Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 December 1911 — RESPECTFULLY REFERRED TO GOV. MARSHALL. [ARTICLE]

RESPECTFULLY REFERRED TO GOV. MARSHALL.

The following clipping froni an Indianapolis paper is respectfully referred to Governor Marshall for his consideration in dealing with criminals that come before him for executive clemency, i. e. the Bader case: Chauncey Houchin, deputy postmaster at Petersburg, was sentenced to the government prison at Leavenworth for two years by Judge Anderson in federal court feSterday, Houchin having entered plea of guilty to embezzling $261 of postal money. . v A wife in tears, and with a baby in her arms sat in the courtroom. The mother of Houchin, leading another small child ■of the deputy postmaster, paced the corridor outside and sobbed as her son. stood before the judge. Earnest pleas by Arthur Taylor of Petersburg, former congressman and State Senator Edgar Durre of Evansville, attorneys. were made to arouse the sympathy ot the judge, but brought forth rebukes. ‘•I do not think as sworn officers of the court you have a right to make such arguments to the court," said Judge Anderson, explaining that it was his sworn duty to enforce the law, and that arguments which tended to arouse the sympathy of the' judge for a guilty man’s family and friends of ten make the duties of the court disagreeable and hard to perform. "Is it to be said that in this case, because 1 do not suspend sentence, the milk of human "kindness is dried up in me?” asked “Judge Anderson. ‘There have been six cases of embezzlements and the'ts by postmasters and other postoffice officials before me recently. In almost every case there- was a father and mother. In all cases were wives. In several there- were small children. Does the law which sets out my duty say that a. man shall be punihed. except that he have a father, or mother, or wire, of small children? Nothing of the sort." Loose ideas concerning property, loose- ideas concerning the enforcement of the law have grown up lately, he said, In view of these ideas, he said.

The optimist is a daisy. Hq ought to keep up his optimism, although the facts do not warrant it. “There has grown up lately a large class of sentimentalists," he said, “who taking the clause of the Constitution which says justice shall be lounded on reformation instead of on vindictive justice, insist that practically evety man convicted shall be turned loose. The sentence of Houchin, he said, was due to the fact that in spite of the pleas for clemency, it was shown by nis own admission that he was a continual lawbreaker, his thefts continuing for a period of nine months. •