Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-01-09
GOVERNORS /, ]
MESSAGE
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WI L OOHuL
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issued six pardons; one upon the in
itiative and Recommendation of the
Thirteenth general assembly, and five
upon my own motion. / have re-
leased from the penitentiary in that
period 100 convicts by suspension of
sentences, otherwise known as pa
roles. I have released from the coun-
ty jail in the same manner 40 con-
vtcts. I have restored 20 citizenship
55 persons, RENTED 10 fines, and 8
forfeitures.
Success of Paroles
Inasmuch as you will be called up-
on to consider the report Of your joint
committee relating to reformatories
and interminate sentences, you will
be interested to know something Of the
success Of the system of paroles as
now established in the governors Of
fee. Thets general rule that I have
attempted TO follow is this: If I find
sperson, ~ especially a --oung person,
the Eenitentiary, whose offense was
not the outcome of a criminal or vic
io$ life, but was committed under
guliar circumstances and great
after full investigation, that If re-
leased, an upright life would follow
I have been inclined to give such q
person chance for redemption.
nave made mistakes, as matter of
course, for the attempt to look into
the heart of a human being is a diff
fcult undertaking. Nevertheless,
have been much gratified with the re-
suits as a whole. OF the ITO persons
who have been paroled in the last two
years, have been compelled to re-
turn to the penitentiary or jail, under
revocation Of parole but 49, All but
Z Of the 1870 persons released from the
penitentiary are reporting regularly
to me, and all but 9 of the 40 re-
leased from the county Jail. have
maintained over these persons as eff
fective a supervision as was possible
with the assistance allowed me, and
/ believe that all of them or sub
stantially all of them, ave been
since their release conducting them
selves in an upright, honest and in
dustrious way. am more firmly
persuaded than ever before that re-
formation should be one OF the great
objects of the criminal Wv, and that
the release of prisoners under parole
is entirely consistent with the preser-
walton of the sentiment that punish
ment must follow wrongoing.
Indetermate Sentences
In this connection again urge upon
you the adoption of the indeterminate
sentence for many of the crimes rec
ognized by the law, will not enlarge
upon the subject, for I assume that
the committee to which I have already
referred will, in it's report, discuss
carefully and adequately this mo-. In
teresting phase of criminology. I am
most heartily in favor of the plan for
the division of our convicted Grimm
ais, making the institution at Ana
mosa a reformatory for men and
boys, and the institution at Fort Mad
fson the penitentiary for the more
hardened and habitual criminals. NV
observation does not permit doubt
that much larger proportion of our
young men who have gone wrong can
be saved for decent lives than are
now saved, If the enlightened methods
that have found favor among the
closest students Of crime and refor-
favor, also, of a separate reforma-
tory for women and girls, and I earn
estly sprge you to take the i7itial step
required to bring about that end. 1t
is true that at the present time there
are only Is or 10 women and girls
in the penitentfary at Anamosa, al
though the whole number of prisoners
500. The truth is that juries will not
convict nor will judges sentence wo-
men and girls to the penitentiary,
save in rare instances, for those Of
fences of which they are most com
monty guilty. If we are to do any
thing to purify society in this direc-
ton, we must furnish place more
suitable for their detention and refor-
nation than we now have.
Applications for Pardons of Murder
There have been filed in the office
of the governor twelve applications for
pardon by person convicted of the
crime of murder in the first degree
and sentenced to Imprisonment for
life In the penitentiary. Due publ
cation has been made of these appli-
cations, and I herewith transmit them
you for such investigation as the
" requires at your hands, and for
h recommendation as you may be
,sed to make.
submit also two applications for
mutation of sentences from death
prisonment for life; namely
Of Louis Busse and Joseph G..
These applications were made
or the exercise of the Glenn
hin my power; namely, COM
n from a death sentence to
'sonment for life, and in so
n advised they. were not in
be submitted to you.
them both very carefully
the communion, fixing the
N case for the execution of
re. I was then and am now
whether, my duty required
ce the applications before
I'm inclined to the opinion
the law they are not such
rs as are to be passed upon
eneral assembly, but inas-
he decision involved the lives
en- I gave them the benefit
lbt. Although the day for
alton is fixed it is after the
djournment of your body.
whole subject with you to
tn as your view of the law
ent of the circumstances
TAKING THE CENSUS