The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-07

The c. o b e. after a careful eXaml-
nation of the circumstances and a
deliberate Weighing of all that has
been said or can be said on either side,
desires to put itself on record as I'M
aIterably opposed to the granting Of
a pardon to the Younger brothers, now
confined at Saltwater. We do not eX-
pect our remOnstrances to be effective.
1t is evident that this movement 10
secure the release of the YOungers has
been too carefully organized and too
shrewdly carried out not to have be-
hind it some assurance of success. Ever
since these men were sentenced for
their crime there has been an almost
unresting endeavor to save them from
the punishment of their crimes, The
manner in which the latest form of
this has been blazoned to the public,
the careful distribution of such matter
as would tell in their favor to all the
newspapers and the strong indorse-
ments obtained and sprung in the
nature of a sensation, all indicate a
campaign ably planned and confident
Of success. It is significant, too, that
many of those who, up to this time
have started up in righteous wrath at
the mere mention Of a possible pardon
fer the Youngers have now had the
sharp edge of their resistance worn
away, and, by dint of sheer importu-
nifty, are persuaded to take the side of
an easy-going sentimentalism. We be-
lieVe that the pardon of the Younger
brothers is just as Objectionable to-
day as it ever has been. We believe
ment as we'll as the passionate feeling,
of a great majority of the people of this
state We believe that the effect Of
il upon respect for and observance of
the law would be most unfortunate
1t is upon this last mentioned aspect
of the case that we wish to place
mitted that the greatest difficulties and
most conspicuous failures in the ad-
ministratiOn of our laws lie in the
uncertainty of them. A great many
Of those who would otherwise favor the
abolition of capital punishment dare
not stand for the removal of the death
penalty as long as prison doors open
easily at the touch of the pardoning
power. In most of our cities a SEN
tence for life or for years is to the Gull
prit gambling operation, in which
the actual length of his term depends
upon the number and influence of his
friends Law is Knocked and derided.
The people, seeing criminals turned
Loose in the community again and again
before they have paid their debt to
justice, acquire a contempt fer all law.
that becomes a fountain of social dis
orders. A great part Of the lynchings
that occur in the United States would
never happen were it not that the
people who take the law into their own
hands believe it necessary to prevent
the guilty party's escape.
In our dealing with crime we need.
more than anything else, to make the
execution of the penalty in1exible We
have already an excellent system Of
rewards for merit, by which those in
generated can earn by good behavior
a mitigation Of their sentences. This.
being known beforehand and taken
into consideration in fixing the length
Of term, is unobjectionable. It is
the full limit to which the authori-
ties should go. Nothing, it seems to
lis, save the discovery of events tend
ing to throw doubt upon the guilt of
the accused, or proof of irregularity
in the sentence, ought ever to inter-
fere with the operation Of the law.
1t is with no feeling of resentment
or desire for revenge that we raise
stout remonstrance against the release
of the Youngers. 1t is an extraordi-