The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-05-15
LONG DELAY IN
PARDON CASES.
Gov. Wilson Goes East For
Several Weeks.
Unable to Complete Examination
of Records Before Big Meet
ing at Washington.

decision on the application for par
dons for Caleb Powers and James
Howard until after re returns from
the conference of Governors at Wash
ington.
After devoting over week to as
siduous udy of the cases, the Gov
erncr found that he could not COM
plete consideration of the testimony
before he was compelled to leave.
He gave out a statement in regard TO
the cases just before leaving. The
Governors statement is as follows:
Il cannot possibly help the delay.
The mass of petitions and requests in
these cases was not presented to me
until the hearing, which took nearly
the very able and interesting afgu-
ments had probably brought before me
the main features, | was not willing
to decide the cases without reading the
records myself, because the RESPONSE
bility will rest upon me, and cannot
be put off on the statements of the
lawyers.
1T took few days to clear off the
work which had accumulated during
the hearing, and l then began to read
the records, giving all the time
could to them night and day, and in
order TO hurry the work / gave the
Howard record to Attorney General
Breathitt, and he has been reading
that record, but has been unable to
do anything with it in the daytime
on account of the pressure of the daily
work in the office, but has worked
on it at night very faithfully, and to-
day l sent for the record to try to fin
ish it myself, but l have found that 1t
will be better to have the Attorney
General complete the report on the
Howard recrod, and this cannot be
done before | must start for the con-
ference of Governors at the White
House. l have read ten volumes and
part OF the eleventh volume of the
record OF the last Powers trial and
the whole record of the Youtsey case,
the three opinions of the Court of APP
peals in the Powers case and three
opinions in the Howard case. | have
also read a good many briefs, argu-
ments and petitions in the matter, and
have a good many more of those yet
to read, in all several thousand pages.
Giving most of every day and ev-
cry night, l have let most of the usu-
al work of my office go, doing my best
to finish these cases, as l said | would
do before starting East, and | had
made up my mind to give up the meet
ing of the Associated Harvard clubs
at Philadelphia, May s and 8, which
was most anxious to attend on ac-
count of the kindness of that associa-
ton to me and the host of intimate
and nearly lifelong friends who belong
to it and will be at the reunion. But
it is plain to-day that | cannot pos
sibly finish the work as it ought to be
done before must go to Washington,
and l must unwillingly give up to-day
that effort. l did not intend in any
event to decide these cases before
the end Of the republican convention
because l am not willing that my de-
cision, either the one way or the 9TH
er, should be in any way affected by
any political or party consideration,
and l was distressed at the announce
ment at the convention yesterday that
the pardons had been granted for
there was no foundation whatever for
the report. No word of the kind
was authorized and could not be, be-
cause / had not finished the rec
ords. But it was hardship on me-
And / have asked for a searching in
vestigation as to how it came to
pass. And in view of this, l have
been more willing to delay the final
decision to have a clear separation of
the cases from partisan or political
matters"