The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-15

defense. And the parole officer stands
by with sad countenance, as OF one
who had done the best he could for a
protege, but was powerless to stem the
tide of Justice.
1t can't be done, legally or Justly;
but it is done; that is the gist of the
matter. There is no one to know the
wrong and to insist upon the right;
and the wrong is perpetrated. Unnum-
bered victims Of IT, In every federal
prison of the country, substantlate thus
fact The parole board-which means,
in practice, its presjdent-exercises
more power than the federal court, and
there is no appeal from his decision.
At his will. man may be tried twice
for the same offeuse. behind closed
doors, without aid of counsel, He may
be condemned, though the offense was
never committed except in the imagina-
tion Of an enemy, We tell our con
victs that they have no civic rights:
but it is not generally understood, /
think. that the Spanish Inquisition of
the middle ages can properly be repro
duced in twentieth century America
even with men behind the bars.
Temptations to Betray.
But let that pass. Things arc done
under the parole law worse than this.
If it were used merely as q means to
induce unruly men to be docile, no one
could complaint; III men thus induced
should after all be deprived of the re-
ward they had earned, we might con
done it. But what if we find the parole
board turned into an accessory of the
secret service or spy system, and learn
that an applicant for parole, whether
or not he have maintained good con-
duct during his term, may yet hope Tor
a favorable report on his case If he will
consent TO betray some man on whom
the police have not yet been able to
lay their handi
Here comes a postoffice thief. for eX-
ample. He was known to have had
confcderates, but they escaped. He is
ND for parole, with only an indifferent
prison record to plead for him. we do
not find your case meritorlous, says
the president to him Gn substance),
F'but there were two or three others
concerned in your crime. If you arc
able to furnish their names to the
board with such other information as
NAV lead to their arrest and convic
ton, we might see our way to recon-
mend lcniency in your NATTER | will
not guarantee that the president cx-
presses himself in terms quite so eX-
plicit, but he makes himself perfectly
UNDERSTOOD, aHu lHc pllSOuci ptiicNlIy
understands that his liberty is pur-
cbasable at the price of trcacbery.
| don u know what percentage of the
miserable creatures accept the lgnoble
offer: but I know personally of many
who refused it. And do not need to
ask what arc the prospects of an hon
est and worthy career for those who
chose to be traitors. If they go to ruin,
is not the parole board responsibleP On
the other hand who shall blame the
convict If he accedcs 10 the bargain :
The alternative presented to him is one
which might cause even virtue TO
waver, and convicts arc not supposed
to be virtuous, especially when such an
example as this action Of the board is
set them. The alternative is liberty,
Or continued Incarceration with the
strong probability of increased scycri,
ty Of treatment. and always the off
chance of death.
I Meanwhile. is there not something
hurniliating in the reflection that a
| tribunal authorized and appointed by
the government of the United States
| should descend TO such practices? Or
are we content To accept the spy svs-
fem i'm toto, cost what it may2 Per-
haps, however, tho president of the pa
role board is prepared TO deny that he
| ever entered into any such compact
| with prisoner; and perhaps tho de-
partmeut of Justice will be astonIshcd
| to hear that he ever did. II the thing
| trne. or not truo? | think men exist
who have excellent reasons to believe,
and who may he willing to testify, that