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Show Ii,W"IMI"HWWWIW'I' X ONE PARDON IN FOUR REQUESTED GRANTED I i' ; Attorney-General Barnes, who is J. also secretary of the slate board of 4 pardons, lias issued a statement of considerable length, which Is In tho ' naliiro of a defense of Governor ! v Spry and other members of tho J board for tho long Hat of criminals v v pardoned or paroled. J. lie goes farther in justifying the I abuse of tho pardoning power than i was expected. In view of the gov- ornor's scrcn.ni against the reign of crime In this city. J. lie docs not deny that the board I- has released twenty-ono burglars, ! four murderers and murderous as- sallants, five robbers, nine rape- I llcnds and almost two-acoro other v I- felons. lie simply says thoy were V on their good, bohavlor, had about ! I completed their acntence, or worn .J. I- in the last stages of serious dis- -J. ensos. .j. ! ' The defense will not set well with I . the public. Thero Is nothing so rep- J rchouslble In Utah as tho trilling .J ' with dangerous criminals. And we v doubt if many of tho law-abiding .;. J- citizens will accept a pica, of tho v pardoning powers when they have i turned burglars and rapo-Ilcnd3 J. loose on the community. They were all convicted at great ! ! public expense. Tdielr crimes aro ' v of the most reprehensible class. A l ! Urlcf prison sentence Is not a sufll- ' j- cicnt punishment for a man who ! p even plans such crimes, to say nothing of executing them. I Mercy Is a tine virtue if not mis-. v Placed. It is hardly justified In tl)c v J. case of a character who arms him-- self to burglarize and, if necessary, J. to kill, or for the scoundrel who as- v I saults a woman. .j. Tim public will keep In inhid tho -n number twonty-onc burglars' and .J. J. nine rapists pardoned or paroled I by Governor Spry and the pardon- J lng hoard. A. grand total of more 4. than five dozen of the 210 convicted I 4 criminals of all classes who applied v for pardons during this period. .J. . One criminal In ever four released. -I" The record is simply appalling. I ' r |