The Press. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1898. THE CONDEMNED CONVICTS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9986, 16 March 1898, Page 4

The Press. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1898. THE CONDEMNED CONVICTS.

On February 25th Fbank Philupott wag convicted, at Wellington, of what is*knowii as the Silverefcream murder, and, on March Brd Ghab&es Clements wag convicted, at Danedin, of the murder of his wife. Sentence of death was pronounced ia each ease.

It is hardly necessary to remind om* readers that, although it is the duty of the Sheriff to carry out the sentence, it is expressly laid down by statute that he is not to move in the matter until he has received an intimation of the Governor's pleasure with respect to such sentence. In order that the Governor's pleasure may bo ascertained and notified, it is necessary that a meeting of the Executive Council shall be held, seeing that, iv accordance with the modern practice, the Governor, in the administration of the prerogative of mercy, is bound to receive the advice of his Ministers. So far no meeting of the Exeoutive has been held. Ministers' we suppose have been too busy over the Wellington election to trouble themselves about a matter involving the question of life or death to two of their fellow creaturos. His Excellency the Governor, in pursuanoe of his plan of visiting every part of the colony,j has been touring in the' south, and only within the last day or two has it occurred to his responsible advisers that he ought to be summoned to Wellington in order to decide this important matter. We understand that his Excellency leaves for the seat of Government by to-morrow night's' steamer, and we presume that a meeting of the Executive will be held immediately after his arrival. This means that one of the prisoners lying under sentence of death will have been kept three weeks, and the other a forbnight, in painful suspense and unoertainty as to the fate awaitiug them. We cannot help thinking that such apparent neglect and dilafcoriness are wholly inexcusable. It is a recognised rule that when there are prisoners lying under sentence of death consideration of their case takes precedence oi a>U ordinary public business, and the matter is dealt with at the earliest possible moment. Thafc is the rule which has been observed in the past in New Zealand by Ministers of experience in public affairs and disposed to pay some regard to constitutional propriety. It is a rnatt6r for regret that in this, as in many other respects, the present advisers of his, Excellency seem ignorant of all constitutional usage, and disposed to throw propriety to tho winds. Wβ do not consider that the Governor is personally to blame in the matter. He has to act -Jipon the advice of his Ministers, and it is for the latter to arrange the date of the Executive Council, and to inform his Excellency when his presence is required at the seat of Government for the exercise of executive f auctions. Unless Ministers have some vevy good reasons for their apparent _dilatoriness whiclii have not yet been made their conduct seoms to us to be deserving of the gravest ceusure. And we certainly cannot regard their interest in the 'Wellington election as a sufficient excuse for neglecting this most important business. The fact that they were touting for votes when they ought to have been considering the case of the two men lying in the condemned cells, was nothing short of an outrage upon common decency.