Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-03-31
PARDONS REFUSED.
MEETING OF THE PARDON BOARD LAST
sATURDAY-THE BOARD \ TIE AND
PARDoNS REFUSED.


that hour found number of persons
at the Supreme Court room waiting
for the proceedings to begin. Later
the time was changed to eleven O'Clock.
A About half past ten District Attorney
Hoilinger for the Commonwealth, ar
rived, and was followed shortly after
wards by Messrs. Brewster, Mann,
Armstrong, Herr and Weiss, counsel
for defense. A short consultation among
the latter and an arrangement of the
papers to be presented followed, and
then a long wait ensued for the mem-
bers OF the Board to make their appear
ance.
At eleven O'Clock the members of the
Board entered and took their seats,
and Recorder Farr called the cases of
VIM H. Kemble, Emil j. Petroff, w.
F. Rumberger, Jesse r. Crawford and
Chas. B. Salter, convicted of corrupt
solicitation. 1t was agreed that all
should be taken up together. Mr..
Brewster began by reading letter
from c. b Moore, Esq, of West
Chester. asking for Mr. Kemble's par
don, giving number of reasons why
it should be granted, among Others
that the people themselves were re-
spoasible for the demands made during
the passage of bill by the third house,
because they sent men to the Legjsla.
ture who insisted that their votes
should he purchased; it was unfair to
punish Kemble for what everybody
else has been doing for years.
Mr.. Brewster, after reading other
letters and petitions, addressed the
Board as follows:
May it please your Honors: We de-
sire to call your attention to the fact
that we have filed, in connection with
the petitions, all the papers required
by your rules that we have given the
full advertisement prescribed and that
we have in all particulars complied
with your established regulations.
In addition to the matters exhibited
by your record, it is proper for me to
present to you few suggestions which
appear to my learned colleagues and
myself as worthy of your considers
ton.
You will observe that four of these
defendants have pleaded guilty, and
that Mr.. Kemble accompanied this ac.
tion with protest, i'll which he sol
emnly disclaimed all imputation ol
guilt.
The charge of the learned judge to
the grand jury placed a construction
upon the statute which satisfied the
defendants and their counsel that
they were technically guilty OF
n violation of the law They were
therefore unwilling to occupy the
public time with a contest, and under
the advice of counsel they filed the
pleas and protest which are before you
We are now here to ask you to rec
ommend the Governor to pardon these
defendants for the following reasons:
First. The offence is alleged to have
been commenced in reference to a bill
of great Importance, and which excited
a large amount of public interest. Ii
was severely contested by its oppo
nents, and was urged with great per-
sistence by its friends. The Board is
doubtless satisfied that the offense was
committed under the pressure Of great
public excitement and without full
apprehension on the part of the defend
ants of the criminality involved in the
means which they attempted to affect
the passage of the bill.
Whilst the offense of corrupt solicita
ton is one of great magnitude and moi
to be eXcuSed-we desire to impress
upon you the fact that this is the first
prosecution under the statute and
that in view of the construction which
it has since received from the bench,
1t is manifest that the defendants did
not apprehend the full extent of the
liabilities they incurred.
We respectfully submit that the de-
PENDANTS should have the benefit ot
their disclaimer Of any intent to violate
the law. And we believe that their
pardon may be granted without doing
violence to public morals of lessening
the force of these convictions in arrest
ing the evil against which the statute
is directed
Second. The result of these cases
has so directed the public mind to this
class of offenses, and has SO empha-
sized the popular condemnation of all
unlawful means to influence Legislation
that it may be fairly assumed such meth
ods will not hereafter obtain in the
legislation of this Commonwealth
The evil being arrested by the con-
viction of the accused, the administra-
ton of public justice has been upheld
and the State casting aside all vindict-
iveness can we'll afford to stay her
hand now that she may be the better
able to strike hereafter, should the Of
tense be repeated
The purpose of the Commonwealth
having been fully attained the justice
which is tempered with mercy, will be
well illustrated by an exercise of the
clcmency for which we now petition
Third. The defendants are entitled
to that consideration and respect which
previous good character should always
command Nor should we ever lose
sight of the fact that every farm and
house in Pennsylvania owes to Mr.
Kemble the credit of having devised
and perfected a system of State finances
and of corporate taxation which has
placed the Commonwealth in a posi-
tion of which her citizens may well be
proud, and which has relieved every
land owner within her boundaries from
a heavy burden.
Mr. Armstrong, for the application
of Mr.. Rumberger, urged the pardon
on the ground that the defendants dis
claim criminality in their intent and
they are entitled to the benefit of an
character.
District Attorney Hoilinger, in op-
position to the pardons, said that the
CommonW ealth does not delight in the
Il 60 81 ,n- &c I,,k