The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-07-31
THE pARDONING POWER.
Answering the SANDERS of Political
Charlatans.
Figures Will Not Lie, and the Hon. John
e. NeG Furnishes Them.
OFFICE SECRETARY OF STATE, I
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, July ., 1873. !


INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, July ., 1878.
To the Editor of the Sentinel:
SIR-SO much has been said and so many
false statements made regarding the exercise
of the pardoning power by Governor Will
mans, it is just that full, fair and candid
statement of the facts should be made pub
lie. 1t has been charged that the record of
pardons issued by Governor Williams has
been Kept sscreted, and that the public
have been refused an inspection of
the same. This statement is Who'll
ly false. All the records pertaining
to the granting of pardons have been kept
among the other public records of this office,
and at all times open to public inspection.
AS regards the records in the governors
Office, they are private, belonging to him in-
dividually, from which he makes his report
to the legislature. This record in the gov
ornor's Office was first kept during Governor
Bakers administration. During the admin
istration of Governor Morton the records of
pardons were so imperfectly kept that it is
extremely difficult to ascertain anything
about them. In order that the pub
lie may form some idea of
how the records were kept during
! Governor Morton's administration, we pro-
duce the following entry, made on page 81,
of record +, register of pardons and cOmmu-
tatlons:
These pardons are taken from memoranda
kept by Z. p. Jacobs, private secretary to Gov
ernor Morton. He did not keep full memoir
anda. W. h. HOLLOWAY, Col. a. ID. e.,
GOVERNOR MORTON.
January 8, 1867.
DuriDg the time Of CovarnOr Hap1rioksi cd
ministration his private secretary, Mr.. Sam
uel R. Downey, has kept complete record of
all pardons granted in the governors office,
and during my term secretary of state
We have kept in this office a full and COM
plete record, including copy of the pardon
Issued and this record has been kept open
10 the public the same as all the other
records OF this Office. II has also been
charged that Governor Williams has been
exceedingly liberal in the exercise of the
pardoning power, and has grossly abused
this privilege as conferred on'him by the
constitution of the state. We propose to
answer this charge by a comparison. In the
the year 1869 there were confined in the
state prison:
North ''.'.''oo5
In the states prison south.
During that year Governor Baker issued
so pardons.
In the year 1871 there were confined in the
states prison 3lS
In the states prison SOuth-.................3 80
6sS
During this year Governor Baker issued 50
pardops.
In the year 1871 there were confined in the
states prison north 295
In the states prison 3S7
Total.................. $50
During this year Governor Baker issued SO
pardons.
In the year 1872 there were confined in the
states prison north 34l
In the states prison south-..................4 03
IOIal---- 14i
During this year Governor Baker issued
CO pardOns. During the four years of Gov
ernOr Bakers administration, while the
number of prisoners confined in the two
prisons averaged about 700, the number of
pardons issued by him averaged about y
per year. During Governor Hendricks adj
ministratiOn the number of prisoners aver
aged about 900, while the pardons issued by
Governor Hendricks averaged about 5S per
year. Since Governor Williams admins
tration there have been confined:
In the state prison south for the year
In the states prison north SO
-l Zoo
During the year 1877 Governor Williams
issued 66 pardOns. There are now confined
~ cfo fofc,