The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-05-08

his judicial appOintee In Memphis
promptly declared IL unconstitutional
as soon as il was passed
THE PARooNINe POWER
"My competitor grows very elo-
quent over his pardon record. and APP
peals with force and power to the ten
der place in every good mans heart
AS much as any living man, | admire
the quality Of mercy, and no man
could rejoice more in its proper exer-
else than myself, but | must say to
you, my countrymen, that too great .
concession to the demands OF mercy
is a sacrifice of justice. When mercy
goes beyond the limits of reason IL
ceases to be mercy and becomes an
incentive TO crime. IL the next Gov
ernor Of Tennessee should double,
treble and quadruple the number OF
pardons, he could with just as much
reason and logic defend himself by
like appeals to pity. and the same elo-
quent apostrophe to the quality Of
mercy. One would imagine from the
glowing periods of my competitor that
he has confined his clemency chiefly
to children and consumptives. The
fact is that 1t was not until after Gov.
Patterson had been sometime under
fire for his pardon record that he real
ly began to pardon criminals of this
class. II you will go to the files Of
the papers you will find that the gen.
eral criticism and discussion of Gov.
Patterson's pardon record began In
the month of July, 1907. and up to
that time he had pardoned only
twelve of the thirty-six minors he par
doned during that year. In the first
year of his administration Gov. Pat
terson pardoned $50 convicts, nearly
five times as many persons as did
Gov. McMillin for a like period, near
ly three times as many as did Gov.
Frazier and twice as many as did Gov.
Cox. In his first year Gov. McMillin
pardoned four bootleggers, Frazier
twenty-six, Cox eighteen and Patterson
forty-six. McMillin pardoned six
teen murderers. Frazier twenty and
Cox thirty-five. In his first year Gov.
Patterson pardoned sixty-one, or near
ly as many as all three of these Gov
errors combined. Frazier pardoned
twenty-four pistol carriers and Cox
thirty-six. Gov. Patterson pardoned
fifty eight, or almost as many as both
of them combined.
WITH
PRECEDING GOVERNORS.
Governor Patterson recites that he
has issued 81 pardons to boys. aged,
nfirm, and consumptives. Subtracting
these from his total of $50 pardons
you still have 289 subjects of execu-
i've clemency which is still nearly
n
sued in his first year, double as many
rs Frazier and 100 more than Cox, and
hat too, taking into account the par
Ions that these other Governors also
nay have granted to minors, con-
the aged and infirm.
1T is well enough, my countrymen,
o harken to the pleadings of mercy,
tut we must not be deaf to the call of
Justice. Let me ask you il these facts
10 not call for some more reasonable
-nswer than eloquent platitudes and
lowing tears? Violence and murder
talk through the land because crime
las lost it's fear of justice. We are
he most homicidal nation upon the
ace of the earth. There are more
nen killed by other men in the City
f Memphis and the City of Nashville
han in the great City of London with
Is teeming millions of people. When
mercy takes from the criminal his
ear of the law it whets the knife and
Dads the pistol for another victim.
I'LL let Gov. Patterson have his spell
lachrymose eloquence for minors
nd consumptives, but when he has
ried his eyes | want him to tell me
ny he pardons murdereds, thugs and
Professional criminals.
ITO give boy another chance in
fe is no excuse whatever for giving
q able-bodied professional thief an
ther chance to steal. When you have
astered your emotions, tell me why
0u pardOned such notorious profess
onal criminal as Ernest Minor, who
as sent to the penitentiary for high
ay robbery from Knox County, who
ade his escape and went right back
his old trade and was again con-
cted and sent up for five robberies,
as pardoned by Gov. Patterson and
resumed his business of
lrglary and highway robbery and
no Is now once more In the peni-
ntiary waiting for pardon. He is
minor, and no consumptive; he is
st an able-bodied hardened, desper-
e, professional criminal.
Tell me why, without a request
om single human being in the
unity, you pardoned Monroe Coun-
murderer, Arch Murphy, who shot
wn his victim in the presence Of his
fe and child while he was on his
ees praying for his life, and later
lrdered the deputy sheriff sent to
rest him, and who wrote letters
I'm the penitentiary declaring his
rpose to murder every man who
led in his prosecution?
Why did you pardon another muir