The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1877-10-09

Something That Should b Con-
0idorod in Connection With the
Pardoniug Power.

II has been frequently stated Of late that
. laree proportion of the v,sal'onds roam-
ing the country are ~x -convic's. IL will be
remembered that in ihi. Stale. under the
operation of the three-fourths rule, any
prisoner sho behaves himself veil while
in confinement, and discharxes his duties
in . way to give the least trouble To his
keepers, shall BE- liberated in the discretion
Of the Executive. At the expiration OF
three -fourths ii his time. Hy the opera
ton Of this rul. many convicts are turned
loo.e upon society before their term Of
service l-xiiimaiely expires. The question
very naturally arises, is this
PROPER THIS. TO DO?
The BAzoO has been at some pains to col
late the criminal statistics Of this and some
If the adjoining Stsir~, With reference 10
the convici element in its relations to 40
cisiy after its release frGm imprisonment.
II will In seen from an examination III the
i..ok. al tue rrnii-niiary officials. that
sixty r. CENT. al the burglars par,loned in
this State return tn the institution within
year 81 their liberation: forty per cent
within nine months, and ten per cent.
within six months. In csses Of grand
larceny the showing Is not more favorable.
The statistics are essentially different in
regard tn al other crimes. In Illinois the
exh;bi, is even more appalling than in Mis-
souri,. There. over fifty per cent. Of the
burxians return within nine months from
the rericd OF their committed liberation
In Indiana il il about City PER cent. in
wear in Iowa, not more than forty per
cent. II will h- sen from this that burg
lar or thief
VERY RARELY REFORMS.
The reason for il il apparent. They come
from clas. al the community where edu-
cationsl and religious Influence are only
slightly felt, IL felt At all. But putting
these rrformatory appliances out Of
the question altogether. they sre
o~trscined BY society, and having supped
the cup Of shame To its very drrgs, have M
restraining influences TO hold them back.
Il has, n previously stated,
he~n repeatedly asserted that
= large percentage of the irsmI~ roaming
over the country sre ex convicts- They
are the mo-, vicious and depraved creatures
On earth. They
REVISE To WORK.
and when they obtain nothing by begging.
invariably rrsort to theft The question
naturally arises, what eosh does society de-
rive from this condition of thing? What
bene6, are there pardoned criminals to any
community? 1t is true that Governor
PHELPS has announced his intention Of
allowing tie benefits Of the three-fourths
rule to M criminal q second time. But
that does not meet the exigency. In moss
cases, convicts for burglary and larceny
are sentenced for period Of one OF two
year,. BY the Limitations Of the Law. OF
the exercise Of executive clemency, this is
abridged t. three fourths Of that time-in
many cases to less than year-in most
Cases, 10 les than Two years. These dis
graced and abandoned vretches are then
turned loose upon society again to work
their will stripped Of whatever restrain
ing influences they ever had around them
before, reckless of the future, aud utterly
abandoned, 20 far a. the past can affect
them. That the lac Is unwise, il evident.
But What remedy there is tor il, or what
shall take its place, is quite another thing
That Is question our Law givers will have
to determine m the future.