The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-04

greater than in the case of an individnal:
there is, therefore. a demand for--if l
MAJ use the expressIon-a higher grade
OF honesty or responsibility in public ser
wants than in any others. Greater publicity
is given to the misdemeanors Of a public
official, consequently greater harm is
done to the community By such a state.
ment. "A fault confessed is committed
BY, a person in private life. TO regard
lightly such an offense seems Amos like
a crime against the commonwealth.
"Th object of punishment is threshold.
First, to punish the trarlsgressor; second,
to reform the offender, and third, 70 deter
by example others from the commission Of
similar offenses.
.In your case. it may be said that you
as the law can punish a man. # You
were a young man, you could never wipe
out the disgrace that attaches to the
are an old man and have. enjoyed for
more than half a century the confidence
and respect Of the community in which
the reflection that such respect, esteem
and confidence have gone forever out OF
Your life.
"since the disclosures made by. the
Senate investigating Committee until the
day You returned and pleaded TO these
indictments, you have been a fugitive
and an outcast, deprived of the comforts
Of your home; a criminal haunted by
fears. your conscience and the law. Sick
in body and in mind, you etufned to
your home. feeling that any punishment
the law could impose was preferable to
the terrors you were enduring. Truly,
your punishment was greater than you
could bear.
sThe Court is satisfied. too, that the
experience through which. you have gone
has, in some degree at least, tended to
your reformation. Yoh ave made resti-
tuition to the State, and money OF which
vou have defrauded it, and you have
pleaded guilty to most of the charges
against you. The outward indications are
that you feel real sorrow and deep con-
triton for your errors.
1.-THE great problem in the mind of the
Court has been how to punish you in
that such punishment should answer the
third requisite. namely. that of example
iency, or too great mercy. shown toward
yeu, the Court may be doing great in
justice TO the State by encouraging other
s sgainef the IN state eheir II Pra all We're ei sure Me0e q
suffering as you have suffered, possibly
your experience would deter them from
the commission OF crimes Ike yours,
| behalf, largely signed by distinguished
citizens in all parts of the State. Letters
in in0i this so state e. who who have have %e pySieIltiy' given wen
the subject some thought have. poured
into the court, all asking for clemency
in passing sentence upon you. Letters,
too, from the chairman and other mem
bers of the Senate committee. and from
the Prosecutor of the State, acting as
counsel and advisory of that committee.
your family may be spared the disgrace
of your Imprisonment.
The Court attaches much significance
to these recommendations, especially to
those from the committee and the eoun-
sci of that committee, who are more
familiar with your wrong-doings ano
with the circumstances connected witt
your crimes than is the Court, and they
are, therefore, entitled to such consider
alton. You were not the only person con
| cerned in the Irregularities at the State
House, but you are the only one upor
whom the law can lay its hands. This
fact has, doubtless. created great sym.
pathy for you.
The Court has ~endeavored to do Its
duty conscientiously to the State and tc
YOU, and if it errs, that error certainly
is upon the side of mercy. The sentence
of the Court, therefore, is that YOU
pay a fine of one thousand dollars and
stand committed to the Jail of Mercer
county until such fine is paid.