Evening star., 1922-05-10
Much More Than Moneys Fate
at Stake,

The fact that a man ddmltteuiy
| is an undesira BILE citizen is no reason
! why he should be compelled to stay
| in prison, in the opinion of a great
many American newspaper editorial
writer's. In consequence, the gen.
eral tone of the press comment on
the recommendation of District At
torney Brady of San Francisco. to
Gov. Stephens. that Tom Mooney be
pardoned fully, is indorsed. 1t is
accepted by the editors that there
never was any conclusive proof that
Mooney was responsible for the dis
astrous explosion which killed and
manned innocent watchers of pre-
paredness street parade in San
Francisco. The writers unanimously
hold that the governor should ac-
cept the recommendation OF Brady,
the district attorney who succeeded
the official responsible LOT ror mooney .
1.-THE Mooney case has long rested
on the conscience of a large ma
jority of those who have taken the
pains to examine the record. says
the New York Tribune. TMoreover,
it has given plausibility to the
charge that American courts could
not be trusted to do justice to .un-
desirables' when on trial before
them--that it was possible to lynch
such by frame-ups. 1t is perhaps
going too far to suggest that the
Innocence of Mooney has been proved,
but it is not going too far to say
that his guilt was not proved: ana
petitioners for his freedom will join
those who hold to the good old
American doctrine that an accused
man is entitled to the beneht OF
legitimate doubts" That the governor
aIwavs entertained serious doubt Of
the Guilt of Mooney the New York
World considers definitely proven by
his action in committing the death
sentence to life imprisonment, al
though the evidence at mana at the
time cried aloud for a pardon. IT
he still thinks Mooney should stay
in iaii for being an undesirable citi-
zen he would do well to glance
again at Mr.. Brady's letter.
While the Sacramento tCallf.l Bee
calls the appeal to the goV9psnodT prad,, prop coot
doubt on the testimony of John Nc
nonald. who said he saw Mooney
with the Inflated suit case, and de-
handing why, if his testimony was
so unreliable, che did not have him
arrested and prosecuted lot perjury
the san Francisco Call replies that
this argument is answered when it is
LIE .an.,1a5 that "McDonald agreed to
come to San Francisco from the east
on only one condtt1on-that ne oe
guaranteed against arrest ana prose-
cution for perjury. me asstTict th AT, az
way to get, Mcdonald to come where
he could be interrogated." The Call
a1so argues that the acquittal Of
Frank G. Oxman, tried for perjury
against Mooney, did not stamp his
testimony as reliable.
The general arguments reGltea py
the district attorney in his letter to
the governor are unquannedly an
dorsed by the Ithaca IN. " Journal
News, which believes that Caliiornla
will do something to right herself with
the rest Of the country 81 sen1ence 1ne eoo "
iife Imprisonment and also frees Bill
inTs. OF course. that is not enough,
although 1t is probably all and per-
hans more than can be expected in
view Of the manner in which this case
was handled. Those who at first as
sumed that the conviction was just.
and have since seen the rthlessness
~ the evidence proved, would think
better of San Francisco and Callfor-
MIA If they traced the Shiny trail of
subornation Of perjury but exposed
'hT The ~ fact that several times Moo
news conviction has taken on an in
ternational aspect when radicals in
other countries threatened reprisals
eainst the United States unless the
iabor leader was released" is COM
mented on by the Scranton (Pa-)
Times, which adds that Gov.
Stenhens, who commuted Moneys
sentence to life imprisonment, and
who Indicated at the time his doubt
of Mooney having been properly con-
yicted, is expected to act favorably
upon the recommendation Of the dis
trict attorney" Realization that There
ais little evidence Of guilt and over
lwhaIming evidence that Mooney had