Milford chronicle., 1918-07-19

OOh DLNlOAIAkA IL IIlEAuSs MuOI
- we criticised recently for their unfai
= treatment of news and failure to pre-
: sent truthful statements of politica
y matters of public character, have con
fessed their guilt, and it required
nearly three columns of the Stat,
News of Dover. to ,ell their story
The editorial writer in the State
News took more than a column tC
prove to the people that all he stated
was true, and the burden of his tale
seems to be the argument of the vii
lage gossip, or the argument of an in
experienced boy, who has been caught
in the act of committing an offense,
and attempts to justify himself by pet
ty statements which have neither
weight or are worthy of attention.
That the Chronicle exposed a long
standing scource for creating sentiment
unfavoI able to the Republican Party
and its representatives, by printing
news in form which fails to carry full
information, there is no denial on the
part of the editorial writer or attempt
at justification. In a communication
one and One-half columns in length.
our friend, Herman Taylor, the ac-
credited correspondent for the city
papers from Dover, in the State News
of last week. also pleads guilty as
charged-but states there are extern
uating circumstances. Like his |
friend, the editorial writer, he re- /
verts into statements which are not
germane to the subject, and there is
just one of these which proves all we /
claimed in our charge of unfairness
thru reporting news from the State
for city papers. Mr.. Taylor clearly
disclosed his narrow vision and par
tizan feelings by his attitude in the
matter of granting pardons. He at
tempts to justify his attitude in the
case involved, by recalling the pardon
of Jack Goodwin, and blaming the
writer for voting favorable for that
pardon. Just here is where Mr.. Tay-
lOr falls down in his conception OF
humanity and honesty of purpose, and
in the light of his article in the State
News of last week, we could not ex-
pect him to rise to the plane of fair
I'd rrsbn hn -, ]
volved a political crime. We have
not the least doubt in our mind now,
neither had we then, but that Jack
Goodwin was guilty as charged, and
was properly convicted of a crime
against the election laws of the State
Of Delaware, and that he was prop
erly sentenced. This we admitted to
he members of the SOard of Pardons
If which we were then a member;
out, we believed then, and our belief
las since proved to Oe correct, that
further Imprisonment of Jack Cod ,
win in the workhouse would be perse-
,ution, instead of punishment, and at
Jhe same time serve only the purpose
If scattering tuberculosis among the
inmates of that institution of punish
nent of crimes against our laws. Ev- .
an prisoners have rights, which the L
body public must respect, and the !,
of health is one of n
hem. 1t was proven clearly to the s.
minds of a majority of the board by l
equitable physicians, that Jack Cod .
win was tubercular, and they voted A
or his pardon. After ne was given It
lis freedom an operation was per- :, y
ormed upon him at a highly reput-
lble hospital, and the surgeons over o
heir signature certified to having re- y
moved glands from Godwin's neck il
which were far advanced in a tuber- v
,ular stage. Since then Jack Goodwin =
las died from tubercular troubles s,
10 the writer has been creditably in g
ormed. In voting for his pardon, the d.
writer has the conscious satisfaction q
# having performed an act of mercy Il
o a suffering convict, and freed the a
State Prison from a source of conta- -
zion thereby. In the light of Mr..
Taylor's writing, we firmly believe he a
'ould not have performed duty in q =
-olving mercy and justice to a Grim al
nal, if that criminal happened to be o.
of a political crime. We 4
AVE gotten under the hide of these o.
blenders, and now accept their con- N
ession Of guilt, and advise them to 90 a a
nd sin no more.