Evening journal., 1905-07-10
WY i,4EY WERE PARDoNED.

encing the President 10 pardon these
men, has thought best to make an ex-
planation.
Il was pity which move him. and
me thinks that if a sentence OF eight
years viii not deter these men and 9TH
ers from committing such crimes, then
a term Of twelve years would not. The
argument is fallacous. and is based
upon the assumption that the punish
'ments contemplated by the law and
imposed by the courts are too severe.
AS for pity anybody Of proper in
.stincts feels that for the most debased
land ferooious criminal, but If it is TO
be an element In the administration of
justice the deterrent effect Of punish
.ments will be lost
Originally the pardonng power was
exercised on the theory that after trial
land conviction other evidence or miti-
eating circumstances might come to
light. and thus the wrong done could
be undone But there were no mitigat-
ling circumstances in these cases-Mr.
Beck has found none on the other
hand their crime against the govern
ment remains as the most glaring and
stupendous Of its kind ever perpe-
trated-
Counterfeiters who have proceeded
in a crude way and who have not oc-
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careers Of these two men inspired are
in the penitentiary living out their sem
.tences. TO be consistent, they too
should have pardons; and we anlici-
pate for the President flood of petit
tons To that end.
m1SiNG MIS- IS.
T. LBERT HUBBARD. crank or seer.
l. occasionally says something
which contains meat Here is a sem
tence worth ponderne "The greatest
mistake you can make in life is TO be
continually fearing that you viii make
one"
The world has been surfeited with
lessons Of caution, and go slow"
comes to the tongues of all our friends
when we attempt a new bit Of enter
prise, or step aside from the rut whne
destiny seems to have placed us.
But failure is not the worst thing in
the world. since more often than other
wise on its foundation success Is build
ed. Was there ever an author who In
the years Of his ripened talents did not
try to bury out Of sight something Of
his earlier work? And is there bus
iness man who has not made mistakes
galore but has later turned some Of
them to advantage. in experience II not
otherwise?'
To always say and do the right thing
means that we are to say and Co the
thing which is so ancient and COM
mon-place that it is likely to have no
value, and the worlds progress is not
concerned in dead-level orthodoxy.
AS a matter OF fact life consists IN a
series Of experiments, and the human
pathway is strewn with mistakes that
have occurred because we are human
and our knowledge has not been abso-
lutte.
The man of small mind above all
things demands consistency and claims
AN consistent. When anybody comes
prominently before the public atten-
ton, his past life is combed over to
find some utterance er action at vari-
ance with his present professions. and
woe to the man who has outgrown a
belief and has discarded it, who has
made his own tentative and immature
ideas stepping stones to larger con-
lceptions. The small-minded believe
there is no answer TO the charge Il
Inconsistency sustained.
We might carry the thought further
by saying that the preacher who nevr~
makes mistake never makes
a success. that the teacher who
never makes a mistake is not a gaod
teacher and that the editor who aoove
an else from day TO day and from year
TO year strives to maintain consistency
nils column that compels no thought
and is not worth reading.
Were we dwelling in a world of abb
solute and ascertained truth We should
tolerate no mistaken teaching. But
most Of what we call truth is relative.
and the last word remains to be
spoken. 1t is more essential that we
should keep the intellectuai and moral
pools stirred than that we should re-
pose peacefully under the scum tnat
arises when the waters remain undis-
turbed
Secretary Wilson OF the Department Of
Agriculture has very properly dis
missed Edwin s. Holmes. Assistant
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