The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1907-10-16

reckless ana as untrulnIul as theS
were in the campaign of 1895, when,
with false charges and promises. he
deceived the people of Kentucky into
electing him governor. In that cam
paign he slanderously charged the
Democratic administration of the state
with fraud and corruption. and prom
Used 10 the people that If elected gov
ernor and his party placed in power
when they could get a look at the
books" they would show up this fraud
and corruption. For over four years
he and his party had control of the
state government and of the public
records, and ! repeat that they have
never to this day reported the discov-
cry OF single act of fraud or corrup-
ton upon the part of previous Demo-
cratic administrations.
Pitiful and Childish.
But how does the distinguished ex-
governor. when confronted with this
answer 10 his charges in that cam
paign. seek to escape it? In his
speech he says: In 1896. when the
Republicans went into Office. there
was not enough money in the treasury
10 pay an expert bookkeeper TO look
at the books on account of Democratic
Indebtedness. This is so pitiful and
childish that no intelligent citizen will
let him OF with such an excuse. He
had under his own appointment
state inspector and examiner. drawing
So 900 a year and expenses. with the
right to employ assistants. whose duty
IL was, under the direction of the gov
error. 70 make such Investigations Of
the books. Why doesn't Governor
Bradley own up like man and con
fess 10 the truth that they did make
this investigation into the books and
utterly failed to find anything wrong
His reference TO the Tate matter is Of
no credit 10 him or 10 his party, be
cause that defalcation was discovered
and exposed by a Democratic admin
istration. and Tate's bondsmen forced
10 make good the loss 10 the state by
Democratic officials before Bradley
came into Office The promises which
he and his party made in that cam
paign were equally as false and insin-
cere as were the charges.
Every intelligent citizen in Ken
lucky knows that the administration
Of the state under Bradley and Tay-
lor. from January 1895. to February,
1900. was fill Of mismanagement dis
aster and crime. 1t came into power
under false pretenses and ii went out
Of power in carnival Of lawlessness
and assassination. Mr.. Wilson. tho
Republican candidate for governor,
whose chief spokesman Governor
Bradley is, must stand upon that rec
ord OF his party, and cannot expect
10 deceive the people again in this
campaign as they did in 1895. The
attempt Of Governor Bradley in this
speech to account for the grievous
acknowledgement of our finances during
their administration is so weak and 50
poor that It deserves hardly any men
ton at all. In his printed speech
there are three long columns taken
up with a iumbled mass Of figures. so
arranged as 70 confuse rather than
10 illuminate the subject. An expert
accountant could not reach any in
telliCcnt conclusion from such an ar
rangement. and it is clear that Gov
ernor Bradley himself was lost in the
statistical maze of his own figures.
He cannot rcpudate his responsibility
for Taylor and Taylor's administra-
ton. 40 man was more responsible
for Taylor's temporary power Than
Bradley was; he was chief counsel
and adviser while Taylor was acting
governor. He was in Frankfort all
the time and was Taylor's leading at
tOrney in the contest cases. His own
administration was bad enough but
he and his party cannot escape the
added evil Of Taylor's administration.
Even If we should grant his requesr
to hold them responsible only to the
end of his administration in January,
1900. the comparison with Democratic
administration would be altogether in
our favor.