The old saying, "Big thieves are let off; little thieves are hanged," is finding its application in many places in the world, and not least in the United States. The guardians of justice are being purchased here as easily as in any other country, perhaps more easily. Thousands of sentences bear testimony to this fact. Occasionally it happens, of course, that the import of the old saying is refuted by the action of a judge, and such occurrences give occasion for rejoicing, but it is not at all certain that a man will have to serve his full time just because he was sentenced.

.... There is in our country a pardon system, which gives to certain individuals the authority to liberate from prison even the greatest of criminals. This side of our system of justice was illustrated clearly the other day, giving evidence of the power of the Board of Pardons. The robber "Jimmy" Dunlap, sentenced to twenty years of hard labor at Joliet Prison, was pardoned, with 2no reason given, by the Board of Pardons. This pardon created surprise, for the man who was pardoned had served only three years out of his twenty. The Board was criticised sharply both by the press and by judges, and the venerable Judge Murrey F. Tuley stated publicly that criminals were regularly being pardoned through the influence of ward politicians, and that such incidents had the effect of placing cushions under vice.

Dunlap is one of the so-called "better" thieves, and he has many influential friends. Time and again he has been arrested and sentenced for bank robberies, but every time his friends have succeeded in getting him out of prison before the expiration of his term. His latest exploit was the robbery of a bank in Watseka, Illinois. Judge Hitcher of Watseka sentenced him, in 1900, to twenty years of hard labor for his crime. By rights, the term of punishment of "Jimmy" Dunlap should last till 1920, or the year when Dunlap would become eighty-one years old. But, as we have stated, his friends and the Board of Pardons decided differently, and he was set at liberty when only sixty-four years old.

Let us suppose that the Board of Pardons felt a softness of heart at the approach of Christmas and, like the Jews of the past, wanted to release a prisoner--was there no worthier prisoner than Dunlap to whom to show mercy? Not everybody in the prison is a professional criminal. Why was Dunlap selected for release? The Board of Pardons maintains silence. Not a word of explanation has been issued by the Board, and the public is left to guess. One may infer that the Board was bribed by means of cold cash or by promises of some juicy political steak.

Whatever be the facts behind the scenes, the Board has not played fair with the public; it has shown clearly that the present pardon system is ready for the scrap heap.