Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-28
Observation-Disclosures
LOCKER ON in IOWA.
Observation-Disclosures
For tho Times Republican.

Algona, Jan. Fit is not alone ir
Iowa that the facts are known that eX-
Governor Shaws record as pardon ant
parole executive is awaking national in.
terest. The New York World, the Chi
oago Chronicle and other eastern papers
and numerous state journals are taking
the matter up. Governor Shaw emptied
A penitentiary! Four hundred and aev-
enty-three criminals, that were con-
v.cted by judge and jury at more or less
expense to the counties of Iowa, were
turned loose by a pen stroke of gov
einor whose Knowledge of criminal pro-
ceedings is equal to that OF any attorney
in Iowa. 1t is no exaggeration to say
that as fast as the courts convicted the
governor pardoned or paroled. During
four years of his term on an average he
let out of the pententiary a prisoner
every three days. No wonder statistics
on cr!minology are misleading when
Iowa has 473 criminals outside of the
penitentiary. Probably if we had given
Governor Shaw third term he would
have paroled or pardoned what few
prisoners we still have in Anamosa o,
Fort Madison. and then he could have
out convict.
Governor Shaw's work in this line is
especially aggravating to the people of
this town. The Courier OF Jan. "a says:
Our ex-governor, the much-infiated
Leslie NJ Shaw, has broken all records
in his pardoning business. He has de-
feated the ends of justice by pardonng
during his four years OF office 473 crimi-
mails. And he has done it all so that the
public would not know 1t. He has ex-
Guided newspaper reporters from the
PARDON records. and as the pardoned
ones usually 60 to some new place to re-
side the public has been in ignorance of
what has been going on. Governor Shaw
has opened the prison doors for twenty
two persons convicted Of murder; for
thirty-eight convicted of statutory Of
lenses; for twenty convicted of fraud l.;
for fourteen convicted Of manslaughter;
for eighteen convicted of forgery; for
five convicted of perjury: for four con-
victed of embezzlement, and for 12S con-
victed of burglary robbery and larceny.
The present legislature should do some
thing to correct this ill-advised pardon
ing business.
THE are two Algona cases of 'eXecu-
tive clemency' that were worked out Sc
cretly and by means known only to
those who worked them. that will GER
tainly tend to bring into disfavor the
present law that enables a governor 10
pardon or parole criminals on the secret
representation of interested parties. IT
would be better to have pardon board
such as the state of Minnesota has, or at
ell events when pardon or parole is
asked for notice OF the same should be
duly published in the papers where the
convicted person committed the crime
for which he was incarcerated. This Sc
oret work is not good. Pardons secured
by such means make farce of law and
justice and lessons public confidence in
and reverence for the law
The two pardon cases that we refer
to are those of Alden Hawks and Mrs.
Lucy Foster. The first was hardened
crook and criminal for whose capture
and conviction the county had expended
much money, and there was a feeling
that justice had to some extent been
meted out when at last he had been
landed in the penitentiary. But his stay
there was short. Machinery has been
privately set to work for his pardon, and
before the public of Kossuth county
knew anything about 1t Hawks was
again a free man. His villainies were
condoned, and II he wanted to continue
his criminal career he was at liberty to
do II. In the case of Mrs. Foster. ac-
cording TO what she herself confessed
and to what was brought out in her
trial, there never was a clearer case of
premeditated murder. Because her hus-
band, the victim of her and her para
Hlours plot was not killed was that the
bullet did not strike an inch higher. The
plot was we'll laid. The aim was good
and lacked but less than an inch of en-
tering the victims brain, and that vic
tim was the indulgent husband of the
faithless wife who conspired to murder
him. She received light sentence. on
ly three years and now before one of
those years has expired she is out of
prison. Such clemency is not only con-
dcnement of crime, but an encourage
rent to commit it. 1t makes human life
cheap, for he who conspres against the
life of another may reasonably hope that
he will not suffer much il any for it.
80
Reference to the constitution Of Iowa
In the paragraph from which the gov
ernor derives the power OF pardon and
parole makes it plain that the legisla-
ture by legal enactment can regulate the
executives power. Furthermore,
board of pardons can be created which
certainly can have advisory and other
powers which the executive would be
rs "a dc
with the governor as the pardoning pow
er comes from the constitution and of
course can not be taken away except by
TO the constitution Ga long
and tedious process), good lawyers tell
the writer that this present legislature
can pass law which Will prevent any
such future abuse of power as that
shown in Governor ShaW's record. Many
favor law creating pardon board,
consisting Of the governor as chairman
and the other state officials as members.
Others want a board of pardons to con-
sist of three men who shall meet at
stated times and visit the state institu
tions regularly. The plan can be best
selected by investigating the workings
OF the law in other states who have Gre
ated pardon boards much to the salts
faction of the citizens, to say nothing OF
a governor who welcomed the change.
There is no more important matter be-
fore this legislature. Governor Shaw has
1.-The object lesson"
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