The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-08-09
A Republican Campaign Method.

organ at Louisville to place upon
tRdge S. W. Hager, State Auditor. the
Vemocratic nominee for Governor. re-
sponsibility for the failure of County
Clerk w. j. Shemonin, of Jefferson
county, to meet check which ne had
given to the public treasury in settle
ment of money collected by him for the
Commonwealth during the month o.
June last, proved abortive. Judge
Hager promptly met the insinuation,
and, in a card to the people of Ken
lucky, made clear that he has in the
Semonin instance as in all others with
which he has had TO deal during his adj
ministration. closely adhered to the
Statue law governing his Office and his
dealings with county officials of the
State.
The attack of the Louisville Herald
on Judge Hager in this matter is out a
fair sample Of the campaign method of
that party. Unable to show single
instance in which Judge Hager, as
State Treasurer and Auditor of Public
Accounts, has not performed we'll
every duty devvoling upon him unable
to directly charge him with favorite-
ism to a Democratic county official,
that PAPER, in the most cowardly man
ner, insinuates that the Auditor might
have protected the Commonwealth in
the Semonin matter. To answer the
insinuation which he very promptly
did, Judge Hager had occasion to refer
to the public records CT his office, and
to speak from those records. He show
ed that Clerk Semonin has, since he
came into office, and since Judge Hager
has been an official of the State, paid
into the public treasury, at. various
times sums aggreagting more than a
half million Of dollars. He showed
that those payments had been made
regularly and as the law provides and
requires, and that the last check sent
by Semonin, like the first, went regu-
larly through the proper channels for
collection. That it was not paid is a
matter of public knowledge. Also,
that it was the first check ever given
by that official to the State Of Ken
lucky which was not promptly met by
the giger of it. Why the payment of
the money was stopped is attempted to
no nynloIpo1 Ixr Tiax.I-
with that the Auditor, Judge Hager,
has nothing to do. Immediately upon
notification that the check had not been
paid, Judge Hager took the precaution
to proctet the commonwealth by noti-
flying the official bondsman CT the
Clerk. The State Inspector and Ex-
aminer promptly began an .investiga-
ton of the Office of the defaUlting
Clerk. 1t is authoritatively stated
that immeditely upon the making Of
the report of Judge Hines, the Staet
Inspector, Semonin is ready and will
pay to the State every penny due it
from him. Thus the State will not
have lost penny that is due it, Tut
has the reverse been true, Judge Hager
could in no wise have been held re-
sponsible for that loss.
The Democratic country press of
Kentucky, whose editors have come to
know Judge Hager during the years
he has been a public official party
leaders and State campaign managers.
were quick to come to his defense
against the insinuations of the Republi-
can organ at Louisville. His card re-
spending to the insinuation, and fully
answering it, has been given wide
publicity by them, and favorable edi-
torial utterances have been many. A
fair sample of the expressions is given
liz the following editorial utternaces of
the Mt. Sterling Advocate of July 81.
That paper says:
An attempt was made by kickers
and like kind in Louisville to cast re-
Elections onlAuditor Hager. The critics
don't know Judge Hager to be the in
telligent business man that he is. but
they do now. We ask careful read
ing of his letter published in this issue.
Good sometimes comes from mis-
fortune. In this event it was to Judge
Hager, for it gave him an opportunity
to show to the people that his correct
methods are sufficient for all emer-
genicies. Judge Hager is cool level
headed business man who will make
governor second to none. A business
man IS most needed now"
IL No N Xor. DiI.