St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-10-11
Valedictory Message of Governor Fair
banks.
Gentlemen of the Senate and of the House
Of Representatives

Gentlemen of the Senate and Ofthe House
of Representatives
Since the presentation of my message
to the Legislature of 1876, information
on several subjects has been brought to
my official attention, Il knowledge of
which, in my judgment, will be not on
| ly helpful, but important, for the proper
discharge of your duties as legislators.
| have, therefore, concluded to depart
from the usual custom of my predecess-
Ors, and submit brief message at the
close of my administration of the exec
utive department of the state. l am
the more impelled to make this depart
ure from the fact that under the bien-
uial system, as hitherto administered,
the Governor is obliged to communicate
the customary message, before having
had any official experience of the prac-
tical operation of the laws, as bearing
upon the institutions and welfare of the
state.
PARDONS.
The pardons granted by me may be
divided into two general classes. The
| first class comprises persons sentenced
to the payment of fine and costs of
prosecution, and to stand committed
until such payment is made. To this
class l have granted one hundred and
ninety-five pardOns, the fines and costs
remitted in the aggregate amounting to
about $4,000.
In most of the first class, the pardon
has, in effect, been the remission of the
imposed fine, in consideration of the
length of confinement in Jail; and OF
the second class, the remission of part
of the term of imprisonment imposed by
the court, from the consideration that
the ends of justice had been fully ac-
complished by the Imprisonment al
ready endured, or because of new de-
velopments tending to establish the in
nocence of those convicted, or upon the
recommendation of the court, who have
felt there was doubt of the guilt of the
party convicted.
AS the law has been hitherto-it is
now somewhat modified by the act es-
tablishing State Workhouse-the i'm
position of fine upon man unable to
pay it practically amounted to impris,
onment in the County Jail for life. Nc
power was vested in the courts to de-
termine what length of such imprison-
ment should be equivalent for the pay
ment of the fine; therefore, there have
been found, in all our county jails, q
large number of persons confined in en-
forced idleness, without hope of release
except through executive interference
Without its exercise, the jails would
soon cease to furnish room for new of.
tenders.
The second class includes persons
sentenced to be confined at hard Labor
in the State Prison for term of years
To this second class l have granted fif
teen pardOns.
In the appendix will be found lis
of the pardons granted of the latte
class during the two years ending thi
day, and brief statement of M,
reasons for granting each.
1t is question which has suggested
itself to me, whether there should no
be some advisory tribunal, as is th,
practice in some other states, who's,
duty it should be to examine applica
tions for pardOns, and recommend t,
the Governor.
1t is apparent that so many applica
tiOns, urged frequently with much per
sistency and feeling by near and suffer