Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1918-11-30
Next to the originator of a good
sentence is the first quoter of it.
Emerson.
The Mooney Case

The solution found by Governor Stephens for
the Mooney matter will not be quite satisfactory
any of the elements which have interested them
selves in it. 1t amounts to conclusion the part
Of the governor that Mooney is guilty Of the crime
of which he convicted. That conclusion will
meet entirely the views of the prosecution, though
it may not be understood why the governor inter
vened to prevent the inflicton Of the extreme
penalty.
If any doubt existed in the mind of the governor
to the guilt of Mooney there was an easy way
to solve it, way that is not often open to perpexed
governors Generally when in similar circumstances
ex-governor commutes death sentence to one of life
Imprisonment he does so because he is quite
GOT the guilt Of the condemned He reasons that there
may be later developments proving pointing TO his
fnnocence If innocent rreparable mistake has
tnot been made. In this there were means in
waiting for further investigation Of Moneys guilt
:There was no necessity for awaiting uncertain de-
Equipments. There several other cases against
him all depending upon precisely the same evidence
Until week ago when Judge Griffin, the trial
Judge wrote the governor suggesting the pardon OF
Of Mooney in order that he might be tried on one Of
these other charges and advising the governor Of
his doubt of the reliability Of part of the evil
dence on which Mooney had been convicted, no good
reason had been given for intervention by the gov
for a communication, if it was a good one then was
no longer reason for lenency The only interna
ohai complications the president then feared might
result from the execution of Mooney were with the
boshevik OF Russia We have since then ceased
caring what the bolshevi CT Russia or of any other
& ountry, including own, may think Of the ad-
Gninistration of American laws. But we think that
the letter Of Judge Griffin ought have secured for
Mooney a pardon in order that he might be tried
again.
We find in the governors action some satisfac-
on in the circumstance that he has not allowed him
self TO yield either those who unreasonabIy de-
manded Moneys blood because he had been made
representative of organized labor or to the class
pressure which had been brought against the cover
nor by threats of industrial uprising Even though
that might be serious it could not be half as disas
trous demonstration that the DEGREES of our
courts can be set aside by mobs or that our exeeu-
tives can be terrified by them. But we do not be-
leve that the threatened strikes if called would be
more than empty protest.
p. The governor errs, we think in one of hi. rea
sons for the commutation-that Mooney should be
given the same status as that of Billings who was
also found guilty of participation in the Preparedness
day murders and was sentenced to life Imprisonment
There can be no relation between the two cases of
which the governor could properly take notice Pill
ifgs was tried at one time in court and Mooney
later. in another. One jury convicted Billings and
another Mooney. Suppose that the jury had acquit-
aed Billings or that it had found him guilty and the
sudge had sentenced him to term of years. That
ron!d not have disposed of the cases Of all the al
lsged participants in the murders
sii It has often happened that when two men, Joint
W accused Of a crime in which they have acted az
one, obtain severance, Of them has been ac-
suited by one jury and the other convicted by an
other Jury