Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-19

6oer8s
1 London, Sept. 19.-Bulletin: The Bo-
srs captured 200 British troops and three
guns at scheeper's Mex.
THE PAROLE SYSTEM.
How It Works in the States Of Iowa
and Nebraska.
! Des Moines, Sept. 19.-The recent
unfortunate experience of the governor
| of Nebraska in paroling the defaulting
treasurer, of that state. who failed to
keep the conditions of his parole and
had to be returned to the penitentiary,
has revived the discussion of the par
ole system, which is now being given
| a thorough trial in Iowa. Some critic
ism has been made upon 1t and upon
| the course of Gov. Shaw in admin
listering the parole law which is now
/. In existence, tho in an undeveloped
form. Most OF these criticisms. how
ever. show that the writer's are not
well informed. For instance, the other
day the Ringgold Record stated:
Over rs per cent of the paroles
granted to men who have had criminal
which they were last imprisoned, and
also for the class who previous to their
Incarceration We're petty offenders
against the law, have violated their
parole In several instances these vio-s
lations comprise the commission of SER
ieus crimes. The parole and pardon
ing powers should be but seldom used,
and then only in the clearest cases.
In almost all cases they nullify law and
work to the detriment of society.
The facts do>not bear out these state
rients. 1t is not the policy of the execu-
tive office to give out much information
concerning paroles. To publish this In
formation broadcast would interfere
with securing the best results. When a
iran is paroled from the penitentiary 1t
is not. as rule. good thing for him to
have the fact Of his having been there
advertised. The result is that people
know very little about these things, ex-
eept occasionally when some notorious
case commands public attention, and
every man who is released from the
penitentiary is supposed to be par
doned,' when as matter of fact very
few pardons have been granted during
recent years by Iowa governors. The
sentence is suspended and is held over
the convict to help insure his good be-.
havior.
& The governors report of pardons. sus-
pensions Of sentence, communications and
renlssions of fines for the two years
ending January 10, 1900. shows tina. dur
Ing that time he granted nine pardons.
i've communications, twenty-three remis-
sions of fines, two remissions of forfeit
ures. ia suspensions OF sentence, five
temporary suspensions from industrial
school. or ali these there were but sew
en- revocatiors, and this included one
who had been released In 1896 and two
were temporary suspensions where It had
not intended to permanently discharge
the prisoners. SO that out of ia sus-
pensions there We're really only four
that had to be returned, or littlc over
per cent of all. The record for the last
two years will not greatly differ from
this, altho there have probably been
more suspensions, because the governor
has had the encouragement of the leg
stature in pursuing this policy. A spe-
cial clerk was provided by the legisla-
ture to assist in this work. 1t requires
a great deal of work to fairly administer
the parole law. because a close account
r1ust be kept of all the doings of pa
rolled convicts. If they do not observe
the conditions of their paroles they
must be promptly returned, no matter.
how much trouble it may be to recap
ture them. Thus far none has escaped.
The wardens of the penitentiaries are
very strongly in favor Of the parole
T,i,a;, nhcarya finr taught
them that 1t pays to give the average
convict a chance to reform, and that to
hold him in the penitentiary a fixed
length of time and turn him loose elm
ply because he can not be held any
longer does not do much in the way of
reformation. Warden Hunter. in his
report filed the other day, strongly urg-
es the parole law and says that of the
five prisoners who We're pardoned and
eighty who We're paroled during the last
two years, but five have been returned
on account of violations of parole. The
whole tendency of prison administration
nowadays is toward the humane idea of
holding out some hope to the convict
that society is not seeking to be re-
venged upon him. but rather to help
him TO be self-respecting, self-sus-
tanning citizen, at the same time pro-
tecting itself against any wrong that he
may do. Governor Shaw is we'll satisfied
with the results of the parole system as
far as it has gone and he has given very
careful consideration to the cases that
have come before him. 1t should be un-
derstood that no parole is granted ex-
lcept IT has the strongest Endorsement in
the locality where the crime was COM
United, and there is not one case In fifty
where the application for parole, If sue
cessful, does not have the Endorsement
of the Judge and the prosecuting attor-
ney who tried the case.
Domestic Trade.
Washington. Sept. 16.-The domestic
commerce of the country continues to
run ahead Of last years figures by
considerable margin. There are certain
exceptions, for example, in the July re-
ceipts and shipments of corn, in the