The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-20
what Does Mr.. Wilson Mean.

inc SuUJoIleu teleSTuII, Seut ny lie
President Of the United States to a
citizen OF Massachusetts. expresses
the regret inspired In his sympathetic
heart by the refusal Of Governor
WILLIAM SPRY OF Utah to accele 10
his second request for clemency In the
case Of JOSEPH HILLsrRoM, a murderer
who was punished yesterday according
TO law for his crime:
q was very much affected by your
telegram and wish most sincerely 1t was
In my power to do something, but UNI
happily there Is nothing / can do. The
matter lies entirely beyond my jurisdic-
ton and power. I have been deeply
Interested In the case, but am baked OF
all opportunity"
Were II not for the intrinsic evil
dence Of authenticity afforded by the
characteristic literary style Of this
composition. We should doubt the au-
thencity of its a%ttribulion to the Pres
ident, for this reason IL conveys a
false impression of his potency in the
premises which. IL un%intentional. con-
victs him Of Il disquieting habit of
mental looseness. and IL intentional
must, to put 1t mildly, disturb conn.
dence in his sincerity. His uniustified
implication flows from the concluding
sentence Of the message. in which
President WOODROW WILSON asserts
that be Is "balked of all opportunity"
In the case.
The fact Is that instead of being
"balkei of all opportunity" to aid
HiLLsTRoM Mr.. WILSON enjoyed an
extraordinary opportunity To succor
that individual. Governor SrRY in his
message declining the request for de
lay embodied in the Presidents tele.
gram to him of November II sIecifi.
cally cites the record which disrloses
this fact. The murderer Of the Nor
in October. On September - rresi-
dent WILSON requested II stay of exc.
cutiOn in these words:
Respectfully ask II it would not be
possible to postpone execution OF Jo-
sErH HILLsrRoM, who. ! understand.
u a Swedish subject, until the swedish
Minister has an opportunity to present
his view of the case fully to you Elk
e~ellency."
In consequence of this intcrcession
Governor SPRY granted II respite I'M
ell n~trhar 1t l,nyar,tny SpuN ViNps
the record Of what happened subsc'
quently in these words:
Under date OF october ] you ad.
vised me that your only reason for in
terceding was the request Of the repre-.
sentative Of a foreign Government,
October 16, at the regular board
meeting. an open hearing was had in
further consideration Of the Ease. n ill.,
s1RoM's attorney advised the board that
there was nothing further to present
and that HILLsTRoM declined TO appear
before the board again.
The only representation in the CON
v4C's behalf was a short telegram from
the Swedish Minister requesting COM
mutation Of sentence, not by reason OF
any new thing in relation To the case,
but, as he expressed II, FOR the sake
OF humanity and comfy usually prac-
tised between friendly nations
"Beca use of the absence of any show
ing, the board terminated the respite and
again denied tho communications.
'The convict thereupon was on the
eighteenth day of October resentenced
r. by the court to be- shot November 49,"
The intervention " the President
brought 10 llIilsIRoM II respite, not
Of hours or days. but of weeks, In
which II formal, open hearing on hi
case was held at which he ana every
other individual interested in his fate
might have been heard. The SWed'
ish Minister had nothing to offer in
his behalf except a plea in the name.
Of humanity and comfy of ma
tons iIHLsTRoM presented nothing
IN his own defence and WOODROW VII.
son was not present ar represented
Subsequent 10 this hearing thirty
three days elapsed lnfol" the man,
execution. and In that Irriod Mr.
WILSON produced no evidence. drew
attention 10 no facts. aud apparently
remained silent with respect of the
Utah murderer, except for one irlc
gram transmitted on November II, IL
which a purely sentimental auIsnl
was made for further posiponemcnl