The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1915-06-15
Governor SlatOn's Solemn Duty

| That the Frank case brings 10 Cow
lernor Slaton a duty in which all of the
heartbeats of a human-nature storI
are closely interviewer, there is no
the slightest doubt. To hold the scale
OF justice as evenly as mortal man
given the light to see the right,
such a case, replete as 1t is with on
great mass OF sentiment, Of prejudiC
of love and OF affection all in tn q
lists, on the one or the other side
the contention, is task from whic
stouthearted men might turn in hor
ror and with awe. Yet, the office of
governor is great one; no Georgian
can aspire to higher eminence and
when he has written his name upon that
mighty scroll of history, as having
scaled the heights Of the states loftiest
honors, he has decided to posterity a
name for the Georgia hall OF fame.
So. il must be that in bringing these
honors in the present and this great
homage for the future, he who attains
| TO the distinction, must bear the cross
as he wears the crown. The Frank
case differs materially from the aver
age one whiCn reaches the governors
office in the search for clemency; it'll
differs for the reason that the conf
yicted man stands convicted on theI
testimony of a degenerate negro, him-I
self under suspicion; il differs for
| the reason that n fair and an impartial
trial has never been accorded to thd
condemned man, as Is guaranteed I'd
him under the constitution; in few
cases in the past has the trial Judge
expressed his doubt on the guilt Of thd
defendant and expressed his ihten
ton of asking for clemency! The su
preme court OF the state was not
unit on the fact that Frank should no
have had new trial and 2 of its mem
beers voted to accord It to him: thd
supreme court of the United StatesX
took the same view of another pro
| eeeding in the case and two of It's dis
tInguished members expressed theE
opinion that habeas corpus proceed
ines in the case, ought TO hold! TheI
fpassion the cry Of The mob, the pref.
udicc of the people during the trial,
all of these things make a great com.
posite whole III the mind and ask the
one question who could suffer, II
Franks sentence is committed to life
Imprisonment? How will trial by Jury
be injured by prescribing one penalty
for another? win the life OF Leo M
Frank make certain the horrible
doubts of the future: the doubt that
has arisen in the minds of thousands
and thousands OF citizens? These are
| the questions for Governor Slaton to
consider in the present hour when
his official duty demands action in
this thoroughly distressing case,
Again, the fact that one member of
the prison board heard the clanor OF
iih0 cGr!tnl-grounds mob, listened to
the voice of morbid sentiment, until 1t
drowned out his previous intentions.
does not and cannot alter the record
in this case and certainly does not
serve to make the reasonable doubt
more remote today than II was a
month ago!
II we are to temper justice with
mercy If the quality of that mercy
be not strained, ii the great state of
Georgia would do great Christian
act, ii would commute the death
sentence of Frank and thus remove
The commonwealth from the even pos.
sihility Of having to put to death a
man who may be Innocent, merely TO
satisfy, the insatiate demands of
pfejudice-stricken people, who crowd
ed out justice, FASTENED to the tomb
trial judge and brazenly threatened
all constituted authorities as they in
turn sought TO pass upon the issues in.
VOWED!
We believe that justice VIII he vim.
dicated il Franks sentence is com,
muted to life Imprisonment: that tho
courts of justice in Georgia will not
suffer by reason OF such action and
that the governor will best interpret
/ the meaning of wisdom. Justice and