The copper era and Morenci leader., 1915-07-30


 Provided the Board of Pardons and Parole gives beed to the pro tests from the County Temperakace Federation of which O. A. Risdon is President, there will be no parole granted to Chas Chesterfield, Jot1n Smith, Ambrose Spezia and Tom Sirrianni, now serving a three months sentence in the county jan for a Violation of the Prohibition amend ment.
 During the first part of July a z,stiHon was circulated in Clifton, by both men and women, which was signed by approximately four hun dred citizens, requesting the Board to parole the prisoners. When this petition reached the Board, the At torney General, Hon., Wiley E. Jones wrote to the local federation to ob- tain their sentiments regarding the petition. In his letter to M6 R1s- don the Attorney General intimates that he believes the sentences in Greenlee county excessive in com parison with sentences and fines elsewhere and that the Board will take up the matter of eQualiz1ng fhese sentences over the state. In the face of the vigorous protest made by the prohibitionists of Clifton, who insist that the convicted men serve their full sentence, the action Of the Board remains in doubt. The correspondence between the Attorney General and the local federation is as follows:
 Attorney Generals Letter.
 Phoenix, Arizona, July 24, 1915. My Dear Friend Risdon:
 I leave this evening for the coast for a ten days leave, or perhaps more, nf h0 is approaching when we should g1Ve those Clifton and Morenci bOotleggers a chance to make good by parol1ng them; but I want the approval Of those who he Ye aided in law en- forcement over there. The real fact is that we find such discrimination about penalties, and am trying to make some sort of uniformity about it. A ten days sentence to 22 of them in Prescott; then suspended sentences at other places; then g and hfteen months for two in. Tucson; then months for Offenders in Greenlee; and the entire outfit all first offend eus, shows that the Board of Pardons and Paroles, should not hesitate to correct these discrepancies, while effectually upholding the prohibition law Only yesterday Jack Gibson, here in Phoenix was fined $50 .0O for
  sort of connection, but jail sentence suspended. I want your hearty sup port in all my efforts to uphold this law, but I want you to also uphold my efforts to dispense plain and simple justice by making sentences as un1- form as possible by action through the Board of Pardons and Paroles when the discrimination is so palpa ble as we find the case to be. Also Prescott is cool place, and month jal sentence in summer up there ts no harder than few days or |. week in Clifton, or Phoenix. Don't you think therefore that when a month Imprisonment is up that we should give them, your Greenlee bunch, a chance by parole? l think that you and others can properly recommend it; then this will show offenders that we are not hurrying to let them out of jail, and will be a triumph for the upholders of the law.
 A parole on the recommendation ot your club or federation after Q month Imprisonment is up, will be effective much more effective than if we were to parole without your recommends tion; therefore I am making this timely suggestion, for I am of the opinion that it will not be fair to hold them longer than that, when other convicted offenders who have openly defied the law have been let off in Prescott with ten days in jaH; it is not fair, and I did want to see those Prescott offenders dealt with just the same as those in other counties Please see your co-woFkers at once and lay the situation before them with nay suggestion, and write tc me here.
 Very truly yours,
 WILEY B. JONES