Salt Lake Telegram | 1931-10-03 | Page 4 | "Criminals at Heart"

CRIMINALS LS AT HEART THE THE state board of f pardons has seen fit to l parole the the former former cashier cashi r of the Midvale that he will State bank Dank upon the promise leave the state I IThe I The former cashier cashler Leon L. L Olson was convicted of embezzlement The amount missing in his bank was He served a year and anda a day in Iii prison rust Just why the gove governor or and the pardons board were in iii such a hurry to release the defaulter is not in the record At the same meeting of the board of pardons pardons pardons par par- dons a number criminals were denied clemency They had violated the law in I crude rough style and had no powerful attorneys attorneys attorneys at- at I or friends ds to plead for them before the pardons board In Inthe the Olson case the he picture w was entirely different He was in the banking class Now there has been too much special consideration con con- con con- tion shown malefactors in this class Tl The record of their treatment after conviction conviction conviction tion reflects discredit upon the autho authorities The record very clearly shows recognition of class distinction Bank def det defaulters and public treasurers In Vt Utah h- h have been privileged ged to eat most of ot their cake and have it too They have almost Invariably drawn lighter sentences than the general run of criminals and they have al almost almost al- al most invariably been given grea great consideration tion by y the state board of pardons Men who are placed in positions of at trust and nd who wh are regarded as of high standing Inthe Inthe in inthe the community community- are the greater criminals and th the more dangerous when they betray the he confidence and trust of their employers associates and friends Just why the state board of pardons canno cannot cannot can can- no not understand this is a deep mystery which has run ru-n through gh many a pardon and many manya a parole Governor Dern and the members of the pardons boa board d by extending favors to white white- co collared lared crooks with powered high political attorneys are contributing In large degree to tot t the e growing disrespect for law to the rising tide against class distinction and to the terrific ter- ter tel ter rifle problem of 01 suppressing crime The l people o of Utah have ve see seen too o many men toppled from high station go to the penitentiary for a a. pitifully short time and then walk forth to freedom because influential influential influential political intercession with the state board of ot pardons sets up the theory that they are not criminals at heart The governor and the state board of pardons par par pardons dons m must st have had enough experience to know by this time that the people will not always tolerate the application of one yardstick yardstick yardstick yard yard- stick to the burglar who often risks his life Ufa in the perpetration of a crime and another to the trusted bank official or public servant who violates a a sacred trust steals the peoples people's peoples people's peo peo- ples pies money and then depends upon Influential Influential r relatives friends politicians or powerful attorneys to save him