The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1899-06-02
A QUESTION or vERAcI1Y.

~yictiUn ~ claimed BY many IF the
I state. now to be . question Of yeraci.
! ~ between the governor and the
Judge. This may be true but when
! one thinks a moment. he, himself, is
, She Judge ~ decide. The case and
the burden Of proof will fall on the
governor. We do not believe there is
an editor or a citizen In the state
who can rise up and say Judge Cole
man ever misreprcsented or made Il
false statement about anything. II
there Is one, let him rise 'uD and say
50, AS b. our remarkable governor
there has been handed down toIuS
legends like the following whose
trIthfulIucsS we think we can obtain
the proof to substantiatc, but as it IS
known by 5 o many reputable citizens
In the state, we do not, now, hardly
believe we Will be called upon to prp.
ducc It.
During Coy. McLaurin's admins
trattou, the following, among num-
crot,s other instances Of failure TO
keep his word, are matters of com
mrn report. The truth Of any one
Of these charges would dcbar him
from any special weight in Il matter
IF ycracity with a nan Of such char
arter as Judge Coleman.
/. II is said that Governor Nc
Laurin suggested TO Hon. W. j.
Lamb, IN the early part Of 1896, that
he apply for succesSorship to Gen.
Finley, n District-Attorncy Of the
first District, telling HIM he would
get the appointment: and, after
wards, in an apparent effort to re-
lIcyc the complication he had created
over the iudgshjp in that district,
appointed W, !. Barron, Of Aberdeen
for that place, evading his COmmittal
to Lamb 10y a prctXt whose ilimsinc>s
is apparent to any lawyer Of ordinary
standing, and was exposed and over
thrown by a written opinion from ore
Of the ablcst lawyers in the state.
;. That, as publically told by Col.
G. Il. Mitchell, to many persons in
Jackson and elsewhere, GOV. Nc
Laurin suggested to him his .applica-
ton for the judgesllip for the First
District aud repeatedly told him that
he should have the place, the last
time within Il week Of the appoint
mcnt Of Judge Sykes. Col. Mitchell
has recently departed this life. lie
left Il reputation that carries con.
viction OF the truth Of his words to
all those who know OF them.
3. That Judge {, II. Campbell. of
KoSciusko, then on the bench, sub
mitted through a friend, in behalf Of
himself and the other judicial appli.
cants, to Gov, McLaurin the query
whether the appointment of his sue
ccSSUr would be made during the
Legislature of 1896: in order that his
friends and theirs might know with
IN what time Endorsements were to be
presented: and that GOV. McLaurin
stated then. and afterwards, rs all
the judicial applicants were inlurm-
ed. that the law did not contemplate
the appointment at that session and
that 1t would not be made til the
latter part of 1896; that, notwith-
standing this. GOV. McLaurin with
out making any correction, sent in
Judge stephens appointment Just as
the Legislature was closing.
4. That Col. Roothc was an ap.
plicant for the iudgeship of the Third
District In 1896: that Gov. McLaurin
then told him that Judge T.. NJ. Stew
ems would get that place, but that ii
he, Col. Bmthc. would apply for the
ChanccllorShip Ut that District, rs
successor of Judge h. Il. k%imbrougl,
the office would certainly be his, and
50 Informed some Of Col. Roothe's
friends, yet, without correction he
- l-l-.- L. L.