Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-29
PRESIDENT STEPS
IN TO SAVE LIFE
OF THOS. MOONEY
California's Governor Com
mutes Death Sentence to
Life Imprisonment

sentence OF InomaS d. Mooney SEN
fenced to be hanged on December 13
for the deaths of ten persons killed
by a bomb explosion in San Fran
cisco during preparedness parade.
July. 1915, was commuted by Cover
nor w. d. Stephens last night to, inn
prisonment for life.
Court action to save Mooney from
the gallows was exhausted by the
prisoner, the Supreme Court of the
United States having recently decid-
ed 1t could not review the case.
Threats of a national strike in case
the Governor did not intervene had
been made in various parts of the
country and some time ago 1t was
reported that President Wilson had
written the Governor to see that
Mooney suffered no injustice. The
trial judge had also requested a new
trial for Mooney.
Governor stephens statement an
nouncing the commutation said that
in considering the case he had had
before him "the urgent appeal of the
President of the United States that
1 grant commutation."
Originally, in January of this
year. / received a letter from the
President asking me If 1t would not
be possible to postpone the execu-
tion of Mooney until he could be
tried upon one of the other indict-
ments against him.
Wilson Incorrectly Informed
"Inasmuch as an appeal already
had been taken to the Supreme Court
of California. which appeal itself
acted as a stay of the execution,
there was at that time no occasion
for action on my part. 1 take it
that the President was not correctly
Informed as to the status of the
case" g.
In explaining why he had not felt
called to act previously, the Gov
ernor said:
"The case as presented to the Cali
fornia courts was that of murder,
without further evidence of motive
than the impossible tenets of anarch-
lists; whose sympathies for the Ger
man cause in the war are well known.
Their wild pacitist theories fitted into
the widespread activities of the
Kaisers agents in this country.
"a number of persons of pronounc-
ed anarchistic tendencies were ar
rested shortly after the explosion and
of these Warren X. Billings was con-
victed and sentenced to life impris-
onment and Thomas ]. Mooney found
guilty and sentenced TO be hanged.
Waited ON Court Action
$50 long as avenues of appeal to
the courts remained open to Mooney,
and he was availing himself thereof
| deemed it improper for executive
authority to interfere"
The statement reviews the case
fully and quotes the two messages
from President Woodrow Wilson, in
which the action now taken by the
Governor was suggested. The COM
mutation, says the Governor, reduces
the case to the status of that of
Warren X. Billings.
"I refuse to recognize this case as
| in any fashion representing clash
| between capital and labor" the Gov
ernor said. and he characterized as
absurd the propa ganda that would
| make Mooney appear as n martyr to
the cause of labor. In support of
this statement he quotes a letter
from Alexander Berkman outlining
the plan afterward adopted for the
Mooney campaign.
Decides Case on Merits
He denies that Mooney was true
friend of labor and characterized his
previous record as such that 1t dld
not enlist faith in MIN among law
abiding citizens, but said in conclu-
sion that this particular case had
been decided on its merits.
The two MESA ges sent by Presi-
dent Wilson follow:
"The White House. Washington, ID.
c., March "a, 1918.
Governor William d. stephens
Sacramento, Cal:
With very great respect I take the
liberty of saying to you that II you
could see your way to commute the
sentence of Mooney it would have a
most heartfelt effect upon certain
international affairs which ais exc
cution would greatly complicate.
WOODROW WILSON
"The White House, Washington,
D. c.. ais p. m. June 4, 1918.
"William d. Stephens, Sacramento
Cal
1 beg that you will believe that /
am moved only by a sense of public
duty and of consciousness of the
many and complicated interests in
volved when ! again must respect
fully suggest a commutation OF the
death sentence imposed upon Mooney.
1 would not venture again to call
your attention to this case did not
know the international significance
which attaches to 1t.
WOODROW WILSON"