Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1903-01-23
A LIE NAILED.


out of the way to display more or
less venom. In it's latest issue the
Times reprints a column oflvituper-
alton from the Lexington Demo
crat, with its editorial approval
and follows it up with charges of
disloy atty TO the party on the part
of Mr.. Meacham, because he has
dared TO oppose and expose crime
among pets of the Beckham adj
ministration. 1t is the settled pol
icy of this paper to keep out of con-
troversies with other papers; but in
order that the public may know the
methods that are being resorted to
by the papers controlled by the
Frankfort machine, we reproduce
portion of the Democrats collec.
ton of false statements:
THE attitude of Mr.. Meacham in
this fight on the committee in which
he holds membership, is plain to all
who have watched his course since
Gov Beckham succeeded the late
! lameuted William Goebel. He pre-
sumed at that time that his position
in the councils OF the party entitled
him to absolute control of the only
state institution located in his sec
ton of Kentucky, the Western Asy-
lum for the insane. He started in
with the idea that he was in possess
sion of things there just as much so
as did others of his class who are
not located so far away from the
seat of government they would con-
troll under the new regime. Just as
it dawned on these political hang
ers-on, it dawned on Meacham a
short time after Gov. Beckham took
his seat in the executive chair that
he had miscalculated somewhere.
He discovered that the new COVER
nor wasn't going to permit himself
to be dictated to any more than
would William Goebel had he not
been carried away by an assassin s
bullet. Finding this out, he was
willing to make terms but the gov
ernor, as in the case of all the 9th
ers seeking to act for him, wanted
none of him in the administration of
the government, and dismissed him.
His conduct in the months that fol-
lowed showed the extremes to which
he was willing to go to even things
up, an instance of it being the
charge of "crap shooting preferred
against the governors agent sent
to investigate the alleged immoral
conduct of an official of the Western
asylum who was his, Meacham's
friend.
1t would be difficult to collect more
falsehoods into the same amount of
space. Not one of the charges con-
tains an atom of truth.
Mr.. Meacham has never at any |
time attempted to control the affairs
of the Western asylum. On the
other hand, he voluntarily resigned
the Presidency of the Board of Com
missioners ten years ago and has
not visited the asylum five times
since.
When Mr.. Beckham became gov
ernor-and he owed his nomination
to the 10 votes of Christian county
Mr.. Meacham embarrassed him
with no demands for Office. He
made but one recommendation for
any place and that was of man
who held Gov. Goebel's personal
promise and was endorsed by every
member of the Democratic State Ex-
ecutive Committee, excepting one
who was absent and not. seen. The
committee was the same now in Of
fee, with one or two exceptions.
The circumstances under which
Gov. Goebel's promise was given
were explained to Gov. Beckham,
with the statement that Mr.. Meach-
am would make no other recommen-
dation for Office and he has never
done so to this day. The applicant
endorsed was DR.. D. e. Bell, of
Christian county, for superintend-
ent or first assistant physician. In
the spring of 1900 Gov. Beckham
sent for Mr.. Meacham and volun-
tarily told him that while he could
not appoint DR.. Bell superintendent
he would appoint him first assist
ant, DR.. Bell was sent for and
agreed to accept that place and the
Governor assured him in Mr..
Meacham's presence that the app
p0IuLment WOutu De maze. Dr. j.