The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-29
THE paHpoNING POWER.

The Salem Times Register adopts our
suggestion. and says that It will take
the trouble 70 get Governor 1yler's views
ca the proposition TO create Board OF
pardons for the state of Virginia and
give them careful consideration. our
contemporary is still OF opinion. how
ever. that there is no need for such
change i, doubts not that the Governor
would be glad TO have others divide TINS
responsibility with him. but the fact re-
minis II adds. that under the Constitn-
ton the pardoning power Is vested III
him and should remain there
We may say. in justice to Governor
Tyler that the proposed measure WoHlH
do him no good. for II we have a Board
OF Pardons IT must be through constitu-
iional amendment. and before the change
oould go into eject Governor Tyiers
term Of office would have expired
| Therefore In recommending this change
the Governor is not actuaied by any
! selfish motive. but he has regard TO his
successors. and ne believes that the m
/ forests OF the state are TO be subserNed
bv the creation of such board
In this connection the Portsmouth star
comes up 10 the support Of The Times
/ and says:
/ II is not dificult for the Richmond
/ Times 10 prove that there should Dc
I Board OF Pardons for Virginia In me
/ Grst place. there is a logical and sensible
/ argument 20 the effect that the lnvesu-
/ cation required is often too much lanor
Tor the Governor in conjunction with his
other duties Ina the second place, IL Is
} TOO great a responsibility for one man,
whose sympathies may outweigh his
/ sense of Justice. Those are excellent
! contentious They may be elaborated ana
! strengthened tnl they shall have become
! impressive and influential. The people OF
/ virginia cannot refuse TO consider them.
/ Meantime Gov. Tyler Is assisting the
/ Times and Illustrating the lessons TINT
/ sprirhtlv newspaper Is seeking 10 trach
/ by granting pardons The public docs
/ NOT know an Of the reasons Tor grant
/ ing these pardons Those reasons which
| do apuear I'm public serve 30 impress the
/ necessity. which the Times Is urging so
/ pereistentIy Of Board Of pardons 10
! check or stop the liberality and intensity
/ Of gubernatorial sympathy for criminals.
There are two sides 90 the question.
/ The interests Of society demand that
those who have been guilty of an IN
/ fraction Of the law shall be punished.
as an example 10 others. Not only so.
/ but there are thieves and murderers and
/ other criminals Of this character who
are a constant menace to society when
! they are ar large and the public
breathes easier when such men are In
carcerated. on the other hand, justice
/ sometimes goes wrong and an innocent
man Is placed IN the penitentiary. or If
| guilty. the sentence of the court may
have been harsh II is a shocking thing 10
think of keeping an innocent man confin-
/ ga I'm prison. it is also Inconsistent with
our ideas Of justice to innlct punishment
/ greater than the offence deserves.
! In Governor McKinney's administra-
| ton two men from Montgomery county
/ we're tried and convicted Of heinous
1 offence. and at time when public senu-
ment was wrought up 10 such a high
pitch Of excitement. that ii was neces-
/ sary TO call out troops in order TO pre-
/ vent these men being dealt with by
mob 1t was clearly impossible in such
a state of public feeling for the accused
I 20 have a fair trial, ana they were con-
/ victed, as We have said, and sentenced
/ to a long term in the penitentiary. Two
| years thereafter the chief witness for
I the prosecution was on the stand in an
I other case and then confessed that she
/ had falsely sworn against the men, and
/ declared Chat they were innocent Of the
charge that had been preferred against
them. The facts we're soon made known
/ 20 the Governor and of course he lost
/ no time in setting them at liberty
/ This was a perfectly plain case, but
/ the Governor In exercising the pardon
ing function. has TO deal with many
complicated cases, and it Is sometimes
/ almost Impossible for one man. singly
and alone. to know just what is the
right thing 10 do in the premises. I'm
/ the multitude of counsel there is wis
dom" and in a grave matter Of this
character where new cases involving hu-
man liberty are constantly recurring, we
ought to have az least three Of the most
competent men in the state to deal with
them. We believe that there is the same
necessity Tor a Board of Pardons as there
is for more than one justice on the Su-
,,rer,a Court bonoh