Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-08-15

mucn less HI TO De governor, Will ~ So
But 1 apprehend that Mr.. Dorsey is no
the only man in Georgia, nor indeed ih'
only candidate for governor, who pos
sesses a monopoly of that official Virtue
and integrity which should be possesset
by the chief executive of this great
state.
Mercy may not have a proper place II
the jury box: 1t may not be right for the
Judge to often yield to it's pleadinss
but il finds its just place for exercise II
the mind and heart of the man, who
has by law the right and the power Z
extend clemency. Clemency is mercy
and it's exercise has been uncontrolled
by statute in all countries and an al
ages. Jesus, the Savior of the world
made the grant of mercy one IF 'ht
most conspicuous of His sublime doc
trines and sent down to all future gen
erations the inspiring sentiment tna
blessed are the merciful, for they shall
obtain mercy"
Mr.. Dorsey says mercy must De ex-
ercised under such rules of evidence AND
that a verdict of guilty, once pronounce
and a sentence once imposed, must stand
untouched like the stern rule OF the
Modes and the Persians, unless new evil
oence is found which would demand q
different verdict and different sentence
Georgia wants a man in the office or
governor, but she wants a man of heart
al we'll as stern, unbending justice.
Either Mr.. Dorsey means to lay down
this awful doctrine, or he means to
assume that he is the only candidate
good enough, wise enough, or great
enough, to be entrusted with this great
prerogative. The last suggestion is as
absurd as the first is monstrous.
Mr. Dorsey's record undenied, and
undeniable, demonstrates that his plat
form does not express his real sentl-
ments and that he is playing upon pas
sion; appealing to unreasoning preJu-
dice.
While he held the office of solicitor
general of the Atlanta circuit, he him
self recommended to the governor of
the prison board a pardon, OF commu-
tation, or parole, in twenty-four cases.
among which were four cases of bur-
glary, four of forgery, two Of murder,
and two of assaults on women; and
while he furnished a great variety OF
reasons for making these requests for
the pardoning power, many of them
unique to a degree, in not a single one
Of them did he suggest the discovery of
any new evidence as the reason.
His record is there-a public record,
open to inspection by the people of Geor-
gia, and is contained in letters signed by
in case after case this solicitor general
urged the governor to do things which
he now asserts as candidate for gov
ernor, the governor should not have the
right to do.
Among these letters is one, recon-
mending a pardon for Ralph Thomason,
convicted of forgery, on the ground that
the defendant had served a year and that
that was enough.
Another recommended the commuta-
tion of the death sentence of Carl Fraser,
who was convicted of rape, on tho
ground that the defendant was only
nineteen years of age and on account Of
the record in the case"
Another recommended a pardon for
Milton Thomas, convicted of burglary.
on the ground, that in his opinion, there
had been a miscarriage of justice in the
case.
One recommended a pardon for Will
Green, alias Will O'Shields, who was
sent to the penltentiary for twenty years
for robbery. holding up a man on the
streets of Atlanta and robbing him, AMI
in this case Mr.. Dorsey gives three rea-
sons for the recommendation:
First. That he himself, had some
DOUBT of the defendants guilt, growing
out of the evidence.
Second. That O'Shieljs was a member
of one of the first families, Of Cobb coun-
ty.
Third. That he, the solicitor general,
went to the University of Georgia with
the convict's first cousin.
When 1 am governor, 1 shall pass on
all applications for clemency on their
merits, and shall pass such orders as
address themselves to my judgment and
my conscience but one thing is certain,
1 will not pardon any man because he
belonged to one Of the first families in
Georgia, or because l went to college
with his first cousin.
In the cases OF Chris MAJORS and d. n.
Cocker, he wrote direct to the convicts
themselves. suggesting his willingness
10 secure them pardons.
About three years ago in Atlanta ne
gro named oscar Dewberry stabbed a
white boy in the back and killed him,
Five or six witnesses saw the act and
identified the assassin. He was convict
ed and sentenced to be hanged. The
supreme court affirmed the judgment
Before the day Of the execution came
Mr.. Dorsey, who prosecuted this assas-
sin, went to the governor and asked him
to commute his sentence to life impris-
onment on the sole ground that he, Dor
sey, was not satisfied as to his guilt.
The governor very properly turned
down the request and when the assassin
went o nthe gallows he confessed his
crime.
The history of the tragedy in the life
of the Widow helms is well known to
the people of this city and this state.
ner two daughters mysteriously disap-
peared Through long months of ali
guish the heartbroken mother made ev-
cry effort to discover and punish the au-
thors of her great sorrow. One Victor
f. Innes and his wife were arrested in
Oregon and brought to Texas where they
were charged with the murder of the
helms girls. There they were put on
trial. They could not be convicted be-
cause there was no technical proof of
the murder-neither the bodies nor any
portions thereof having been found.
TIE Innes were aquitted. Mr.. Dor
sey, in the meantime, drew several in
dictments against them, charging them
with larceny of money belonging to one
of the girls. He sued out a writ of ex-
tradition to bring them back to Georgia
for trial. They resisted this proceeding
and appealed to the supreme court of
the United States. When that was done