Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-02-18

Figures Which Speak for Them
selves.
Special to the Register.
Charleston. w, Va, February IA
Register reporter called on Mr.. John
Baker White. the Governors private
secretary. this morning. and showed
him clipping from a Wheeling paper,
and said II it would not be TOO much
trouble he would like to know just
how the number Of pardons granted by
Governor MacCorkle compares with
the number OF former executives of this
State.
NJ White replied: Il have recently
noticed several criticisms OF this nature
i'm The press of this State, and l have
just been locking up the figures, which
show that Governor MacCorkle has is
sued fewer pardCls i'm the same length
OF time than any OF the former execu-
tives of this State. These articles are
bat another illustration of the ignOr-
ance shown by certain papers of the
State in criticising the administration
on matters about which they have
never taken the trouble TO inform
themselves.
Here are the statistics taken from
the records in this office. For the
three years of Governor MacCOrkle's
administration, find there have been
presented ia petitions for pardon, OF
which number % have been granted,
releasing conyicts from the peniten-
tiary And this out of a present prison
population Of 545 State conyicts.
For the three years of Governor
Flemings administration. I find that
there we're presented 1874 petitions for
pardon. of which so were granted: and
at the end OF the said three years there
we're about $50 State conyicts in the
pcnitentiary.
During the last three years of Gov
ernOr Wilson's administration I fiud
N3 petitions presented and ~ granted
and there was prison population at
the end OF this three years OF BOG.
For the last three years of Governor
J0cksOn's administration. I find that
he granted 60 pardOns. and that the
prison population at the eul of this
three years was 235.
"Iu gathering these statistics. I have
not taken into consideration the mis-
demeauOrs, fines and Jail sentences in
which executive cleUecy has been eX-
tended. but the ratio i'm these cases is
about the same
80 The 2S pardons issued Ivy Cover
or NacCOrkle ! find that II were is
sued on strong recommendations from
the Judge, prosecuting attorney. and.
i'm most cases, the majority Of the jury
who tried the prisoner. in other
cases. / find that DardOns We're issued
upon the written recommendation Of
the prison physician. showing the pris-
oners health TO le seriously impaired
SD that the Courts sentence had re-
suited i'm injury and punishment to the
prisoner by inducing disease and de
sroying his life C5y reason of the close
CCn6nemenD. mInifestly not CCutem-
plated by the Court or jury, and in
three of these cases the prisoners were
i'm the last stages of consumption and
were sent home to die. OF the remain
ing 3. one was pardOned in order that
be might be used as a witness for the
State i'm an important criminal case;
one I'm order that he might go to the
bedside OF his wife, who was dying and
leaving q family of seven children;
This mans sentence was nearly out
when Dee was pard0ned; and another
was confined under sentence OF the
Court for stealing two dozen bottles Of
beer but it was his third offeGse and
he was sent mp for life He had served
nearly lwo years for this Offense when
hardened.
Compare the number of petitions
presented and the number of conyic,s
i'm the prison at the end of each period
of three years. with the number Of
pardcns granted. and we find thar
Gov. Fleming pardOned 2jl2percent.
of the cOnvicts petitionlng for pardon.
of about Is per cent. of the prison pop
Ulatio1:
Governor Wilson pardoned about 50
per cent. of the cOnvicts petitiOning
for pardon. or about 10 per cent. of the
prison population
Governor Jackson pardoned aocut
271, per cent. of the prison population
rec0rds do not show number of petI-
tious presented: and
Governor MacCorkle has only pay
doned during the same length of time
rs per cent of the convicts pouticAing
for pardon, and the exceedingly low
figure of 4 and 40 per ccn,. Of the
prison population
SIN other words,
"Our of a prison poDuliOu 3f $50,
Governor Fleming par1oncd 81.
"Cut of prison population of 2C6,
Governor Wilson pardoned 49,.
"Out of prison population of 235,
Governor Jackson pardOncd Sc.
whilst Governor NacCorkle,
"Out of q prison population of $40,
has only parG0ned IS
please also note that the prison pop