The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-14
GOV. TAYLOP'S
AUTHORIZED
STATEMENT
OF the Good Reasons Which Impsllo9
Him to Reject the Peace
Proposition.
IN WAS A "ROPF OF SAND. :
To Sign the Agreement Would - q
Surrender without AsSlT-
anee of Good Faith.


PITTSBURGH. Feb. ls.--Morgan b.
Gable, editor OF the PittBburEh Times.
who has for the past two weeks been q
Frankfort. KY, studying the political
situation, tonight telegraphs the Times
the first authorized and complete state
ment Governor W. S. Taylor has made
Of his position since Senator Goebel
was shot In the statement, after re-
citing the causes that led up to the
peculiar political situation in Kentucky.
the governor iustlfes his courss in adj
journlng the legislature and investing
the capital with troops TO prevent
bloodshed. He says further:
ut seems clearly my duty not only 70
myself, but to the people Of Kentucky,
to retain the position that 1 now hold
until divested of 1t as provided by law
and the constitution.
THE militia cannot possibly endanger
the life of any one, but Will protect the
interests Of all, feel that It Is my
bounden duty to retain n SUFFICIENT
number of these preservers OF the peace
Mt this time. because OF the violent at
tacks made upon this administration by
the partisan press; because OF the
threats made by this press and by hum
dreds OF people who read these at
tacks.
II receive almost daily lncendlary let
ters threatening that my life shall be
taken and that the public buildings
shall be destroyed by dynamite It
would be sheer folly in view OF these
things for me to expose my life and the
public property by withdrawal of the
militia,
II know have bsen wronged, know
the people have been wronged. know
the ballot boxes have. bean outraged
and I know Kentuckians are to-day
politically speaking, in slavery, A mer-
ciless and remorseless machine, held
together by the cohesive power of plum
der dlsregards all appeals for right and
fair play.
GLADLY would this minute surren-
der not only the ONCE to which the peo-
pie have elected me. but all else that I
have. II I could only by doing SO secure
to my state and our people absolute
political liberty.
Concerning the amnesty proposition,
which he declined to accept, the COVER
nor says the motives of his friends who
we're parties to the propositions must
not be questioned.
II also realized that I had only the
bare promise Of few of the leaders Of
the Democratic party that such law
should be enacted. Not one single
member OF the general assembly had to
my knowiedge assented to such an
agreement. The Republicans every
where. as we'll as the Brown Democrats
and independent voters warned me
that the promise was but rope OF sand,
that 1t would be broken, ana that tho
Republican party would become the
laughing stock of the whole country.
Il appreciated these dangers as well
as some ether questionable conditions
In the proposition, hut above All l ap'
preciated the united will almost OF my
friends throughout the state and de-
clded that ! could not afford to assent
to the so.called peace agreement
And so matters now stand. with Mr..
Beckham in the city of Louisville. as
suming to be governor, and with myself
in the seat OF government, claiming to
hold the same position. In my conten-
ton Think ! am Sustained beyonl
doubt by the constitution Of my state
Section 10 provides as follows; .The
person holding the greatest number Of
votes shall be governor"