Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-03-12
MERCY In PARDONING POWER
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upon without reference to the board.
The reports Of this board were care
fully considered by me, and their re-
concentrations were carried out In
each instance where I felt they were
right; but when I disagreed with
them l felt that the constitution Of my
state placed the final responsibility up
on me, and I acted in accordance with
the dictates Of my W conscience.
The press Of the United States has
called me the pardoning governor" l
am proud Of the distinction. I feel
that South Carolina, under my ad-
m~inistration, has taken the lead In
the parole system, which Is bound to
be followed by the other states II our
civilization continues to advance. AT
the Governors Conference In Rich
mond, in December, 1912, outlined
this system, and gave instances In
South Carolina In which 1t was being
operated. I told the conference OF
governors what had led me to inau-
gurate the system in South Carolina,
and the reason why I granted some
paroles. l said, among other things:
when I went into the executive Of
flee I found many people In the peni-
Tertiary who had served a long term
of years for common offenses. . .
Very often a poor negro is sent to the
penitentiary for a lifetime, or for, say
twenty or thirty years. He is sent on
to the penitentiary. and in a few years
his old mother dies, possibly his old
father dies, possibly his brothers and
sisters may be taken away, and he Is
forgotten in the world. Not only is
this true Of the negro. but also OF
some Of the whites Of South Carolina.
None to petition; none to hire a law
yer; none to make an appeal Tor
mercy; none to go before the pardon
ing board and ask them that his case
may be considered; but he is left there
forgotten, to die In prison. I have no
criticism to make Of the gentlemen
who preceded me in that office, but
1 say somebody was very negligent In
his manner Of treating the prisoners
there. Petitions began to come to the
office, signed by the people, and the
best people, of the community where
the offense was committed, or alleged
to have been committed. I took the
position that I was the servant Of the
people, and under my constitution and
the constitution Of the United States,
they had a right to petition, and they
should not be deprived Of 1t; and when
a community where a crime had been
committed, with the best people, the
white people. signing the petition, said
that the criminal had been punished
enough, I turned him out without re-
gard to criticism"
The views which I expressed on that
occasion, during the course OF my re-
marks, have taken root, and a parole
system, coupled with personal investi-
CATION by chief executives, and paying
attention to the pleas Of the humblest
as much 80 as to the pleas OF OF
those who are able to retain the great
est lawyers-is going to be the out
come. I firmly believe 1t to be n OF
the highest duties Of a chief executive
with the p%ardoning power vested In
his hands, to make personal investi-
CATION Of cases-to keep in touch
with the unfortunates of his state, and
to mete out justice tempered with
mercy.
Going a little further along this
same line, 1t seems to me that much
suffering could be relieved by paying
to the dependent family Of a prisoner
a small compensation for the prisoners
labor. In many instances in my state
the husband and father is imprisoned
for crime, and his wife and little
ones are left at home. without any
means Of support, suffering hardships
and privations, thrown absolutely on
the mercy Of the world for the bread
they must have. Had there been a
system Of compensation Of this kind In
this state while I was governor, 1t
would have relieved me Of what I felt
to be the necessity for taking action
In a number Of cases where the hus-
band and father was sent home to save
his family from dire distress. We are
kSt5 ~, o-na chat a MON ohnrtld Nnn-
slider his wife and children before he
commits the crime. That Is true. but
II he does not, the fact Of suffering
women and children stares US In the
face-innocent women and children
suffering for food and clothing. OF
course there are cases in which even
their appeals must be disregarded, in
order that society may be protected.
Another thought that occurs to me
in writing this rambling article Is that
it would be we'll to discard the system
of numbering prisoners-designating
them only by number. I believe 1t
would have a much better effect In
retaining prisoners II they were
called by their names, even though
they occupy a prison cell, keeping
constantly before them the fact that
they are human beings and that they
have a soul. I believe also that 1t
would be Of great benefit If the prison.
ers were given good books to read,
and good magazines, in order that their
sensibilities may not be deadened, and
in order that their sympathy with the
great outside world may be quickened.
A prisoner who has served a term of
years inside prison walls, and is then
turned loose upon the world, without
knowledge of the worlds progress dur
ing his Incarceration, and with his
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