The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-21

quence In the Smaller Branch.
Mercy inspired the senate yesterday to
favorable action on the bill which will,
if passed, permit the release of the
Younger brothers, the Northfield bank
robbers, from the Saltwater peniten-
tiary.
Senator Wilson CRepD, Hennepin, sub
mitted two amendments to the Younger
brothers parole bill. one changing the
word entitled to eligible" so as not to
qualify the discretion of the board of
prison managers. the other to strike out
the clause permitting the paroled prison
ers TO leave the state. The second, he ex-
planned he did not personally favor, but
introduced it in order to meet the OBJ
jections of some of the senators who
feared that the Youngers might exploit
their notoriety on the public platform
He did not believe they would. but if it
would influence the vote of one senator,
he would rather admit it, and let these
men see the light of heaven again here
Senator Wilson referred to the story
that $4,000 or some such fund was in
existence for the passage of the bill. He
had no knowledge of any such fund and
had not been promised or paid single
amendment. making the period neces-
sary to parole twenty-five years. If there
was any merit in the parole idea, twenty
years was long enough. He read a letter
from the prison physician as TO Jim
founger's physical condition. Jim has
not been able to eat solid food.
Senator Lords amendment was de-
feated, as was also the one striking out
the geographical limit clause.
Senator Stockton (Rep.), Rice, offered
an amendment adding a provision that
no life prisoner should be paroled until
the parole had been approved and signed
by every member of the board of par
dons. He asked Senator Wilson several
pointed questions involving matters of
pathological experience principally.
One thing he wanted to know was If
Cole Younger would tell who it was who
shot down the non-combatant Swede in
the streets of Mortified in cold blood.
Senator Wilson said he was Informed
that Cole would not. He thought it
should be considered that he forbore kill
ing another man down country.
Does the senator tell US that he did not
kill every one he had chance to?" in
Quired Senator Horton (Rep.), Ramsey,
ironically.
Yes, the senator does" replied Senator
Wilson, with evident bitterness, land he
knows more about this matter than the
senator from Ramsey.
Senator Underleak Rep.). Olmsted,
supported the amendment He did not
believe in giving the prerogatives of
board of pardons which had been limited
to the highest men in the state into the
hands of a board of politicians.
Senator Schaller Oem.), Dakota, said
the bill was not logical. 1t should pro-
vide further that hereafter the penalty
for murder where there were exceptional
circumstances should be only twenty
years to be logical. Punishment should be
looked to as well as reform.
Senator Thompson Rep), Fillmore
favored the parole of the Youngers.
Senator DAILY Dem.), Otter Tail, favor
ed 1t also. This was the greatest act in
Senator Wilson's long public career. Mr..
Daily waxed eloquent In pleading for
mercy. He would write hope over the
door of every cell of every prison in the
world.
Senator Stockton said he saw Cole
Younger the day after he was lodged in
Faribault Jail. Cole was reading his BIZ
BILE then, and he believed he was as peni-
tent and as much reformed then as he is
today.
Senator Young Rep), Swift, said the
bill was aimed to aid the Youngers, and
after its aim had been accomplished he
would vote for repeating act.
Senator Greer {Rep.), Wabasha spoke
In behalf of the Stockton amendment.
seven ClHerenL governors sitting since
that crime had, with the possible excep-
ton of the first, been approached with
requests for the pardon of these men. He
believed, If this bill passed, within six
months the men who voted for it would
have cause to blush when some bastard
ly crime was committed by some visitor
to the state. He also opposed the usurpa-
ton by the legislature of the pardoning
power vested in the executive depart
ment, and, as to the Youngers he could
not see how a man truly reformed could
help to block the wheels of justice by
refusing to tell who shot the Swede in
the street at Northfield.
Senator Stockwell Oem.), Hennepin,
favored the bill.
The Stockton amendment was then lost
on division, and the bill was recon-
mended to pass, 27 to IS.
When the committee rose, Senator
Stockton had the bill excepted from the