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Show NKSOEF TO m. m in FRDMPRISON Executive Clemency Promised Prom-ised When Suspension of , of Sentences Have Been Nullified by Court. ATTORNEY GENERAL ISSUES STATEMENT Thousfknds Who Have Remain Re-main ed at Liberty After oentence to Receive iT Pardon. WASHINGTON, March 81. Attorney Attor-ney General Gregory announced tonight that President Wil6on -would exercise executive clemency in a large number of federal prosecutions where suspension of sentences has been nullified by the supreme court's recent opinion holding such suspensions illegal. Clemency -will be exercised, the attorney general said, -without applications being made in those cases where pleas of guilty were entered en-tered or verdict of guilty returned prior to June 15, 1916, but no sentences pronounced, pro-nounced, and in those cases where the sentence imposed was less than the period pe-riod between the date of imposition and June 15, 1917. Thousands of Cases. The number who will receive pardons par-dons or commutations under the ruling probably will run into the thousands. Many of them have been at liberty for long periods, and the president is understood under-stood to feel that the new business and personal relations they have been permitted per-mitted to build up because of clemency by the courts should not be broken down. Under the supremo court opinion, opin-ion, all of them would have been compelled, com-pelled, but for the president's intervention, inter-vention, to return to custody. Attorney General Gregory issued this statement: The jipreme court on December 4. fo, without any dissent, in jffz case of ex-parte United States, "petitioner (the Killits case) decid-''fff decid-''fff ed that united States district "t -w.iudges had 'no power to suspend J vije imposition of sentence or the I ef-ution of sentence, except for the irpose of disposing of judicial judi-cial questions. Lists Are Ready. The department of justice has been procuring from the United States district attorneys lists of cases in which pronouncement or execution of sentence has been suspended sus-pended contrary to the rule laid down by the supreme court. There are more than 5000 of these cases, divided into three groups: 1. Those in which the sentence imposed was less than the period between the date of imposition and June 15, 1917. (This being about the date on which the mandate in the Killits case will be set down from the supreme court). 2. Cases in which pleas of guilty were entered or verdicts of guilty returned prior to June 15, 1916, and in which no sentence was pronounced. 3. Remaining cases. Except in verv unusual instances, the president will, without applications applica-tions being made, close the cases falling within the first and second groups by the exercise of clemency. Third Group Small. The third group probably will consist of a comparatively small number of cases, which will be disposed dis-posed of oh their merits, and a determination de-termination reached as to whether sentences will be enforced or executive execu-tive clemency recommended. If necessary, nec-essary, a general respite of six months from June 15, 1917, will be issued to defendants in this group to secure adequate consideration of the facts. )v circular is being sent to the r United States district attorneys ex-i-dning the policy to be pursued anoSuistructing them to take no steps to secure enforcement of sentences sen-tences in cases falling in groups 1 and 2 and to await the action of the department before taking any such steps as to cases falling in group 3. |