The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-02-13
TAYLOR'S COSTLY ACTS.
Governors Course Sweeps Away the
Sympathy that Was His-Kentucky
Lost to Mckinley.
Especial to The Baltimore SUM-

Especial to The Baltimore SUM-
Washington, February 1T is not
often, if ever, that such a striking IL
l%ustration Of political idocy occurs as
is just now exhibited in the cas- of
Governor Taylor. of Kentucky. Only
n short week ago public sentiment
Of the whole country was in his favor,
and active sympathy was with him in
his efforts to hold on to the office. for
which it was commonly believed he
had received a majority of the votes.
Today public feeling is running like
a torrent in the other direction. n
there is no cause for IL other than his
own awful and arbitrary act in sweep
ing away with the bayonet all law
and order. AS was we'll said today by
one of the most distinguished officials
OF the general government, and n
who from h beginning a stood UP
for Taylor, no South American revo-
luton a eve wrought SC highland
ed and indefensible proceedings.
VIEWS OF THE PRESIDENT.
While it would not pay for them to
make formal announcement to that ef-
feet, it is well known the president n
cabinet are a unit in the opinion that
Governor Taylor has acted most un-
wisely in what he has done and has
so acted absolutely without warrant
Of law.
Every lawyer in congress who a
expressed his views, and there are at
least 100 of them in the two houses
who have done SO, "nhesitatingly af-
firms Mr.. Taylor tC Z outside the law
and his constitutional rights and pow
er. 1t has also been noticed here as
most significant that all the great
newspapers of the country, without re-
gard to party, have almost without ex-
ception united in condemnation.
1t may possibly be that Taylor will
be able to, hold on TO the office Of
governor. Whether he can or not, he
has certainly drowned, as far as the
bottom of the sea, all republican hopes
for the electoral vote of Kentucky this
year. He has almost in the twinkling
of an eye welded together the warning
factions of the democratic party, whose
differences will be buried in the COM
mon indignation against him.
The knowledge of this must have in
fiuence over the president. For a long
time he has been fondly counting on
the vote of Kentucky in 1900. There
are contingencies, of course, in which
he may deem it incumbent upon him
to interfere in Kentucky, but they will
not be contingencies according to the
Judgment of Taylor or the personal in
terests of Taylor, but according to his
own. Whatever he does, if anything,
will be upon such a basis as will re-
move him from the fear of any just
criticism. He has enough to defend
and explain now in his nva for re-
election, and he will be most cautious
how he adds to the sum of accuSa-
tons.
The fatally weak points in the as
sumptions of Taylor in his present at
titude is the total disregard of all le-
gal forms n restrictions. His oppon-
ents. whatever may be said of the
merits Of their contention, have pro-
ceeded and are now proceeding strict
ly within the line of law. It is nc an
SWer to this to say the law is bad, I'M
just, etc. 1t is On the statute books,
and while there it is as much entitled
to respect and obedience as any other
law
Every day the democrats keep their
promise to proceed only by lawful n
regular measures and every day Tay-
lor continues his defiance Of law n
court orders he will be propOrtionate-
ly weaker and they stronger.
~GOEBEL EXERCISED LEGAL
RIGHT.
The'right of contest in elections is
contemporary with the foundation of
the government. 1t a been provided
for in the constitution of Kentucky
since 1899. Until 1850 the finding of a
legislative committee was final. Since
that period the finding of the commit
tee has to be submitted to the assem-
bly, for it's approval or rejection.
Every step taken by Mr.. Goebel in
his contest for the office of governor
up to the time he was struck by the
bullet of the assassin was in strict
compliance with the constitution n
the law of Kentucky. He was declar-
ed governor in accordance with law.
While it may have been hard to put
in a man who received a minority of
the votes, that would have been in
finitely less of a wrong than the
trampling under foot by Taylor Of the
most sacred safeguards for the pro-
lection of the people, including con-
temptuous disregard of the writ of ha-
beas corpus.