The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-06-26
THE "UNoFFEND1NG" SUN"

The people of Cheyenne Will remem
Der how, several weeks ago, the san
became the self constituted organ and
apologist for thieves. With a zeal wor-
thy Of a good cause it abused the police
force of Cheyenne and the sheriff of the
county. Now it comes out in the fol-
lowing style in favor of would be muir
derers. 1t says: :
Many regretted to see the unoffend-
ing Jake Thurman carried off to Lin-
coin yesterday. The petition for his
pardon was signed by the very best
citizens OF Cheyenne.
"Unoffending?" What can the Sun
meanp If Thurman we're unoffending,
surely the court and jury have done a
grieyous wrong in furnishing an limo
cent a Does the Sun wish it to be
understood that a man who draws a
pistol OF another and fires with the in
tent to kill, is ''unoffending?n Either
language or fact is terribly distorted by
the Sun. 1t can choose for itself eth
er of two positions, viz, that
of classifying fact, or ignorance of the
meaning of words.
And the Sun would reflect upon Gov
ernor Spates for not having ~pardoned
Thurman, because 'sthe petition for his
pardon was signed by the very best citi-
zens of Cheyenne" The verdancy of
the Sun man is apparent when he puts
his faith in signatures to petitions. The
writer has been told by several of the
persons whose names were on the petit
ton that they wrote them simply be-
cause they couldn't very well refuse a
woman's pleading, and they knew that
in these days very little Importance is
attached to signatures, simply because
Of their indiscriminate and meaning
less employment. They felt satisfied
when writing their names Thurman
would not, and should not be pardoned.
Other signers the writer has heard of,
who even went TO the extent of wager
ing that the pardon would not be grant
ed. Many petitioners, no doubt, were
sincere when they signed their names.
The LEADER has no opinion to ex-
press on the case, nor would this be the
place to do so. But the above facts
are cited to show thai signatures to pc
titions are not and should not alone
influence the exercise of the pardoning
power. Hence the reflection against
Gov. Spates is ill-timed, and comes like
a muttered execration from a pardon
broker. Gov. Spates did not decide
on the case, and whatever action is
taken will not, of course, be infu-
enced by anything that is said herein,
so the condemned mans chances are
not injured.
1t would seem as if the Sun had a
motive i'll Its utterance besides its
chronic disposition to defend thieves,
ct al 1t insidiously makes a thrust at
Gov. Spates because he had the
vertebra to withstand the influence Of
big names. And when the petition
was presented to him he was pressed to
give a decision in three hours. Good
n and judgment will unanimously
commend the governor for declining to
act hastily, and above all, for not
granting the pardon on such short no.
tice. The Sun, however, was and is,
in favor of the pardon, and because it
has not been granted, it stabs at the
pardoning power. Its action is unwar-
ranted and unjust, and If it lives a lit
tie while longer it will learn that every
thing in the official, or social, or inan-
cial world, cannot be harmonized to its
own cramped, ill~-considered and unde-
veloped ideas.