The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-12-18
TIT STATE PARDON BOARD

y - ~ R--e - y - - II Is
Of the criminal, the matter Of length
OF sentence and pardon would be very
much simplifed and hundreds Of pris-
oners could be released at once, as the
men so serving time would FOR the
most part become good citizens and
would have condoned the crime COM
mitted BY even few months In pris-
on. For after all the greatest part o.
the punishment is not the years and
months, but the fact of such imprison-
ment itself
But on the other hand there is the
question OF the prevention Of similar
crimes being committed by others.
There is no doubt the yawning gates
OF prisons do much to deter crime. But
Il all prisoners were to be liberated
simply because the governor or par
doning board believe that they would
hereafter lead better lives, there would
not be much to deter the angry or the
naturally vicious, man from commits
ting crime-and repenting afterward.
The great incentive to lynch law In
this country is because OF the uncer-
tainty of conviction in our courts. or If
convicted the possibility that the ac-
cused will be pardoned out in short
time.
And yet as we said in the beginning,
the pathos of 1t. The one thought of
the wretched prisoner is liberty. That
Is what he thinks Of all the dreary
days and what he dreams Of through
the long, dark nights. His wife and
children, his aged parents, his broth
ers, sisters and friends all live In the
hopes of speedy pardon.
Occasionally prisoner is actually
innocent OF crime. Circumstances,
false witness, perhaps bad character.
have placed him there. In his case,
his conscience at least is clean, and his
one satisfaction, poor consolation as 1t
may be, is that he is suffering because
others who are guilty Of similar crimes
might be allowed to 30 unpublished.
He Is simply a martyr to necessity.
But, we would not care to be men,
Der of the pardon board. we would not
desire to have the authority as govern
or to grant or refuse pardon. 1t could
not be pleasant job.
Fargo Blade: The pardoning OF
Joe Remington--or rather, the COM
muting of his sentence to a point
which gives him his liberty inside OF
a year--is disgrace to the state, and
blot on the name OF every member
OF the pardoning board 1t Is just such
acts as these that create lawIessness,
in view Of the fact that 1t brings home to
the masses realization OF the fact
that justice is not being melted out
through the channels OF law. In the
failure Of justice, mob law steps in. No
good can come by the turning loose of
What travesty on justice by sup
posedly intelligent body OF men.
Shame.
Hannah Moon: No one questions
the motive which prompted the whole
sale penitentiary delivery by the state
pardoning board sitting at Bismarck
last week. We believe that motive
was to extend the spirit or charity and
mercy to the unfortunates who were
behind the bars for offenses of greater
or less magnitude. There are many
men Of mature Judgment, however,
who doubt the wisdom OF the action of
the board. So far the twentieth CEN
fury has not been specially noted for
law observance. On the contrary
deeds of violence in the world at large
and especially in this nation have been
all too common. The frequency of
murder, manslaughter and crimes
against women has become alarming.
Judges and juries have pondered long
and weighed well the evidence submit
ted in each and every case. In dealing
out justice they invariably give the
criminal the benefit Of the doubt. If
there are extenuating circumstances
juries are prone to temper their YER
diets with corresponding mercy. When
everything considered, justice COM
mensurate with the crime has been
dealt why should a pardoning board
undo all this work in spirit OF gener-
osity unless some new evidence be pro-
duced showing that the jury had erred
| IN its judgment for lack of data. Does
the lapse of time lessen the enormity
of the crime? Does the good conduct
of the prisoner under prison rules
make FIVE years mean fifteen? Does
the law of the land stand for anything
or are they to be tempered with at
| will? Should the cause of the dead
or maltreated ones, who have no rep
resentation before the pardoning
board be lost sight off Laws aim to
protect the weak and punish the gull
ty. A smooth- tongued lawyer is all
lowed to plead the case of the criminal
before the board and forsooth Grim
inal become nartyr-pro tenn. Is
4 not this turning the work Of our Grim
Il inal courts into moekery--a farces
May not too great latitude on the part
OF a pardoning board give men dis
taste for serving on Jury? May they
not justly feel that the dignity--the
force--has gone out OF the Jury box
What is the effect ON criminals s.ot
! would be criminals2 Are they too dull
to discover the weak points in q law OF
it's enforcement 1t Is a truism that
lawlessness has back OF II contAnp:
for law This may be due to one OF
two things, the native daring Of the
criminal, or the weakness OF the law
Probably in most cases It is the latter
Even assuming then that the pardonet
ones are ready to go out and do bet
ter. what is the effect on the criminal
class just ready to graduate in crime
81 1t cannot be other than to increase
their contempt and hence the number
OF their crimes We believe the mer
!, who created the board had sufilcieni
reasons in mind for it's existence, but
we cannot think they meant It to undo
by wholesale the work of our courts.
I.akofa Observer. Governor Burke's