Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-12-23
A DIsGRAGED GOVERNOR.
The Outrageous Conduct of the Chief
Magistrate of Kentucky.

The Outrageous Conduct of the Chief
Magistrate of Kentucky.
LOUISVILLE, KY, December IT,
Facts have been unearthed during
the past day or two which, to say
the least, show the Governor and
Secretary of State of Kentucky to
have been guilty of a willful disre-
gard of the laws of the State, if not
of absolute conspiracy to defeat the
action OF the Legislature and shield
themselves from the exposure of
official wrongedoing. Governor
Blackburn has made himself noto-
rious by his free and indiscriminate
use of the pardoning power, by his
remission Of gambling fines, and by
other abuses of his Office. These
misdeeds were so clearly brought
before the Legislature. and the pub
lie last winter that when the Repub-
licans introduced resolution calling
upon the Governor for record of the
fines RENTED and pardons granted
by him there were not enough Dems
ocrats who dared vote against it to
defeat it in spite of the fact that the
Governor and all his family were on
the floor of the House working
against the resolution. So it was
passed, and the Secretary of State
was instructed to prepare the records.
A month passed by, and the report
was not forthcoming. When guess
toned about the delay, the secretary
said it involved so much work that
it would take weeks to finish it.
Finally on the last day and during
the last hour of the session, the re-
port was brought in and laid on the
Speakers table, too late for consider
alton. It, of course, went over as
unfinished business, and should have
been printed in the Legislative Re>
cord. After the House had adjourn
ed reporters requested to be allowed
| to copy the document, and were put
off till evening. Then every body
left the chamber, the papers being
left on the Speakers table. When
evening came they had disappeared,
and they claimed that they had been
stolen, as no clew to their where
abouts was obtainable. The matter,
of course, was dropped.
The Times correspondent was put
on the track of these documents
yesterday, and discovered where and
by whom they were taken. A man
named Mcdonald, who has charge
of the Frankfort Yeoman Office,
where all the State printing is done,
went into the hall of representatives,
and seeing the papers lying there,
took them to the Governors Office
and handed them to him. He took
them, looked at them, and, with the
remark, "They're id trash and
ought to be burned" threw them on
the floor by the fireplace. After
ward Mcdonald, thinking they
might be of Importance, took them
to State Treasurer Tate, and he
locked them up in the vault, where
it is supposed they are now. Means
while the record was printed, and at
the end of the volume reference was
made to the resolution, and the
record was referred to as appearing
in the second volume. That volume
has never been printed, and, McDon'-
aid says, never will be.
It is known that Governor Black
burn, during his administration, has
pardoned more than l, 500 criminals,
and has RENTED fines amounting to
more than $2,000,00O, besides grant,
ing respits on other fines amounting
to about $1,000,000 more. In view
of these facts, the Governor has
always been hostile to any invests
ga5ion, and when newspaper corr
respondent made bold to ask to
examine tire records last spring, his
Excellency, meeting the reporter on
the stree, attempted to knock him
down with his cane, saying: e.
- you, I'll teach you to NEEDLE in
my affairs! I'll break your -
head!' It is certain that the Governs
or, Secretary of State, and State
Treasurer have been aware of the
whereabouts of the papers all sum
mer, and yet they have claimed they
were stolen, and have thus cheated
the people out of the report to which,
under the laws of the State, they are
entitled.