The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1896-05-21


SHOWS and billiards., after many pri.
| v~ations and sufferings on tho part Of
his little detachment, he successfully
! performed the work assigned him, and
in confirmation of his engineering
skill a great continental railway later
followed his pioneering. The details
| of this work no related to me several
| times, and l think he regarded his sue
cess in that enterprise with more pride
than his. more recent military perform
ances on q larger scale.
My relations with John S.. Marina
duke were intimate and confidential,
especially 30 during his brief admins
| t~ration, as | was then in almost daily
association with him. 1t is, there.
fore, of some Of the characteristics of
the man / shall deal, rather than with
his ~biograpby-of the man as he felt,
spoke and acted during this period of
my intimacy.
/ am impressed with the conviction
that no man ever entered upon the dis.
charge of his duties as governor with
a fuller appreciation of responsibility.
, At the same time he enjoyed its dig
nifty and the eminence the Office con
ferred. He made his appointments
those that had a direct bearing on his
administration-with particular refer
! cuce to securing harmony and the most
unselfsh of counsel. Therefore, his
staff. " if ! may use the word in an
unmilitary sense, was made up of those
in whom he had unlimited confidence
and who could, in his opinion, best dis
charge the functions of their offices to
the satisfaction of the people and his
approval. With the keenest appre.
citation of personal and political SER
vices rendered him. l believe he never
appointed Il man to an office as a re-
ward. 1t is commonly understood that
candidates for governor select and fire.
qucntly promise places before election,
hut l fully believe that Governor Mar
maduke never made a promise of that
| tlluEuCNGI NulluS ms tdlN ass L hiVN
that many individuals were surprised
Mt their selection. l may be pardoned
for the personal tribute in saying that
Governor Marmaduke displayed most
excellent judgment in the selection of
his private secretary, Mr.. Van Court
Yantis. This gentleman was not only
| loyal to his chief, but he was possessed
of great tact and discriminating judg-
ment, a man of fine legal and literary
attainments and Of incorruptible integ.
rity. His counsels We're never obtrud-
ed, but We're very generally invoked
with excellent results. u
A general rule was established in
the executive office, or rather by the
governor, in the matter of pardons
that none should be granted I'M
less new evidence of innocence vas
developed, the theory being that it
was not the province of the Y
cutive to review and reverse the con
clusions of the courts. | remember
II occasion, however, where in APP
plication was presented in the case of
a homicide, when the private secre-
tary gave it as his opinion that the
| governor would reject it because of the
rule alluded to. But to the surprise of
the secretary the governor, when he
came in and examined the papers,
promptly directed the pardon to issue.
There was in the history Of the case
| such an absence of motive and sugges-
ton of mistake that the governor felt
impelled to grant the pardon-rule or
no rule. In this connection l may
state while his record as a pardoning
governor was not conspicuous, Cover
nor Marmaduke was painfully sensi-
tive to the pitiful appeals made on be-
half of unfortunate convicts. The man
who never quailed in the battles front
would often hide himself to avoid the
plant of a h~eart-broken for a
wretch Of a husband or a profligate
son whose petition for a pardon was
absolutely without merit. l well re-
ulCDlDCl OIlt tdStt lIOuSi, NltIc lc
treat did not avail the governor. A
poor woman, neatly dressed and fol-
lowed by four clean, pretty children,
appealed for a pardon for the husband
and father. She was refused, but the
hhbitues Of the capital and many of
the citizens Of the town became inter
ested in the woman and children, and
encouraged her to haunt" the exc
Cutive Office. She obeyed suggestions,
and every day found the quintette
promptly on hand to renew the appeal,
the interested people in the meanwhile
contributing to their support. Cover
nor Marmaduke was Disguised at her
persistency, but as the woman promised
to stay as long as her husband was
confined in the penitentiary, he ulti-
mately c~apitulated, and the reunited
family left town with flying colors.
Governor Marmaduke rightly under.
stood that the matter of utmost concern
to his administration was the manage
ment Of the Missouri penitentiary. Fol
years that colossal and omniverous in
stitution had been an enormously costly
problem and constantly demanded thu
wisest consideration of his predeces'
sors and Of the legislatures. He enter
tanned the opinion that the cost Of
maintenance might be greatly less
ened, if not reduced to a practically
self sustaining basis, if practical re
forms were instituted by a thorough
business management. With this idei
in his mind, he braved public opinion