The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-18

c0et. DuL tho gay usWus Wueh po'Nor UNI
derstsudiug of all this will.brinG about bet
ter feeling all around.
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PARD0NING GRIHINALs-A SUGGESTION
In tho psrdoning of several young cul'
prtS from the penitenIary recently, Gov
ornor Roberts did a most commendsble thing
despite tho howlinga of certain Of the state
press that would And i'll 10 whatever be
might do, snd certain of tho foreign jonrnalI
that delight in any opportunity to defsmt
the sateof Texas. That one single act was The
work of mind that was up to the civiliza
ton and humanity of the day. Time wsi
whom the penal system had for its basis and
support something eas than the more
good of society and the reformation of tie
criminal, when tho measure Of his penalty
was regulated by the intensity Of the
reyepgoful passions; when the Draconian
code instead of being guided by pure equity
was dictated by personal spite and terribly
one-sided expectancy. Experience has
proved that all such merciless penalties were
unjustined by the social necessities or by abs
sract morality, and that such dealing with
dslinquents by short, sharp methods was not
the bo,t mode Of purging community of is
wor.t members. Experience has proved that
to hang men for theft, to cruelty thieves on
the Cross was not requisite for Tie
security of property and was not
only antsgonistic to pure equity,
bu. WAS demoralizipg tortue uncalled for
and dsstardly. In view of these fearful mis-.
takes OF hsrshncss Of tho past who shall say
that we are not even now erring through
excessive punishment or penalties Of the
wrongful spociOsH To properly deflne moral.
ity We must consider the social organization
In which We live. What Ia regarded as right
and proper In China or India would be SO
grossly violstlve of oil law In the United
States as to insure years of abode in peniten.
tiary walls, and vice versa. So what in the
last century was 80 honious "a oeenso as TO
justify hanging or burning 10 put down now
as being of far less criminality. Governor
Roberts has shown an appreciation Of these
truths of an advancing civilization, and with
the courage of conviction has assumed to
put them into practical operation, 50 far as
those young men or youths wero concerned.
Nov lot him 20 even ye! further, and cons
template another proposition we will submit
for his consideration, akin, in principle, 10
that no has inaugurated. We refer 10 con-
ditional liberation, that is to say, where con.
victed persons have 80 conducted themselves
during their Incarceration as TO merit the
appreciation OF those who have them
in charge, and who have an ever
watchlul eye over thom, they shall DO oRtl-
tied TO a release from confinement, under
bond. There arc times when even the
most superior characters go sstray
and orr against the law, perhaps technically,
perhAps willfully, and whose pre-
vious lives had boon so without blems
ish that they could have readily
given rolid recognizancOs. There are
occasions in which tho verdic,s of the law OF
the jury have proceeded from mistaken esti.
mates of turpitude and so have visited un-
due penalty on one who, mol crushed by tho
feeling OF wrong done him, might for all the
coming time have made q useful citizen,
Liberal action under such considerations and
conditions would DO no mischovious lonioncy
but true itatemanship that honors humanity
and iu ora. II goes now without saying
that the generous treatment inside the prison
walls, as well as the insane asylums,
Ia the true policy; extend tho rule and
grant the generosity oven to cafe
liberation, and our word for IL,
tho same excellent effects will follow, whom
ever judiciously applied. In cases of insolv.
cy or of commercial bankruptcy II was long
ago discovered and is now universally con.
coded that imprisonment for deb, was in no
wiso beneficial. but just tho reverse 10 all IN.
volyed, md the world Is better for the
dsbtor's discharge under q bankrupt law.
Tho latter 10 permitted 10 make restitution a,
Ear ~ he can and to go FREQ with such sign
upon him n his showing demanded, either
that Of exonoraiion from blame, or Of I'm.
worthinen offliuro credit. Why no! 90 lres,
tho legal moral bankrupt, to 60 torn tho cul.
prit and, when he has made q lair showing
Of good conduct when under HE jsilor',
eyes, and his earlier history, IL,
him DO conditionally released
That ia TO say, lei him furnish due bond
Tint thoncefor.h he will tap,gren No
more, conditioned that upon failure to com.
ply with sgr~mont, he shall have his bond