Evening star., 1937-04-04
Hoeppel
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When it involves also, as here, the sale
of an appointment to our national
Military Academy, it threatens the
national defense.
THE sentence imposed was short
shorter in fact, than that usually i'm
posed for larceny Of an old automo-
bile. Our first reaction is to deny
parole on the ground that the mini
mum sentence is not sufficiently long
in view of the nature of the offenSe.
But it is not the function of the
board to determine or to pass upon
the length of sentence. To deny pa
role on that ground alone would, in
a sense, overrule the court which i'm
posed the sentence and which pre-
sumably had adequate reason for the
conclusion reached.
AT the hearing the elder Hoepel,
who has an honorable past record,
was frank in explaining his connec-
ton with the affair. The son, on the
other hand, was lacking in frankness
and attempted to take refuge in tech
nicalities and in shadowy distinc-
tions. His story, far from convinc-
ing the board of his innocence, indi-
Gates that he was probably more
culpable than his father, who did not
originate the scheme and whose par
ticipation in it was less direct.
Past Record Honorable"
Viewing the matter strictly from
a parole viewpoint, the controlling
factors are favorable to granting a
parole to the elder Hoeppel. His past
record is an honorable one. The dis
grace caused by his conviction has
profoundly affected his career and is
far more telling as punishment than
the precise number of months to be
served The proba bility Of his further
participation in crime is very re-
mote. The board has received no
protest against the granting of pa
role.
The board is faced with the al
tentative Of keeping the elder Hoeppel
in confinement for few months
longer or using that period to aid in
his rehabilitation. The latter would
appear to be the wiser course and
more in harmony with the spirit and
purpose of the parole law. Hoeppel
desires to return to his home district
in California where a parole plan
is available which has the tentative
approval of the board. 1t is our con-
viction that the public interest will
best be served by granting parole to
the elder Hoeppel subject to certain
conditions to be prescribed by the
board which will aid in his rehabilita-
ton and insure the carrying out OF
the parole plan in his home district"
Dissenting Opinion.
Dissenting, DR.. Scott said
Il concur in the denial of parole
to Charles j. Hoeppel, but I dissent
as to the granting of the parole to
his father That part OF the decision
of the majority which comments up
on the seriousness of the crime and
the shortness of the sentence imposed
seems to be to argue rather against
the granting OF parole than for it.
Nor should we overlook the fact that
after repeated appeals to the courts,
the elder Hoeppel was not able to
establish his non-participation in the
perpetration of the crime charged
against him.
I'm my opinion, the public interest
demands the denial of parole to both
applicants"
Hoeppel, 56-year-old veteran Of the
Spanish American and World Wars
and a Democrat, was serving his
second term in the House from the
twelfth district of California at the
time of his indictment. A resident
of Arcadia, he had taken an active
part in veterans affairs there, and
continued this interest when sent to
Congress.
When the case came to trial before
Justice Daniel w. ODonoghue in Dis
trict Court, Hoeppel said he nomi-
mated Ives, an Olympic lacrosse star,
to please two high-ranking Army
officers who wanted good foot ball
material for West Point. Ives, a
Baltimorean, said he gave promis-
SOW note for $1,000 for the appoint
ment to young Hoeppel, who had
identified himself as Charles
Alexander"
The House never took official
cognizance of the case.
When the Hoeppels entered Oc-
coquan the father was assigned to =
clerical most and the son to the ma