The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1907-10-16

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paign he slanderously charged the
Democratic administration of the state
with fraud and corruption, and prom
ised to the people that II elected gov
ernor and his party placed in power
when they could get 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.
PitIfuI and Childish.
But how does the distinguished ex-
governor. when confronted with this
answer to his charges in that cam
paign, seek to escape it? In his
speech he says: an 1896, when the
Republicans went into Office, there
was not enough money in the treasury
to 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 off with such an excuse. He
had under his own appointment
state inspector and examiner, drawing
$4,000 a year and expenses, with the
right to employ assistants, whose duty
it was, under the direction of the gov
ernor, to make such Investigations of
the books. Why doesn't Governor
Bradley own up like a man and con-
fess to 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 to him or to his party, be-
cause that defalcation was discovered
and exposed by a Democratic admin
istration, and Tate's bondsmen forced
to make good the loss to the state "
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
Of the state under Bradley and Tay-
lor, from January, 1896, to February,
1900 was full of Encouragement, dis
aster and crime. 1t came into power
under false pretenses and it went out
of power in a carnival of lawlessness
and assassination. Mr.. Wilson, the
Republican candidate for governor,
whose chief spokesman Governor
Bradley is, must stand upon that rec
ord of his party, and cannot expect
to 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
mismanagement of our finances during
their administration is so weak and so
poor that it deserves hardly any men,
ton at all. In his printed speech
there are three long columns taken
up with a jumbled mass OF figures. so
arranged as to confuse rather than
to illuminate the subject. An expert
accountant could not reach any In
telligent conclusion from such an ar
rangement, and it is clear that Gov
erno- Bradley himself was lost in the
statistical maze of his own figures.
He cannot repudiate his responsibility
for Taylor and Taylor's administra-
ton. No 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 Taylors administration.
Even If we should grant his request
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.
Charge Falls to the Ground.
He states that while Taylor was
governor there was a dual government
In the state, and that the Democrats as
we'll as the Republicans were expend-
ing the states money. That is not
true was sworn in as governor on
February 3rd. The other Democratic
officials were not sworn in until Feb
ruary 26th, and II was long after that
before we paid out cent of the states
money. So his charge that we were
responsible for any Of the reckless
expenditures under Taylor falls to the
ground. 1t is not supported by the
records or facts, and nobody knows
better than Governor Bradley the
truth about It He knows. too, that
the Democratic administration after
ward had to pay of the greater part
of the expenses for Taylor's lawless
soldiery as we'll as their debts in
Cured during that disastrous admin
istration. According to his figures
the state was in debt above its assets
when he assumed Office, $1,421 .49S.
II we take his figures-and no one will
believe that he has .understated the
amount-the records show that they
left the financial affairs of the state
infinitely worse than they found them,
notwithstanding that his administra.