Evening star., 1914-08-16

ton before acting.
When this routine is
taken into consideration, together with the fact that
700 referred to the department each year, it
will be readily how delays in securing prompt
action inevitable.
Each application is considered strictly upon its own
merits regardless of the standing of the prisoner Long
lists of signatures to petitions of advantage Per
sonal letters however, from people who have known
the applicant and in position to give information
regarding the facts in the and the prisoners char
acter, desirable.
Contrary to general opinion, great wealth IS fre-
quently detriment rather than aid to prisoner.
for the that when executive cemency is extended
to rich man the public is likely to believe that his
wealth and standing had something to do with the
suit The only thing needed in order to pardon
executive clemency is that prisoner have meri
torious No pardon has ever been refused, am
sure unless the officials in charge convinced that
this the only just Likewise no application
is left unconsdered The humblest of prisoners.
if deserving, will be extended clemency pardoned
outright
This of course applies to federal prisoners. There
have been where State officials with the power
of pardon have been disncned to act in any case
cept where the recommendations unanimous.
From time to time read in the newspapers of prison.
who have Governors come and go, renewing
their application with each change of administration,
and their application either not acted upon refused.
Again there have been instances where executives
And in contrast there have been instances
where pardons have been granted by the hundred in
the of year. There to be a difference
of opinion the wisdom of this policy, which time
alone will make clear.
TN 1887 Grover Cleveland exercised clemency in 1O2
cases. in 1885, toward the end of his second term he
favored 271 prisoners In 1899 President Mckinley
aided 452 applicants and this total included nine de-
serters from the army and 80 from the navy This was
the fiscal year of the SpanishAmerican War; In other
years deserters sometimes do not figure in the
pardon lists In 1908 President Roosevelt relieved only
140 out of 500 applicants. President Taft in 1910 exer
csed clemency in 1874 out of 1872.
Taft and President Wilson. At the end of the fiscal
year 1913, 731 pending for consideration.
Of these 253 adversely reported by the United
States attorneys to whom they referred for reports
283 considered and acted upon both Presidents
and II cases were filed without action. In the six
months ending last December 81 President Wilson
aided 153 prisoners.
A pardon, of course, means absolute freedom and
the restoration of all civil and military rights; but
pardons not frequently given The conditional par
dons may be numerous and usually associated
with where restitution of funds has been ordered
by the courts and the pardon conditional upon such
restitution. The commutation of sentence condl-
tional comnutaton of sentence, remission of hne re-
mission of fine and costs, remission of COSTS respites
granted pardons after serving of sentence to restore
civil rights and pardons restore rights of citizenship
Continued page II