The age-herald., 1900-11-27
IN HOTEL HOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

"Thou wilt have a successful year for thy business and 1t will increase; thou wilt soon travel and change with success, but do not run any risks with thy money"
 A child born this day will be|g generally fortunate, particularly if in employ, and will rise in life."
 Hire men servants"
 Astrologer Raphael's prophecies for Wednesday, November 2S, 1900;
 An unfortunate day"
 With care thou mayest keep thy business together, but run no risks; thou wilt be an- noyed by young people and wilt quarrel with them"
 "A child born on this day will be quick in anger and stubborn in mind; in business il will be successful"
 "The Governor of Alabama pardoned, dur ing the two years from September l, 1898, to August 31, 1900 the astonishing number of 175 State convicts, commuted the sem tences of A, and paroled 122; pardoned 2S county conviets, commuted the sentences of 15, and paroled 27, said an observant stu dent of public affairs. Tn other words, the Governor lawfully rendered abortive the tardy processes of justice which convicted All criminals: and all this executive elem eney, for which I am not blaming the Gov ernor, was made operative within twenty four months. Thus convicts were relieved of the penalties of their evil deeds at the rate of seventeen month. or more than one every alternate day of the calendar.
 More than ' per cent of the total of State and county convicts during the past two years got the precious treasure of 'ex- ecutive clemency'! Take away the 2102 who were discharged, 200 who were released on payment of costs, the 58 who escaped, and the 235 who died, and the relative per centage of those who received clemency runs above 15 per cent.-an astonishing number of pardons, paroles and commuta- tIons to be sure.
 "Unhappily, the third biennial report of the Board of Inspectors of Convicts to the Governor, which has just been issued and from which these statistics are obtained, does not give any particulars as to the crimes of the fortunate recipients of the Governors clemency. The only reference to clemency Is found in President Syden- ham B. Trapp's eloquent and forceful fare we'll to the Governor
 President Trapp declares:
 !" Finally, fair test of the operations of the penitentiary under your administra- tion is to be found in your mortuary tables, the list of escapes, the exhibit of business in outgo and income, and lastly, but not least, in the examples of executive clem- ency and the reasons assigned therefor in each case on file. The student of these varied evidences-of vitality in the ipe x.t;ll i,, of the accuracy, firmness and ability required in the administration of it in the past four years by the lawful head
 "'We pray your Excellency may carry that measure of sound health in your latter labors which has blessed your past ca- reer and justified your exceptional ener- gies and we are all well convinced that general knowledge of your distinguished success in your public life will continue to exalt you in the minds of your fellow countrymen.'
 Tt Is a fact of common knowledge and constant complaint that large percentage of the convicts pardoned are murderers. It is believed that murderers constitute ma jority of the convicts who have been par doned the past two years. Last Saturday the pdrdons of fourteen convicts were an- nounced through the Governors office, and here are seven of the fourteen pardoned criminals: Robert Byrd Conecuh, assault to murder; Henrietta Brown and Ann Ow- ems, Fillmore, life for murder; Tom Robin son. Butler, life for murder; Bob Williams Walker eighteen years for murder; James M. Sullivan, Dallas, life for murder; Oliver Wiley, Pike, life for murder. Thoughtful men see grave consequences in this sort of wholesale pardonng of murderers Probably not one murderer in twelve is convicted by jury in Alabama, and the chances are as a thousand to one that every convicted man is guilty and ought really to be hanged. It Is therefore discouraging in the extreme that executive clemency should be so freely and so constantly extended to stay the half-palsed hand of justice in its un- equal struggle with the worst and most constantly menacing crime that makes Ala bama it's chosen field of operations.
 "f the army of pardoned murderers in Alabama could be brought together with the unconvicted murderers these two classes of the noble aristocracy of high crime would be equal in numbers to reasonable army corps, to which might be ascribed the proud title of 'Bravest of the Brave' 1 do not wish to blame Governor Johnston in this pardon business; most distinctly not 1 am blaming the pardon system
 Tn the new constitution there must be provision for vesting the pardonng power in a state moArd of pardons, similar to the law which prevails in nearly every other state of the Union. There should be an open trial of every claim for pardon for crime committed. Those who are opposed to a pardon should be given as fair a hearing before the pardoning power as those who favor the pardon. Proceedings In pardon claims cases should be as orderly as in the court of conviction, without any silly sen- tmentalism and gush and balderdash such as formerly made the gubernatorial offices of Tennessee and Kentucky ridiculous and rSprehensible. The Governor hasn't got t.ne never will have time, to devote to the wholesale pardoping business.
 "The biennial report of the inspectors of