The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-07-31
Hardin and Bradley.

the day, al the court house, Monday of
last week.
Gen. Hardin opened the discussion
for the Democracy and his speech of
an hour and three quarters was re-
plete with statistical information and
was complete refutation of the
charges Bradley has been making of
Encouragement and extravaganza on
the part of the State officials. TAX
ing the same matter treated by Gov.
Knott, he explained the condition of
State finances in the same way the
former did in his speech, which was
published in our columns July 18th.
1t is unnecessary to reiterate this, but
we will mention some of the facts pre-
scented in addition to those treated by
Mr.. Knott.
Mr.. Bradley having made the
charge that the costs of criminal
prosecutions had been largely in
creased since the Republicans were
in authority in 1865, Gen. Hardin
made the following comparison and
explanation:
Criminal prosecutions amounted in
1865 to $Si, 230, and in 1880 to $230,27S,
These figures looked formidable, but
the speaker turned to the Auditors
report and Developed the startling
fact that the one Republican judicial
district in the State, reported $l22, 1000
of the entire amount, or $1,000 more
than half of the cost Of criminal pros
ecutions in the whole State. Gen.
Hardin then showed that this Repub-
lican district was the smallest in the
State, had less voters, fewer suits and
prosecutions and that no county in
the district held longer term than
two weeks, and yet this little district,
presided over by Judge Finley, cost
the State $4,000 more for criminal
prosecutions than the whole Com
mOnwealth did in 1865, and was
therefore responsible for the increase.
Gen. Hardin then compared the
\counties of that district with other
counties in the State. Christian
county was mentioned and while it
with s weeks of court, drew only
1882, the county Of Clay-John ID.
Whites county-with 4 weeks drew
A,56456, although il is not half, as
large as Christian, which the speaker
explained, was also Republican, but
was saved by Grace.
He then showed how these frauds
were practiced, and charged Judge
Finley with the grossest official cor
ruption. Idiots were reported only
months old and the State defrauded
in this and various other ways. He
showed that whereas in 1865 there
were 800 idiots supported by the
State, Finley's district alone reported
2O6 in 1880. He then compared Fin
ley's district with Judge Browns ad-
joining it, with the same character of
mountain country and the same class
of people, except that Browns dis
trict was Democratic. Finley's dis
trict not only paid nothing into the
State, but drew out IS per head for
its voters, while Browns with 1000
more voters, paid in $500 per head
more than it drew out.
Gen. Hardin's entire speech was
mastery array Of facts and figures
eloquently presented and enlivened
with several good anecdotes. He
was vociferously applauded, and
when Mr.. Bradley arose it was very
evident that he had been considera-
bly, "hacked." He began in boast
ing way, declaring that he would
give Hardin hi before he concluded,
and then proceeded with one of the
most remarkable" speeches ever
made in the court house. He re-
hashed the matter in his published
campaign documents" which had
already been answered by Hardin,
and then attempted to answer some
of Hardin's charges. He produced
the auditors book and read list of
costs about one-third of what Har-
din had made them and then attempt
ed to make it appear that Hardin had
falsely presented them. In this way,
and with an occasional spread-eagle
flight, or an extract from some 4th of
July Grafton he filled in an hour and
a half of his two hours. Not a word |
dld he say about pardons. Hardin |
had anticipated him in this and
shown that of the 20 petitions sent up
from Pulaski, Morrow's own county,
% bore the signature of the Republi-
can candidate, while only o had been
granted by the Governor. These Pc
titions were for murder, rape, gam
bling and all manner of crimes, and |
so completely was Bradley used up
on this score that he never mentioned |
the pardoning business in his speech.
He concluded with short speech on
the tariff and towards the last he con-
suited his watch so frequently that it
was evident that he was about to run !
out of "soap." Finally in order to
put in his last fifteen minutes he let
himself out in an Grafton denouncing |
England and eulogizing Ireland in
order to capture an Irishman who
sat on the railing in front of him.
Failing to consume all his time in