The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1912-08-22
Pardons by Blease

Having heard so much abou
the pardons by Gov. Blease, an(
that he has said that the judge:
and solicitors recommended
great number of them, | secur
ed what is call d his book or
pardons for one year. 1t is his
report to the general assembly
and contains his pardons with
his reasons for the same. After
looking over it hastily, I noticed
that about 70 were pardoned. OF
these 70, the judge and solicitor
signed about 10, and they sepa
rately signed about 10 more, in
all making about 90 out of 7C
signed by either or both of them
There were 247 paroles. Of this
number, the Judge and solicitor
together signed about 25, and
separately about 20 more, max
ing in al! about is out of PAT.
This will show that the judges
and solicitors, either or both,
signed petitions for IS of the en-
tire BIT pardoned or paroled.
This leaves 252 released by the
governor without the recon-
mendation of either the judge
or solicitor. In a number of in
stances I notice that some of the
iurymen siged the petition, In
other cases were words like this:
After carefully reviewing the
case I decided that the prisoner
had been sufficiently punished
and the law vindicated, etc. :"
This shows that most of Gov
Blease's pardons and paroles
were not signed by the judge or
solicitor, but by some of the ! u
rors or others, and that many
were signed upon his own no.
tons. When the jurors try a
case they are under oath to rem
der a verdict according to the
evidence and law. When they
sign a petition they are under
no such oath and are likely to
sign it through some personal
influence brought to bear or
through a desire to favor some
one. Such a petition is not suf-
fcient reason for the governor
to set aside the decisions of our
courts and jurors, rendered un-
der oath, and the laws of our
legislators. It is very easy to
get a petition from people when
they are not under oath. But
the governor is bound all the
time under a solemn oath to de
fend and execute the Jaws. |
don t remember + The governor
complaining in his EmessaSe to
the legislature that the law by
which sentence is passed was
wrong, but from the number OF
pardons granted, one would GER
tainly think that the governor
views it that way. If such is
the desire of the people, then let
US have the law changed, Rabol-
ishing our criminal laws and
the courts. If such is not the
wishes of the people, then let Us
elect as governor a man who
will not allow his sympathies to
extend only to the criminal class
| think this is one of the govern
or's greatest mistakes. True,
he does pardon some, as ali gov.
ernors do, that the mass of the
people would think iustifiable
if they understood the nature of
the case, but to be 50 slenient in
executing the law; as | look at
it, is encouraging crime among
a certain class of people.
1t also appears that Governor
Blease is at varienCe with every
branch of our government. This
should not be so. 1t shows that
he is not a good leader and head
OF our government. It is true
that men sometimes have differ
ences Of opinions, but to be al
varience with every branch OF
our govern lent would indicate
that our whole government *
wrong or the governors wrong
Governor Blease represents
only those who support them
and instead of being governor
of the whole State, he says he
is governor of his friends only:
How any honest man can sup
port man Of that principle,
cannot see. | will never vote
for any man who makes th'
man that differs with him al
enemy. 1t is an insult to a mar
Of character and honesty to ash