Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-05
PERSISTENT Cleyeland suffers from

President Cleveland suffers from I'M
sound advisers. His latest error-and, so
far as Washington is concerned, the most
serious one-was the pardoning Of John
Shea. convicted Of selling liquor without a
license. Probably no recent violations Of
law. excepting only the acts Of the
"Slasher," are better known to the COM
munity than those with which the name of
Shea Is associated; none were more out
rageously offensive or more worthy Of all
the punishment possible under local stat
utes. Righteously refused a license, John
Shea decided to continue business without
the official and necessary permission. The
police secured evidence of this misconduct
and arrested Shea: he was fined, but at
once resumed the sale Of intoxicants, and
when his unsavory establishment was raid
ed the second time he put up terrific fight
against the officers. In his endeavor to
eject the police he was assisted by his wife.
his daughters and by several of the rough
characters who regularly frequented the
Shea GROCERY. The subjugation Of the
male hoodlums was comparatively easy,
but there was a prolonged struggle before
the aggressively pugnacious women were
brought under control
That those women should receive more or
police Is not surprising-in fact, their con-
duct demanded the exercise of considerable
physical force on the part Of those who
were their lawful antagonists-but 1t is
more than surprising to learn that because
the Shea women insisted upon being roughly
handled that their father should have a con-
siderable portion OF his just sentence re-
mttted- The ofrense for which John shea
was sent to jail and fined Is one with which
no decent citizen has any sympathy, and
the police officers who are actively engaged
In trying to stamp 1t out deserve all COM
mendation and support. The wideawake
and efficient members or the force should
not be discouraged by this inexpncable ex-
ercise Of the pardoning power.
Had there been any doubt as to the guilt
Of John Shea, or had his punishment been
disproportionately large then a plea for
mercy might have been regarded as reason
able, but to present Shea with four hundred
dollars because his wife and daughters as
saulted the police and suffered thereby is
most extraordinary proceeding. The Judge
who tried the case and the district attorney
Joined in opposition to clemency, but their
opinions seem to be worthless when weighed
against the conclusions of subordinate in
the Department of Justice, who took only
ex-parte testimony. Through the thus-in-
spired hberality Of the President, Mr.. Shea
win have capital sufficient to purchase
another stock of liquors and once more
open up business at the old stand. for the
doing Of which he should be promptly ar
rested and imprisoned. In New York the
police are being investigated and held up to
public reprobation because OF their con-
nivance with and inactivity against the
prototypes OF the Sheas in that city. In
Washington the executive "rebukes'' by the
exercise OF the pardoning power police activ-
ity against this class of law-breakers. In
championing the Sheas the President slaps
in the face the moral sentiment of this city