The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-08-13
PUNISHMENT OF FORGERY.

GOVERNOR RoBINsoNs REASONS WHY PARDoNs
SHOULD NOT ISSUE TO WELL EDUCATED,
GENrEEL coSyIcrs.
ALBANY, n. Y, August II. 1879.
The Argus will contain tomorrow the following
letter from Governor Robinson to Governor Sey-
uiour on the question of the pardon of forgcrs-
STATE OF NEW YORK. EXECUTIVE CHAMBER
ALBANY, August y 1879.
Hon HoRAIIo SErMoUR:-
My DEAR srs-Your favor of the 10th of JI9ne last.
enclosing a petition for the pardon of William A.
Newman, was duly received. l have also received
your recent letter referring TO the same case You
show n lust appreciation of the delicacy and diff
Guilty attending the exercise OF the pardoning power
in not asking 10 exercise it, unless consistent
with my sense of duty. iour own lons experience
and ripe judgment, as well as the deep interest
which you have always manifested in PRISON man
Rgement aud in the proper adjustment and admins
tration OF our penal laws induce e 70 present
bearing not only upon the case OF Newman,
but upon large class OF convlcts now III our state
prisons and penitentiaries under circumstance
almost precisely similar TO those which surround
his case. Forgery seems to have become the usuai
and the fashionable crime OF Intelligent ana educated
of previous good reputation. Indeed 1t is a
crime which cannot well be committed except by
persons OF considerable education. 1t is, moreover,
always committed with deliberate intent. 1t is not
the result of accident or "a sudden impulse or pas
sion man who sits down to initiate with his pen
the signature of another, tor the purpose OF de-
frauding some party from whom he expects to OBJ
tain money upon the forged signature, does SO with
cult to find any of ethe Excuses or extenuatlng CIR
unistances which are frequently urged IN other
cases.A Experience also shows that wnere
it hA been once committed. especially IL
successful it is almost invariably repeated. In the
case of Newman the District Attorney informs me
that there three indictments against him for
separate forgeries. Upon one OF them he pleaded
guilty and was sentenced to prison for hve years
The pardon clerk has examined the files and finds
that there are fifteen applications for pardons in
just such cases-three or four OF them, however,
taking the form OF false pretences The number is
there of forgeries. III nearly all OF them
the sentence OF the Court has been for five years,
which. with the wise provisions of our laws, al
lowing credits for good behavior, Will make
actual service in prison OF only three years and
seven months, which seems to be no more than
is reasonable. In the OF Newman there are the
innocent and child. In nearly every other
there the innocent wife and several children.
know from frequent conversation with you upon
this subject thai your sympatnies run with mine i'll
behalf OF these innocent wives and children. who
suffer the punishment more severely than the guilty
This, however, is a misfortune and an evil Tor
which the wisdom OF man has never been able to ind
adequate remedy. 1t must be endured it crime
is to be punished ut all IN one of the cases before
me- which has excited much attention, the sympa-
thies OF the public III behalf OF the suffering family
and friends or the convict have resulted in laying be-
fore me petition for pardon signed by persons
representing more OF eminent business ability
moral worth and high social and religious position
than appeared on any application brought
into the Executive Chamber TO my knowledge
any similar occasion. The question now arises
"What ought the Governor to do under such circum-
stances? 1t seems to me that an answer is given i'll
the last referred in which, with just view
OF his own situation and OF what is due to the vio-
lated laws. he writes from his prison as follows:-
"Having heard that petition in my behalf has,
without my solicitation, been presentedi to Your
Excelency, bearing the signatures and supported by
the personal letters OF gentlemen OF the highest
sition in the city of New York, venture to ask
Your Exceilency's permission to gay that while
profoundly grateful to the friends who have thus
Boemnly testified my favor and am naturally
most anxious for the welfare of my wife and chill
dren it is nevertheless my conviction that personal
TO the higher interests of the State, and have
right TO ask or hope tor u pardon at Your Excel
lency hands it it be inconsistent with the Hottest
considerations OF public policy
If interfere in OF these cases must not do
IN all of them?
l can find essential difference which distin-
guishes one case from another All of the convics
moved III respectable society; all were more or less
well educated-some OF them very highly educated;
all have families aud friends who are suffering
their account ana all profess to be thoroughly peni
tent tor what they have done
Can properly extend executive cemency to one
and Withhold it from others occupying the same po-
sitoEs
Again, if / should pardon any, or all of these
fifteen orgers would not inevitably bring reproach
upon the administration of Justice Would it not
be said. and truly said that the State entorces two
different rules of justice; one d mild one III behalf
of respec table and well educated criminals who
fully realized the nature of their crimes when they
committed them. and another and far more severe
one, against the poor, the riendess and the gnor-
ant, many of whom committed the crimes Tor
which they are suffering because they knew no bet
ter Can this be consistently done by "a govern
melt lOunueu upon the principle OF equal ana
exact justice to all men 2" 1t to
me the facts which have stated furnish
conclusive answer 10 this question. l should
nevertheless be very glad TO receive from you any
suggestions which you may be pleased to make upon
the subject and to give them most respectful and
careful consideration. trust you viii
for writing in relation to the whole class of
victs TO which have referred when your letters
lated to only My object i'll doing this two
fold-hrst, because knew that no man in the State
would more fully appreciate the statements aud re-
marks which have made than YOURSELF second,
it enables me by the publication of this letter to
furnish at once answer all the other applica-
tons of this particular class.
am. my dear sir. with great respect. very sim
cerely yours, l.. ROBINSON.
SI1SpENSION OF A PILOT