, 8 man. a tnen'bor
OF the choir, bit his lip, and, closing his oyos,
norvpus1y ailook Ills head most nadly at tho
words, iie 1eomed TO havo no hope Of PARTON !:
yot the fact reluainh "A,l hope to bo frso It
y r1nt> kt,o ftnk
ho hold q letter iu his haud from
nuo OF tho moa pardoncd laat Christm ~.
lI,s story Of q ycar's freedom was briefly this
..Faithtul work At his tralo Of cooper, In CHI
cago and. dcspito tho hsri times. q bauh-ac-
count of $aoO. Query: Did the Governor do
wrong IN paruunlng that manf
1he Warden TOOK lls pardon from biz pocket,
and, giaucing at the, anl: "Thtt IL for man
committed Tor iifo who, during sill hiy service Of
repl0ot, no rebuke, no rcprimand.' His whole
conduct had bean OF tho most exemplary kind.
What tlls chiot motive to that luAn TO DO 40
hu had done7 Not 40 much 10 avoid present
poDaltIes al the hops of PARDON.
pass over tlls dramatic scene OF The mana
coming forward 10 receive hts pardon, and loave
that for those who. seeing only that, fail to READ
the hltdou Lesson Which oyery prisoner reau'
and AM sure, ptoAted by.
"The heeolld u for man committed Tor
twenty years." sal t4e Tardep,-une who, ii
the earlier patt. OF hip conGneuenL uns whRt
you call d hard cass, Ae uas punished three
Nmau III ono ycAr, '-he cnused tho officers of
the PRISON great ttoub!s,-..t but he at iaat
| turned right. about face : anl from that day,
nearly eight yeats ago. ho hau den,eened him
sell ~ wull ~ We could dcslro. Hn Ass ntatercd
Ills trnde, hud tlltre lH net botttr bt0ua-cuttot
| III tho State,"
Now, II ron pieaso, do We mt acc why they
vere patdonod2 And oueh. you 10 hive iu-
Weighed 70 strongly against tue Goyefnor. whon,
| a. sou ooploIs, you did not know the REASONS 7
! Eyidnnty tue teasonB wore reward for good
behavior 70 tho men Themselves, and an lncen-
| tive 10 othsss to do ~ well aud nestt the hAme
favor.
| the man con,n,ittea tor hsh, OF for long term
ct yasfs. should best deserve tAesa pa1doas, for
they have thu greatest Incentive to good be-
| havtor ! whslo man committed for ASe OF tan
yoars will only haye deserved 1t II The tune his
sentence pxpirea. ........... =. .--
maintalt' that the subjects selected Tor par
dou were MtBely chonen the ons COMMITTED for
| lifs snd psrtloued for uniformly good conduct !;
the other. on long aentsnre, lAtaouod for con"
| duet conmendablo because of his earlier inla-
| deeds.
lhs lessou which all this tsusht Ia too evident
| to ncel nuy lntyrp1e,er. Tsko Tho 1nan whoul
instsneed earlier, whose every esety omolion be-
| tokcneA despalri still we know that eyen he has
hope aud svarJ man whose ssntence extended
| beyond low yeaEs mtlst hnvo said, ~ may yss
! obtain paldoD il only l ttcsorvs it,"
\ IL W0ul1 10 ullNC41S ~ 1lAAK1AH @Q&s CoAktul
the prison authorities could have over men cola-
mttsd on long terlps. eoulu they nos hold out to
them tA!s hops OF pastiun. No system OF pun
| ithments, no sn,ount of direct moral influence.
! Gan compare III efficacy, upon such men. with
tllts QUO faat possibility Of ono day having par
| don.
caunoe hut bolteyo that csndid exam'na-
ton OF such faeta Will convinto Auy one ttat tho
right to grunt par1o,.a il wisely bestowed upon
tho Governor. fu yo's aot see tina. your ualu
! point, Abont EfteeA-tlolIar crlneH, falls when
I you consider that no nan could deserve par.
don in loss than eight or tsu 1ssrs3 And efuu
then 1t IL Hisxr u tho Governor to exercise hls
ciemtucy toward tloAa co1uluttte1 for life Or
| long tsrma rather than upon thoae who will, III
any event, 90 ffee iu sao Ut tlreo or oson five
yeAEe.
Nov, it IN only eotnctdenca produced BY INV
that msy, consnittud iur nutler. and nlsu sery,
ing long or Ilfo HsuteIctH, kro aud The tAnla
persons. Tho psrlou has uuth1ug - do with the
o1enac. The prisoner iY not pa1doued jor hta
crime, bat from hlJ itnprisonntti.A
These msu have solssl eight or sen years. It.
tsudiu8 faithfully 10 a trade and mastering il
shereby oceonllux fof the tEet time In theii
liver perhaps, really men independents Of others
help. You cannot honestly b>lese that thero II
},Itf, t1,at al,