The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-17

press such an opinion. But shall he be the
Keeper Of the mind and conscience of his brother
VINO as honestly holds the contrary view? And
is IT honorable or credtabe for one who holds
such view TO keep silent thus sitting his own
conscience and doing violence to the plain de-
mands of justice and right? And then this as
pect Of the question raises the matter far above
the Alien incident in itself considered to one
OF a principle of social ethics. These nuuisitors
must know that the petitioners for executive
CieInehcS were clearly within their constitutional
flghts and there was not emblance OF dis
loyalty to law and order in their attitude They
hoped and desired that the executive would,
IN the exercise of his constitutional preroga-
tive, save the boy from the death chair. They
feel that all the circumstances attending the
case at least justified this much. But they
put by the inquisitors in the attitude of crime
condoner," whose course is inimical to law and
order" forsoothi / confess il is difficult to re-
fer to the matter with entire equanimity, but the
blunt truth is that the course of the inquisitors
is itself the harmful thing To discourage the
right of petition and of conscientious expression
of merciful feelings is contrary to the funda
mental aXioms on which our social structure
rests.
The petitioners for clemency in the Claude
Allen case have no regrets nor cause for apology.
Indeed the spontaneous desire that this boys
life be spared crystallized into the prettiest con-
certed effort for mercy that the writer has ever
hho"h II was a dlstlnct credlt TO the great
heart or this old Commonwealth. To realize
that their efforts availed naught was, of course.
a source Of regret to the petitioners. but they
are not the arbiters in the matter and the con-
sciousneSs of duty done is no mean compensation
for all the effort put forth And if the criticisms
referred to went further than as a personal
rebuke, the who dared follow the lead of
their conscience could well afford remain
silent, hut the effect of these regrets at the
unwisdom of not willingly permitting the law
TO take its course" strikes at untramelled con-
science and free speech. II indeed a hor-
rihle affair, that of the Hillsville tragedy, and
would not condone the crime which, of
course, should be adequately punished. But
while the shooting up of the court II is
vulgarlV termed, is awful to contemplate, and
God forbid that there should ever be a repetition
of so horrible an affair yet il is unwse to
shoot up" the very foundations upon which
our courts and society rests! Men may be mis-
taken in their judgment Il the mercy
pleaders for Claude Allen have not but this
asde), but God forbid the day when the foun~
tains of mercy shall he dried UP in the Old
DominionS bosom it become unwritten
law that to petition for executive clemency is
disloyalty law and ORDER" 1t has ever been
and ever will be true that in its last analysis
the most potent and abiding factor in the popu-
lar reverence for the laws majesty is the CON
sCous feeling that ny 1t Justice is conserved and
that Justice may he tempered with mercy Per-.
haps the minister who is perturbed over this
Allen sympathy and sees in il tendency TO
unconsciously encourage a somewhat of anar-
chistic sentiment will recall that one of Israels
great kings. and no less than the sweet singer
whose Psalter is read today from thousands of
sacred desks, declared that Gods mercy made
him fear the Most High This Allen incident
has at last revealed the pretty truth that along
with q profound reverence for law and order
thousands of noble Virginia hearts are inspired
with q sentiment of equity and mercy which
makes for the highest social welfare and which
will be voiced whenever duty demands.
". NJ. BfCKERS.
Richmond, Va. March 6, 1918.