The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-04
County Attorney Miller. of Breckin-
ridge County, Kentucky. Found Sc
creted in the City with Friends.
SUBMITS TO AN INTERVIEW
AND TALKS OF THE ASSASSINATION
OF WILLIAM GOEBEL.
There Is Warrant Ont for Miller,
but He Does Not Fear
Arrest.

The latter part of last week Governor
Mount issued requistion for the return
to Floyd county. this State. of Rudolph
Gossman, a prisoner i'm the penitentiary at
Frankfort, KY The requisition was ad-
dressed TO the Governor of Kentucky"
The officer serving the requisition present.
ed it TO Governor Taylor. who honored IL.
Governor Taylor's orders. however. were
ignored by the prison officials. and the Of
fcer then went 20 ]. G. w. Beckham, who
is recognized by the prison officials as
Governor Beckham declined to honor the
requisition unless Governor Mount would
agree to honor "any' requisition that he
would issue and direct to the Governor OF
Indiana. Beckham yesterday sent Cover
nor Mount telegram i'm which he stated
| that he would gladly honor the requisition
| for Gossman II Governor Mount would as
| sure him that he would honor any requisi-
| ton that might be issued by him Beck
| ham) as Governor of Kentucky.
Governor Mount wired to Beckham that
| 1t would be impossible for him as Governor
| of Indiana to enter into any agreement
with him.
There having been so many published
| titude with reference to the Kentucky Sit
uation. he gave out yesterday afternoon the
| following formal statement:
1T goes without saying that the political
| situation in Kentucky is deplorable from
every point of view, and IL Is regrettable
self-evident proposition that the moral ana
| material welfare of the commonwealth has
suffered greatly in Consequences 81 unfortu-
| nate complications resulting from unwise
| and radical legislation, famed 10 fury by
| the ambition and greed Of constituencies
| partisans. In the consideration of requisi-
| tions originating i'm the State of Kentucky
my position is plain and may be plainly un-
| derstood At no time have / been actuated
by partisan spirit In the matter Between
the Governors OF all the States there A. a
| code of unwritten ethics that. from long
| observance, has become practically as
firmly established as the statutes. The
| rules of executive practice are uniform
| In the consideration or extradiuon dppii-
cations the power of Governor Is alto
| gether arbitrary IL he is disposed TO avail
| himself of that prerogative, although this
| is rarely, IL ever, done.
'In seeking a reqvisition for a fugitive
| from justice from Indiana the application
| is made to the Governor-not TO any person
| by name. Hence, in the Kentucky situa-
| ton the agent or bearer OF the request Is
| free to present IL to whomsoever he be-
| leves will be best disposed 10 act favor
| ably Since the beginning of the present
| imbroglio in Cur neighbor State several
Il
| Kentucky. but up to this time / have not
received one from that source.
I'm answer TO repeated and persistent
questioning i have publicly stated that
| could not under existing circumstances.
| recognize Mr. Beckham as the legally con-
| stituted Governor of Kentucky In this
1 my sense of right and justice has been
based on conditions. not theories. Mr.. Tey-
| lor received a decisive majority OF the
/ votes cast at the election OF 1899. and, In
| spite of desperate opposition. he was de-
4 cl hv nanncraffC
! have been duly elected Governor. Subse-
| quent events up to this time have not ma
| terially changed his status. After having
| been so declared elected he took the oath
| of Office and established himself I'm the
| regularly appointed executive chambers AT
| the State Capitol. where he yet remains.
while the so-called Beckham governments
has its headquarters in a near by hotel
| The prima facie evidence Is all In Taylor's
/ favor. Beckham's title was conferred upon
| him by the questionable methods or
| Legislature acting under a law that has
been almost universally branded as infa-
nous. IL remains to be seen IL the courts
| will sustain the Legislature I'm arbitrarily
promoting Beckham 10 the office or Cover
| nor through the medium of train OF tragic
| events. IL the final decision is I'm his favor
| his recognition will follow as matter OF
course and of right under the law, but.
| until such decision Is rendered he must be
regarded and accepted as contestant
whose claim TO the governorshlP Is seri,
| right-thinking people.
IN FoRCEFUL ENGLISH.
"In the telegraphic correspondence with
| Mr. Beckham to-day I expressed ms SEN
timents as clearly and as forcefuIly my
command of the English language would
| permit BY reference to that corresponds
ence It will be observed that Mr.. Beckham
| proposes to honor q requisition from the
Governor OF Indiana, provided I viii. In
1 Al
| Beckham. / could not consent to such an
| arrangement, even though Mr.. Beckkam's
title TO the Office had never been ques-
| toned Such n compact would be will
| fully unfair. mischievous and unlawful II
| would be nothing short Of personal agree
/ nfent between two officials to perform GER
tain acts regardless Of the merits OF the
case or OF consequences Mr.. Beckham did
| not stop TO consider the fact that there Is
| a material and important difference be-
| tween private interests and public duty.
Moreover. his proposition Il I'm conflict with
| the Constitution OF the United States.
| which provides specifically that there shall
| be no treaties or private contracts entered
| into by States by their official representa-
| tives.' The time will never come. certainly
| not under the present administration. when
| Indiana will be an asylum for criminals.
but IL would be unchristian and inhumsn to
permit maddened partisans OF another COM
1 monwealth TO drag away citizens. even
| though only temporarily abiding here. TO
a place OF persecution. where. self-c0n-
fessedly. law is a travesty and justice is
| a mockery.
4 THE enormous reward offered for the
| conviction OF Goebefs slayer Is OF itself
| monstrous evil-an incentive of moral and
| physical assassination-the sacrifice OF In
nocent men To personal greed and partisan
| avarice. Since the present complications
in Kentucky I have not received an appit-
cation for a requisition from that State n
one should come It's fate will be decided
upon its merits. resardless OF partisan
spirit aud With the sole object OF conforan-