The Adair County news., 1907-10-02

Tneir campaign cry for "a look ar the
books" was answered and for over
/ four years they had ample time to
look at them. But never were they
able to find a single cent of the peo-
pies money not properly accounted
for. Not a vestige of fraud or cor
ruption upon the part of the previous
Democratic administration could they
discover. heir campaign charges
were shown to be false and insincere,
just as they are now. What did they
do towar5 pbuilding and advancing
the welfare of the state? Nothing
whatever but to turn back for at least
4 generation the deal that marked its
progress and development. Every
fair-minded Republican will admit that
1t was the most turbulent period in
the commemorative history with the
possible exception of the time Of the
Civil war. In place of the bread they
promised you, they gave you a stone.
Instead Of the new era" Of peace and
prosperity, about which they prated so
much in the campaign, they establish
ed a red carnival of military usurpa-
tion and bloodshed The new admin
istration had not been in power three
months when the Republican COVER
nor called into active service the state
militia and placed 1t in control of the
General Assembly of the state, then
in session. There was absolutely no
necessity for such an arbitrary and
unwarranted exercise Of power. 1t
was an unconstitutional effort upon
the part of one branch Of the govern
ment to intimidate and control the ac-
ton of coordinate branch. A mem
Der of the General Assembly could not
enter the capitol without the permits
sion of military officer. The whole
purpose of it was to force the election
of Republican to the United States
senate.
I In numerous other instances was the
same fragrant use made of the militia,
and in the state election Of 1899 when
w. S. Taylor was the Republican nom
inee for governor, this same Repub-
lican governor in his desperate desire
to aid in Taylor's election, called into
active service state troops in the city
of Louisville on election day in order
to intimidate and influence the voters.
During that entire administration law
lessness and crime were rampant
might Riders" and Clay County Re-
called.
Republican leaders now try to re-
fleet upon the Democratic administra-
ton by referring to the Breathitt coun-
ty troubles, and the reports about the
might riders.% Let them go back to
the time when they were in control
and refresh their memories about the
toll-gate raiders, and feudal wars in
some of the counties Let them read
the messages of their governor to the
General Assembly to see his lurid pic
lures of lawlessness and crime at that
time. If 1t was not fair to hold him
responsible for the toll-gate raiders,
the Clay county feud and other sim
liar outbreaks, II certainly Is not fair
to hold Democratic governor respOn-
sible for the Breathitt county and
other such troubles. One Of the chief
reasons for which the Republican gov
ernor in 1897 called an extra session
of the General Assembly was to get
more power to stop lawlessness in the
state.
Dark Record of 1899-19oo in Kentucky.
Then, in December, 1899, with the
use Of the military at the polls, fraud
ulent tissue ballots in many counties,
corruption and force in the election,
there came into temporary power Tay-
lor and his bloody cohorts. Confront
ed by his Democratic opponent with a
constitutional contest before the Gen
eral Assembly, he filled the state cap
ital with an armed and desperate mob.
Realizing the hopelessness of his case,
he became reckless and murderous
From window in the executive build
ing, not forty feet from where he sat,
nervously awaiting the fatal sound,
there was fired the shot which struck
down in mortal agony the man whom
he could not defeat in a legal or con-
stitutional way. Almost instantly
armed troops, kept in concealment
ready for this awful event, swarmed
into the capitol grounds. took posses
sion of the buildings under orders
from the Republican governor, guard
ed all the entrances, and drove back
the civil officers who sought to enter
and arrest the murderers.
And yet they tell us it is persecu-
ton to attempt to bring to trial the
man who directed all these move
ments, who admits that he was only
forty feet from where the fatal shot
was fired and prohibited the civil Of
ficers from coming in to make a
search
He suspended the writ of habeas
corpus. He ISSUED his proclamation