New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-10-22
WK4NE'S CASE AGAIN.

The report sent ont from Albany yesterday by
one closely connected with the matter that Gov
ernor Morton will grant Communication to NC
Kane before the expiration OF his term OF Office,
and possibly within the next few days and that
the Governor lis Of the opinion that he has been
sufficiently punished may fairly be regarded
as only the hopeful opinion Of some person in
1erested in securing the pardon. 1t Is not TO be
believed without indisputable evidence that Gov
ernor Morton would stain the record OF his last
days in Office by surrendering 10 this utterly
unrea sonable demand Of weak scntimentalists
and sympathlzers with political dishonesty.
If Governor Morton wishes to celebrate his re-
tirenent. after the manner In which monarchs
used to .eep birthdays. by opening prison doors,
there are some murdcrers OF exemplary deport-
ment who were victims Of sudden passion. and
financial trustees who yielded 10 the temptation
TO grow rich without having capital OF their own
TO work with. TO these he might give the bene-
fit OF his cemency more properly than TO the
brazen criminal who is serving an extremely
moderate sentence as the result OF long course
of deliberate crimes against the suffrage Nc
Kane was not the victim OF any sudden tempta-
ton to break the law in the heat Of political
campaign. He was the deliberate enemy OF re-
publican institutions, who ruled over his neigh
bors by brute force, hired thugs and ruffans to
do his service made his town place Of disorder.
where the laws Of private and public morality
and decency were openly delied For years 1t
was his boast that he could break or eyadc all
laws made to secure free ballot, and the news
papers were full OF stories Of his cleverness In
that direction. He made Gravesend a synonyme
for brutal and cynical corruption. He exercised
political power such as might be exercised by
| highway robber In possession Of tract OF terri
| tory now giving his services to one party and
| now TO another, trying to keep them both in his
| debt Nor were crimes against the ballot Nc
| Kane's only offences. Under his rule financial
| corruption fiOurshed in Gravescnd. and the tax
payers were robbed Of vast sums. Since his
| imprisonment facts have como to light which
| make it apparent that private trusts were no
more sacredly regarded by him than public du-
| ties. Ii was as easy TO plumber widows estate
as Gravesend taxpayer. But all through this
| course of evil McKane sought to buy the favor
of the Church through patronage Of IT., and is
now pited by those whom he thus fooled as a
good man gone wrong
| McKane was not n good man. He was the
vicious patron of public and private vice. lie
was more blameworthy than many criminals
| whom the law Furnishes far more severely. JUS
tice GaynOr pleads that his property Is being
dlsslpated. How did he get that property but
| through his long course OF evil? Did he hesitate
| to dsspate the property Of poor widows or
| Gravesend taxpayers? Has he ever vet shown
the least repentance for his crimes? Is there
any reason to suppose that he would not WISH II
it were possible to build another Gravesend!
| All evidence points to the fact that though alb
| sent he is still the king Of the criminals there
Governor Morton cannot afford to be weak In
this matter. Justice Bartlett who tried McKane,
says there is no merit in the application and Mr..
Shepard and General Tracy. who prosecuted.
have held aOof from cOuntenancing 1t. The
Governor himself sent to death Bartholomew
| Shea for crime more tragic In its results, but
not more vicious In its intent, nor half so DELHI
crate ia its contamination as that for which