The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1903-09-09

reason tnat IL is pOntlcs, ana that Is
about as high conception as they have
of any moral principle OF course, so
foul sheet as this Is not deserving of
this much notice, but as 1t claims to be
the republican organ of the state, and
seems to speak for that ticket, l take
this occasion to call attention to its in
famous policies and methods. Now let
us see what the records show, for facts
and figures are sufficient to overcome
falsehoods. l have been in office a little
over three years and seven months,
which is about five months less than a
full term. / have therefore served al
most as long as each one of my two
predecessors. The executive journals
show that in felony cases before and
sued Az pardons, Gov. Bradley AS and
Gov Beckham 225. The books Of the
Wardens of the two prisons show that
there have been released from those
prisons the following number of convicts
BY Gov Brown 1862. by Gov. Bradley 349
by Gov. Becl<ham 1873. In cases of muir
der where the prisoner was serving
life setnence in the prison, Gov. Brown
pardoned 40. Gov. Bradley So. Gov. Beck
ham II. Gov. Brown also pardoned six
other life convicts. two of them for rape,
and four serving life sentence for
third conviction Gov. Braul,N ma is-
sued no pardons in such instances. Tay-
Tor in his brief service issued pardons in
IA felony cases, including those whom he
thought to be suspected of numbering
Gov Goebel. II 1 should serve out the
next term of four years In addition 10
what / have served in this term. / will
have been in Office eight years lacking
nearly two months. and If ! keep up the
same rate of pardOns that | have hereto
fore followed, l will not have pardoned
in all that time of nearly eight years as
many cases as each one OF these Two
predecessors did In his four years term.
/ have gone into these statistics not to
criticise these two gentlemen, both of
them men of experience and distinguish
ed ability, but simply to show that 1
have not abused this great power and
responsibility which has e.ed ~
my hands. l desire full publication OF
the records I'm these matters which will
verify the figures ! have used. These
figures clearly show that | have not been
in the least reckless IN the use Of the
pardoning power, and show to some eX-
tent how unjust have been the attacks
upon me about It. In the Raleigh case,
about which so much has been said and
about which there has been so much
falsehOOd, the circuit Judge, prosecuting
attorneys, the father of the girl who
was killed, and large number Of Off
Gals and good citizens strongly reCOm-
mended the pardon My enemies have
gone so far as to wilfully fabricate
story. i'm order TO reflect upOn uc thqt
Raleigh fired upon this girl while she
was ueeing from him after he had inn
properly accosted her. There never was
SHADOW or truth I'm TINS y, ana
baser falsehood was never uttered. The
father OF the girl would never have ask
cd for the pardon If such had been true.
The late j. b. Marcum wrote a strong
letter In the case asking for the pardon.
and stated that he did not believe that
Raleigh had fired the shot which killed
the girl. His statement certainly re-
lieVes the case OF any pOlllc4l Oring
merely cite this as an illustration of
the miserable character of the fight on
nc Ike all sVvernOrs. in some few
cases / may have been imposed upon
a1dd x III ifiltse;ii ps,spSss. ..
% be tisnt and Just to do 90 The par
donins power should be most carefully
~ tFi hfa 81
! to SO use IT. but governor must have q
heart of stone to resist all the pathetic
I appeals from mothers, wives and chill
dren for the release of son, a husband
/ or father II is an awful responsible
[ ity and a trying ordeal that every gov
[ ernor Of Kentucky must undergo. Ii
most OF the cases where l have issuet
pardons, circuit judges, prosecuting at
] torneN5, Jurles, Oth-- proHlurul Onoiai
and citizens have asked for the pardons
I ~ record ia ali these matters IS open q
! the inspection of every one and Their
has hardly been a day In the last few
/ months that some representa- I've OF ul
enemies has not been in the Office, where
/ every opportunity has been auO-ucu hlI
fcr S1diniiia tiOn ana they have been un.
able 10 make any capital out of II, eX-
cept by misrepresentation and falsihca.
ton of the records The republicans
! have sought to make much political cap
ttal out of the recent troubles in Breath
lit county, and with their usual blunder-
Ing CONGRATULATIONS they have attempt
ed to make IL an issue in the campaign.
l accept the challenge upon that, or
upon any other issue that may suit them.
They can have their choice upon any one
or upon all, and we shall cheerfulIy meet
them upon any subject they may choose.
Inc only question upon which we must
draw the line and refuse to meet them
is upon the momentous problem of Ser
Wan politics. We must admit that they
have a monopoly there, and that we are
really afraid to discuss with them the
awful condition Of affairs in that be-
nighted country on the other side of the
globe. We sincerely hope that they will
carry Servia in this election as a COM
pensation for their losses in Kentucky
and we are willing to go so far as to
give them letter Of recommendation to
the SerYians as a suitable crowd to run
that government and keep things inter-
esting by their superb craftsmanship
and their ability to change dynastes at
the crack of a rife. We would even use
our influence with the people over there
to induce them to invest some of our
republican leaders with the noble suf- |
fix witch" Think of IT, In a country |
where proud sovereigns usually trace |
their royal lineage back to some ances- |
trail shotgun or dagger, what a magnih-
cent ruler would be a Taylorvitch or a |
But we must give up this |
foreign territory to them and ask them
TO take up with us the Breathitt county
situation, about which we feel better able
to meet them That there has been
trouble In that county. nobody denies:
that there have been gross eXaggerations
and Misrepresentation about the condi-
ton there for political purposes, every
body knows and that the democratic
officials In the state have done every
thing in their power to put an end to
these troubles, no one now disputes. AZ Is
not the first time We have had these
reudal troubles. Within the life of the
present generation there have been just
as serious feudal troubles, even more so.
In other counties of the state, as this
trouble in Breathitt. The troubles in
Perry, in Clay, and in other counties.
where state troops had to be sent, were
even more desperate than this. The rea-
son there has been so much said about
this one is because there is a state cam
paign on and the republican party politi-
y trying to manufacture some issue
upon which 1t can go before the people
This trouble has been purely local and
not half 80 serious as the feudal OUT
break in Clay county during the last ad
Many people have for
gotten about that simply because
here happened to be no political ex-
gencv calling for its conspicuous adj
The republican press has
,ort to make something out of that sit
lation. They charged that l had par
ioned twenty-seven felons from that
county out OF the pententiary, when the
prison records show only seven. and one
other man was pardoned before he was
sent to the prison. They circulated the
'eport over the state that l had pardon
I'd Curtis Jett eight times, when as a
natter Of fact he was pardoned once
or part of jail sentence on INSIDE
neanor charge, and j. b. Marcum was
he chief petitioner for the pardon Such
misstatements would de-