The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-12-18
VENGEANCE is MINE, SAITH
THE LORD"
Z II =

Cole Blease, the much-maligned gov.
ernor of South Carolina, the unfortu-
nate, the distressed, those in prison
stripes, will bless him.
The editor of the Jennings (F1a.)
Herald is from Blease's home town
He says that Blease is loved there.
That he is man among men. That
he is loyal to his friends, true to his
promises and patriotic to the cause
he advocates.
What record that is; what infinite
praise.
"True to his promises and loyal to
his friends!"
What crown of glory that is. 1t
ought to bedecll the brow of any man
with laurel wrath.
Can this be true in these times of
cant, hypocrisy ard graft?
Cole Blease believes that justice
is not always fairly administered IN
his state-that certain unfortunate
classes are not given square DEAL"
that Imprisonment should be for re-
formation rather than for punishment,
and that it is failing in its ends.
So the Jennings Herald editor says
that it is hundred to one shot that
the South Carolina state penitentiary
will be empty within the present
month.
Governor Cole l.. Blease is making
good his boast to "clean out" the
prison. He has until January 81, 1915,
to serve as governor and his Thanks
giving pardon lists" reduced the
number of prisoners to less than
fifty. 1t is expected that these, with
any others who are "unfortunateY,
enough to be incarcerated within the
next few weeks, will go in bunch,
probably on Christmas day.
God4Given Power
Since assuming office in January,
1911, Governor Blease has shown ex-
ecutive clemency to 1,43O persons
basing his record to large extent on
do unto others as you would have
them do unto you"
His is. a God-given power to tighten
the burdens of his fellow men, he has
said, and he has exercised his power
to the limit. Incidentally he has said
that he would leave the penitentiary
clean" and he is doing so.
The 101 prisoners granted pardons,
paroles, or combinations Thanks
giving include sixteen serving life
terms for murder; thirty-one serving
terms from two to thirty years for
manslaughter and fifty-four serving
terms for minor offenses. There
were fifty-four white men, forty-six
negroes and one Indian. The SEN
tence of one murderer, condemned to
death, was committed to five years
Several of the paroles are condition
ed on the abstinence of strong drink.
w. T. Jones, wealthy Union county
farmer, who was serving a life term
for poisoning his wife was paroled on
the condition that should he ever take
a drink of intoxicating liquor or re-
marry and maltreat his wife, he is to
be returned to serve out his term.
Harry Dean, of Spartanburg,, among
the life termers paroled, escaped
seven years ago returned to the
prison week before Thanksgiving. He
was convicted of murder when Is
years old.
No Apology to Make
II have no apology to make for a
single parole, communication, or pardon
| have granted" says Governor
Blease. 81 work by the Golden Rule,
and whoever objects to that isn't a
christian but plain hypocrite.
'If all the men guilty of crime
were tried, many in high places might
be removed to prison cells.
IF God, in his all-wise Providence,
some dark night at the hour of II,
should let the broad sunlight burst
loose in the earth, what stumbling
and hustling there would be from var
ious places, to keep the eye of man
from seeing.
In my opinion there will be more
souls lost through hypocricy than
through all the other crimes in the
decalogue.
"You hear from your pulpits, Help
the heathen,' and when one helps a
fellow-countrymen and attempts to
bring out the good in him and give
him another chance in life, the same
people yell, 'Pardoning too many peo.
Dle"