The San Francisco call., 1897-11-04
THE CASE OF sTERNBERG,
Mayor Phelan Rep'iee to a State
ment of Governor Budd.

p,,,or nj The cnfl-srR: In the matter
..t na-do-, ~ Iouis Stern berg, who was con-
vieted of the crime OF stuifing Inc ~ rea' res-S
ter and the protest sent 10 the o"'e4"o
against his cont mplaied action uesiIo "
make this statement in justice to the cluzehs
of Sd Francisco ..
mont as printed in The newspapers Il NoVem-
Der 3: n-
latter the recommendation OF the Prison
Directors the Mayor of San Franc SEQ, James
D. Phelan te ezra sphed request tnat lay
act on until protest OF me cltize-s i con
Francisco could be procured snd ,oI" loeu'
have wa ted. and after Two weeks delay nave
received the Mayors protests, taree IN num-
ber They contain tut 113 names out OF up
W I'd of 20 600 voters AMI $50. 600 residents
OF san Francisco We must assume that Is an
evidence or the acqnie cenee OF The cltlZehs ..
san Francisco il the judgment OF the board Oh
Prison Directors
To-day's newspapers report the Governor ss
follows:
"The protest W as feeble showing that IT was
not moss BILE TO awaKen public sentiment
ag inst the exercise of executive eIemehcy'
There was no effort made TO secure large
petition. The nature of the crime lor WHICH
Sternberg WAS sentenced, to whlch the HoV-
ernor's attention was caLc1 in the protest,
and the character of the gentlemen VINO slgheo
protest,
sion OF San Franci. co, | deemed sumclent.
I believe tnat nineteenth hs OF the voters OIL San
Francisco would have been glad ana eager 10
sign the protest agains. condonlns crime
against the elective Irahchis'. anu "h7" 'no
Governor says that 'ft was not posS'ol ~
awaken public senMment against the exercise
of executive clemeacy in this case MS s'a'e-
ment is not warrs ted by the facts.
This 1 resent. L read the report OF ZIG
Board of Prison Directors on Sunday ocio-
b,r17. On Monday l telegraphed the 20
ernor TO delay action. On Tuesday sen III n
pr rotest with the following signatures: A
A. Watkins, J. A Johnson, t. + r. Itoy'
F. w. Dohrmann, James V. Block, D'' 1onh
Nightingale, Frank Tormey, George N rlicn'
Edward r. Taylor, d. C. Murphy, l. outte'
william Broderick. james d. Phelan, T. +.
Wheeler, Sheldon e. Kello ;g. Z. B, Pond. John
+. English, Henry n. Clement, w. M. Hinton,
Charles S. TiltoD, J. r. Freud, GeJree 1. Marye
Jr., P. j. H saly, C. W. Marks, d. V, Kelly, stew
art Menzl Oseo ood Putnam. Alfred Cridge,
Joseph HI y IN, T. H, Mccarthy, Irving M.
Scot.
Other protests were sent during the same
week, aggregatng, as the Governor says, Lao
signatures.
This Government rests on the purity OF the
ballot box If a mans vote cannot be iairly
cast and honestly counted, the Government Is
a fraud and the ballot-box, instead OF oelng
a refuge from official corruptionisis, becomes
atrap l cannot believe that any sane ana
patriotic cItizen would countenance eIectlon
frauds There can be no higher crime against
the State 1t is treason, and from the Begin
ming every Governme has punished trea-
son with death Instead of sentence OF
three y ears, an offender should be punished
by life Imprisonment, without power OF par
don. pardon restores criminal to his clvll
rights; it puts him back into the citadel he
reasonably sought to destroy.
/ trust this statement will serve to exon
crate the paopie of San Francisco from the I'M
putation tina they also condone th.s crime.
JAMES D. PHELAN, Mayor.