Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-13
The Governor Gives His Policy,
Which Is to Conceal Moth
(, ing In Parole Cases
PRESERVES ALL DOCUMENTS
And They Are Kept Open for the In
spection of the Publc-comments on
the Unfarness of Newspapers in
Charging He Made shercIiffe Case
Public.

Des Moines, May 13.-"Absolutely no
paroles will be received by me during
my incumbency of the office of govern
or that are not preserved. Those who
attempt to approach me on the sub
ject have received the invariable re-
Spouse from me that I would hear nor
read nothing relative to executive
clemency in such cases without pre-
serving it with the records of the case
and holding them open to the public"
Governor Cummins made the above
statement today In connection with a
discussion OF parole of Frank Shercliffe
and the criticism that has been direct
ed at him for permitting the records
in that case to become public.
NO one who is fair to me will att
tempt to deny that / was out of the
state at the time the facts in the Sher-
cNffe case became public. Up to that
time / knew nothing about 1t. I had
never heard of the letter from Judge
Hubbard and did not know that the
letters of w. A. Ptnkerton. Judge Van
Wagenen and others protesting against
the parole were on file. All l knew
about the Shecliffe case was that he
had violated his parole, that Governor
Shaw had issued a revocation of It, that
he was captured during my admins
tration and I ordered him recommft-
ted TO the penitentiary to serve the re-
mainder of his sentence. There had
been nothing irregular, so far as I
knew. and I was as much surprised as
any one when / read in a Chicago pa
per an account of the disclosures in
ShercMffe's confession, Dennison's
!temized statement and Judge Hub
bard's letter.
Il do not attempt to say, however,
that I would have prevented the publ
cation of this matter had been In
Des Moines. The gentlemen in charge
of my office acted in accordance with
the order issued when l first entered
upon the duties OF the office more than
two years before. l took the position
that nothing underhand should be per-
ndtted in pardon cases and that all
communications must be preserved in
the records and the records be open to
public inspection. But / do deny most
emphaticaaly that any one connected
with my office gave out the informa-
tion regarding the Shercliffe case VOL
unfairly, or that it was furnished UNI
sought. While was absent at French
Lick Springs, Ind, newspaper man
from Omaha presented himself at my
office and asked to see the records In
the Shercaiffe case. Mr.. Brair, my
secretary, readily complied with the
request The newspaper man then
asked to be permitted to photograph
the letters of Mayor Moores and Chief
White. Mr.. Brair declined to permit
this The newspaper man fumed and
threatened. but to no avail. This in
oident was followed by a series of
stories in the various papers regarding
the indictment of Tom Denndson for
completely in the robbery for which
Shercilffe was convicted, and several of
the local newspaper men applied for
permission to inspect the records of
that case to familiariZe themselves
with the details This inspection
brought out the existence OF the. Judge
Hubbard letter. etc. The clerks in my
office were but following my general
order in not refusing access to these
records, and it would not have been
different had l been here, but it is an
outrage for any newspaper to charge
that or those In my office went out of
the way to make this matter public.