You misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just.
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 4. Danforth shows intransigence when Parris asks him to postpone the hangings and Hale calls for pardons for those who won’t confess. With great irony, Danforth says that after executing twelve already, pardoning the rest would not be just. This is his perverted idea of him being "fair." Danforth is not concerned about justice or that the accused waiting to be hanged may be innocent. He cares more about the damage that pardoning them would do to his reputation and that of the court. Throughout the witch trials Judge Danforth shows ruthlessness and is guilty of appalling abuse of judicial power.