The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-03
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VANCE DEFENDS GOEBELISM.

Olympia, Feb. Q. 1900
To the Editor: In a three-fold capacity
I desire to resent your editorials of the
sist ult. and ist inst, in which you jus
tify the murder OF Mr. Goebel, of Ken
tucky. In a somewhat varied experience
IL has never been my misfortune before
to see among the members of the craft
you follow one who would deliberately
justify a murder, admittedly In cold
blood, while the victim of the murder was
yet slowly passing away.
1 denounce your editorial utterances as
outrageous from three points of view
that of a lawyer. that of lover of free
government and that of an American citi-
zen. You have combined, with an in
genuity remarkable even In the editor OF
bitter and partisan newspaper, three in
famous offenses-you have violated the
law. you have libeled a sovereign state
and you have traduced the dead. To fore
stall what partisan advantage this hor-
rible crime might lose your party you
have denounced the state OF Kentucky
for crimes not peculiar to that state and
placed a blot on the good name of her
people. You have traduced u man lying
on his deathbed, whom living you dare
not face.
l win do you credit to say I believe you
did this deliberately Your thnly veiled
appearance of a philosophical dsquisition
upon the unhappy conditions existing in
Kentucky is transparent. Your editorials
bear the earmarks OF being conceived In
wicked. bitter and partisan mind and
written for the deliberate purpose of con-
doning the murder Of Goebel and calling
to your assistance the partisan feeling
OF readers misled by your statement of
facts. You have violated every canon OF
propriety-even OF newspaper propriety
Every citizen OF Kentucky. every Ameri-
can citizen, should resent your conduct az
an offense against public decency and pol
itieal morals.
In traducing the dead you falsfy the
record You justify this murder by stat
ing that Mr.. Goebel had human blood on
his hands. Aside from the improperly OF
sp nF OF this unfortunate trouble at
Thu ne, you should have had the de-
cenoy and candor to state that Mr.. Goe-
bel. having human blood on mis- hands, was
acquitted by a jury OF his countrymen be-
cause the shooting was In seif-defense
and TO protect his life. Yca did not state
that and apparently omitted II purposely.
Stil further, IN Justification OF his MUIR
der, you state that he leader OF
the revolutionary party in Kentucky: was
engaged In gigantic contest against lib-
erty There again you deliberately and
knowingly falsify the record. Mr.. Goebei
has always in this unhappy contest de-
clared his willingness to submit all mat
tiers 20 the legal tribunals. No man act
ing thus Is a reyolutioniss. Far from at
lacking human liberty. he was represent
Ing the sentiment which IL one OF the
dearest traditions OF the neutrality-suspicious.
people. he was asking that an election be
set aside because chief executive had
called soldiers to the poles TO intimi-
date the people
The intelligence OF your paper being more
marked than It's candor. | believe you
know this TO be fact. In your attempt
to condone this murder you falsify the rec
ord even In this individual case by sup
pressing part OF what you know 10 be the
truth. that the then executive OF Ken
lucky did permit for days and weeks his
Offices and the state building TO be
thfcngod and orerrun by armed men. hts
partisans from the mountains, and that
this murder il the direct result Of thef
action on his part Before God as before
the law the executives Of Kentucky are
responsible FOR this black assassination
as before God and before the law no man
mo escape natural consequences Of hts
own act.
II Mr. Goe5el Dc a revoIat!oniEt Uhat
IL Mr. TAylors Since the day Oliver crorn-
well adjourned" the rump parliament.
virtually at the toe OF hts boot no ssloh
action as that taken by Taylor has dis
graced tina record OF saif-governlng Eng.
Hsh- speaking people. You seem 20 and
something amusing in the spectacle OF
Legislators chased around by militia al
the order Of a governor. No American
should feel sught but alarm ard hansiii-
alton az that sight Who f. the revoIntioyr.
iSt-Goehel. the representative % the tsgls-
iaturt. or Taylor. the dictator following
the methods % a South American nre-
tender and chasing the legislators" wlth
soldlerss
A. basis ZOE your declaration that he was
q revoiutionlst yoa declare that the legal
tribunals OF the state had been exhausted
This ycu know to es false The cgnstltu.
ton % Kentucky provides that the rl,i.
mate authority shaN west IN the state iexls-
lsture. This appeal was being prosecuted
In the usual, ordinary and lawful
way when the armed rstainers OF Coy
Taylor. living by his permission in the
premises controlled By him. committed the
cowarfiy murder which you attempt Il,
Justify You say tina; two governments
win probably cSmHs nd the allegiance. Of
the people. and that the courts ia ths
ordinary course of affairs, viii adludlcate
the difficulty. Even your partisan intel
Hgence should appreciate the fact that
during martial law the courts are closed.
Inter srmA leges silent. So long as the
cEsef executive % a state overTides the
constitution Of that state. and overrides
tive settled doctrine OF English and Amerf-
can law. that no power save that OF the
legislature can suspend the writ OF habeas