The record-union., 1893-01-04

the County Auditor extend the municipal
taxes, when furnished the necessary
data by the proper authority, the same as
county taxes, and that taxes and licenses
/ OF every description be collected by the
/ County Treasurer, who shall distribute TO
the various municipal or local Treasurers
the amounts found due each. Personal
property should be assessed annually and
real estate once in every two or more
/ years. The saving to the people would be
enormous and the convenience beyond
| calculation.
| As TO railroad taxes, he advises action
that Will enable just and equitable
amounts to be collected. Why he refused
70 call an extra session of the Legislature
the Governor fully explains. He in
| qu1red diligently into the claim of need
for it, and found it not well founded. he
advises that legislation be had to enable
| public business in each county to be
| promptly discharged.
PARDONs.
| Immediately after the adiournmentfot
the Legislature of 1891, he devoted a very
| large portion Of his time for several
months to investigating the numerous
applications on file for Executive Glenn
ency. he was soon convinced that inhu-
entlal citizens and officials were signing
petltlons for pardon apparently for the
.
themselves annoyance. He soon found
II necessary to devise some system for
nearing ana passing upon applications,
and therefore decided, first, that he would
not grant pardon On the ground of in
sufhclent evidence, and thus reverse the
Judgment OF both court and jury; and
second, that upon receipt of q petition the
Judge, the District Attorney and the
citizens cogniZant Of the facts should be
communicated with, their statements So
ncIteG, and, If possible, a copy of the evil
dence obtained. after a careful consid-
Grafton of these, if the pardon in my
| judgment should not be granted. the
application is Immediately rejected, and
the petitioner and his friends so notified
Ii the documents justify further investi-
CATION, transmit the case to the Board
of State Prison Directors, who very
kindly agreed to assist me in this import
ant work.
The papers are transmitted without
the slightest intimation OF what impress
sion may have of the merits of the case.
The board, of course, are not limited in
| their Investigations to the documents
transmitted, but pursue them Inde-
pendentIy, examine the petitioner, send
for any evidence they may desire, and
after careful consideration transmit to me
their conclusion, with their reasons for
the same. If this accOrds with my own
I
mistake, and the pardon or communication
Is granted. L submit doubtful as well as
merltorlouS cases to the board. for two
reasons: First, L may be mistaken ia my
Judgment; second, if l should send only
those that l believe to be meritorious, the
board might be influenced thereby. In
this way 1 can conceal my opinion in the
matter and get the unbiased judgment of
the board. This plan has worked most
admirably, and L desire TO commend the
members of the board for the thorough
and conscientious manner in which they
have pursued their Investigations and for
the fair and unbiased conclusions they
have uniformly reached.
while L have not pardoned so great a
number as many think L should, | be-
lteve that those cases which have received
favorable action have been in every way
worthy.
"a docket or minute book is now kept
among the other records of the office,
which can be examined at any time by
my successors or any individual, wherein
the reasons for the action taken, whether
favorable Or unfavorable, are given.
consider this very valuable book of
reference, and advise that its use be con-
tinued.
Il have tt,Aen the entire responsibility
of pardOns ISSUED to inmates of the Whit
tier Reform Schools, county iails, houses
of correction, ETC., but have proceeded in
the same careful manner, being largely
governed by whatever the committing
magistrate, the District Attorney and the
leading men of the neighborhood deem
best, and in every case l require the
recommendation of the Superintendent
of the school. l desire to express my
gratitude to the various Superior Judges.
District Attorneys and other county OIL
GERS, who have always responded so
> L. 4 I, -
degree of fairness both to the applicant
and to the public.
before the adoption of the system
which l have thus at some length ex-
planned. was much impressed with the
proposal to create a Board of Pardons.
but am now satisfied that the method
adopted is accomplishing all the good re-
suits that could be expected from such a
board.
when reflect that there are confined
in our State prisons from two to three
times as many prisoners as in any other
State in the Union in proportion to our
population, [ am only too glad of legiti-
mate excuse to liberate applicants for
pardon.
wisconsin has 4OO,O 900 more people, and
con Gains the city of milwaukee, with two
thirds as large population as San Fran
cisco. Its population is made up of peo-
pie, from every country under the sun,
and they have but one State Prison, with
$50 inmates.
Illinois, with population of nearly
100000, has but one State Prison, with
1850 prisoners. The city of Chicago has
a population nearly as large as that Of our
entire State, and, beyond question. CON
tains more criminals. Yet we have more
convicts confined in our prisons than in
their entire State.
This comparison could be extended to
many other Eastern States with the same
result. But Notwithstanding this I'M
favorable comparison, no one believes
that the people OF California possess less
virtue than those of other States. or that
we have more criminals in proportion to
our population than the States mentioned
Many attempt to account for this state of
affairs by alleging that it is due to dissipa-
ton, lost fortues, 'bursted booms,' busi-
ness failures, etc. l believe it is due to
TWO reasons. FIRST, our statutes create
such an exceedingly large number of
State Prison offenses. Second, because
the Judges of this State, in their discre-
ton, impose excessive sentences as. com
pared with other States.
Hundreds of men are sentenced to our
prisons, for the first otiense, to terms of
from five to ten years, who, in the East
ern states, would have been sent to Jail,
or to the penitentiary, for a term not OK
ceeding one year. 1t can thus readily be
seen that a criminal in this State who
serves term OF ten years is equal 10 ten
prisoners in another State sentenced to
one year for the same ctfense. / believe
the hardened and confirmed criminal
should be given the full extent of the law.
but that the tirst-termers and those not of
the criminal classes should be dealt with
as leniently as the public safety will per
init, and that the reformation Of those not
yet wholly debased should at all times
receive careful consideration.
In some of the Eastern States what is
popnlarly known as the parole system