New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-25
MORSE AND WALSH
REMAIN IN PRISON
President Taft ScsthingIy Ar
raigns Rich Men Who Be-
tray Their Trusts.
REFUSES TO PARDON THEM
Their Offences Show Insidious
and Dangerous Moral Turpi-
tude, and interests Of Society
Demand Severe Punishment.
rFron' The Tribune Bureau

Washington. Nav a Appeals for par-
don in the cases Of Charles W. Morse,
convicted Of misapplication Of the funds
Of the National Bank IF North America.
Of New York CITY and John r. Walsh.
convicted Of misapplication Of the funds
Of the Chicago National Bank. were de-
MED by the President to-day. He also
declined AZ this time to exercise anv
other sort Of executive clemency in these
cases or 70 shorten the sentences i'm
posed on the two men by the courts in
which thev were convicted In the case
Of Morse. who is serving a fifteen wear
sentence ar Atlanta leave was granted
70 renew the application for clemencv
after January |. 1913 In response 70 the
application for Walsh. the Presiden.
pointed out that under the parole Law
he will be able next September to apply
for release from imprisonment az the
Leavenworth penitentiarv. where he IS
now confined
n denying the pardons the President
takes a firm stand that the national
banking laws or any other laws must b.
upheld when they affect the rich man
even more than when they affect the
poor. The record in the Walsh case. the
President saws. shows moral turptude
Of that insidious and dangerous kind 70
punish which the national banking laws
were especially enacted" In the Morse
case he says that from a consideratio
OF the facts in each case I have no doubt
that Morse should have received a
heavier sentence than Walsh Indeed.
the methods taken by Morse tend to
show that more keenly than Walsh did
he realize the evil Of what he was
doing
In general conclusions the opinions Of
the President respecting the Morse case
and the Walsh case are similar and CO.
incide with those Of the Attorney Cen
eral He holds that both committed the
same offence against the banking laws
and that both exhibited the same fraud
ulent and criminal disregard Of the trust
imposed upon them.
The President also accentuates the fact
thar no discrimination n1ust be made be-
tween the men who have enjoyed a high
position in society and the ordinary
criminal ITO yield 10 such a considera-
tion. he says. would defeat the object
Of the law and present a demoralizing
difference between the punishment
meted ont 10 the ordinary criminal.
whose circumstances have naturally led
him into crime. and one whose position
in society should have made for him the
strongest restraint against violation Of
the law.
The truth is." he adds. that in the
mad rush for wealth in the last few dec
AIDES the lines between profit from legiti-
mate business and improper gain from
undue use Of trust control over other
peoples property and money have been
sometimes dimmed and the interest OF
society requires that whenever oppor-
tunity offers those charged with the en-
forcement Of the law should emphasize
the dictinction between honest business
and dishonest breaches Of trust"
Opinion in the Morse Case.
In the Morse case Mr.. Taft said in
part.
Charles ~ Morse pas convicted ~
mi-applcauon of funds II the National
Bank Of North America and of making
false entries in the books Of the bank and
its reports 70 the Controller Of the Cur
renCv on appeal 20 the Circuit Court ~
Appeals his conviction on the false entry
charge vas affirmed He had been con-
hned IN the Tombs for ten months before
he was taken 10 Atlanta.
Although his conviction technically vas
on false entries. there IS no doubt as 20
what the evidence showed generally. %
wit. that Morse was engaged IN large
private transactions In which the main
tenanCe u the price Of certain stock lu the
market was Of capital importance 20 him
and he procured control Of this particular
bank anA other banks for the purpose ot
I doing the specific thing mentioned which
was essential 10 the success OF his specu-
lar0ns. The result OF his operations was
severe losses 20 the bank which forced IL
into liquidation.
Morse exhibited the same fraudulent and
criminal disregard Of the trust imposed
upon him IN the exercise u the control
over the bank as Walsh did Indeed the
methods taken by Morse tend 70 show
that more keenly than Walsh did he
realize me |Nll DL Nllf. TO ' ~ '4NllE flll
resort 20 more subtle methods 70 ac-
conpHsh and conceal them
One cf the chief arguments made IN
NIorse's behalf is that since the commission
Of his offences he has out Of his own estate
made good the losses inflicted upon the
hank In rhe FIRST place. the evidence does
not sustain the claim that all the losses tC
tho bank have been made good by him
but even n his estate had met the onllga'
lions growing ont Of his fraudulent trans
actions n could nor change the necessitJ
FOR his lawful punishment for the crime NJ
Committed