Newport daily independent., 1902-08-25
GOVERNOR DAVIS REPLIEs.


 dress, Governor Davis was intro duced by Judge M. M. Stuckey and opened with a reference to the pe- culiar nature of this double barreled campaign, in which the pie- eaters and the pie hunters were represented in the tregulars' and insurgents.
 Reviewing the charges made against Myers in the homestead forgery cases by Auten and Foreman, he called att tention to the fact that the latter was worth $100, and libel could be re- covered from him if charges were not true. He prophesied that Greaves would bury Myers under an avalanche of votes and made a personal fling at Remmel as proud Pharisee. Be- hind Myers, he could see the visage of a one armed man, General Clayton, whose reign of terror and corruption was written in blood. Those dark days should be rehearsed in story to our children
 The record of the Democratic party in it's handling of the school fund needed no defense, as this fund had been made a perpetual debt of the state drawing interest paid by our taxes. He felt proud of the history of his state, which Mrs. Willard had said had the best enforced temperance law of any state in the union. To SUD- press the sale of liquor, it was nec- essary to have the marshal of a city supported by public sentiment and then blind tigers could be wiped out of existence.
 The slap in Massachusetts, face in sending a negro convict there had been a hard one, which he had in tended it should be, but the story of Myers, alleging this as reason for the loss of the K. P. sanitarium was all 'shot air." He would be able to accomplish something if all the Southern governors would stand with him.
 The hobby of his life was an anti trust law, prohibiting such corpora tions as entered into combinations from doing business in this state. Such bill had passed the house, but was tabled in the Senate, which body, he repeated, would not have passed the New Testament without the ap- proval of Dodge and Johnson and he did not hesitate to make the criti- cism, as Democrats should be ad- monished when they erred. The people should see that the members of the legislature supported him.
 A new state house should be con- structed but he wanted it built hon. estly and economically and unless a bill guaranteed these two things, he would veto same. He would also sign no bill which did not locate the insane asylnm at Little Rock. This asylum should be enlarged, that the weak minded and unfortunate may no longer be confined in the poor houses, but receive proper medical attention. The cruelty practiced in the convict camps had been done away with un- der his administration and the work of reformation begun. Superiutend- ent Rees B. Hogins had proven an "egregious failure," and though his own choice, had been a worse official than his predecessor Mcconnell. The business end of the penitentiary should be put under board appointed by the governor. No one man should be a purchasing agent, as he had S1,- GOO, ,0OO to spend each year and the temptation was too great. He should not even subject his own father to such temptation.
 The Dickinson Brick Company's contract he had signed in the heat of a political campaign, without careful perusal, but had set about to break it as soon as he found out the contents, and would do so yet if he had to par don every convict.
 The modern Yankees had shown the kind of government they were capable of in the assassination of as "pure a patriot as ever lived" Goebel in sister Southern state.
 Mercy and forgiveness were quail ities that showed the heart of man and should often be followed. He would kiss the "hulks of Myers," should he as governor pardon his son. He had pardoned Bob Simmons, thnnoh he didn't know his recoro at