The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1910-04-21
GOV. PATTERSON WILL RUN AGAIN

I ~S~~~e-~oN>~-~|ON~-~U
in favor of reversal as to both. | have
not heard the motives of the court inn
pugned in thus dividing and disagree
ing, but when in the exercise of a
( higher and at least as sacred duty as
any which devolves upon the court |
pardon Col. Cooper, the atmosphere is
at once laden with imprecations and
every bad motive is at once assigned.
It must appear strange, and it cannot
be without a motive, that the news
papers who have said nothing of the
minority opinion of the court, and
have almost ceased to discuss the
question of the guilt or innocence of Col.
Cooper and his son.
Has Never Believed The COOpers Guilty.
81 wish those who are open to reason
to put themselves in my position and
to view the facts as they are, and not
as distorted imaginations would have
them. Seaator Carmack, according to
the testimony, was killed by Robin
Cooper, and in my judgement any fair
Interpretation of it shows that the
killing occurred after Senator Carmacl<
had fired two shots from his pistol at
the defendant. | believe the act of
Robin Cooper was in his necessary
self-defense, and this view was evil
IDENTIFY shared by the majority Of the
court which reversed the case. On the
other hand, Col. Cooper was not in
any conspiracy to kill, and | do not
recall that any of the justices of the
supreme court so held; but on the con-
trary, am informed that the theory
of conspiracy was abandoned in the
argument before the court, and was
not found as fact in any opinion de.
livered. That Col. Cooper did not fire
shot is abundantly shown, and there
was never any serious contention that
he did. ii he was uot in a conspiracy
to kill, and did not kill, where is the
law or the justice which will hold him
guilty of murder? Had this been an
ordinary lawsuit, tried in the ordinary
way, without the settings of passion
and excitement, Col. Cooper would
have been acquitted almost as mat
ter of course. Without impugning the
opinions Of others, | think it was a
miscarriage Of justice when he was not
acquitted.
"Beleying this, what course should
have pursued? 1, is said the defen-
dant was my friend, politically and
personally. But shall | deny justice
to friend? Shall | refuse to accord
TO him that which an enemy has the
right to ask, and what the humblest
citizen may expect? Must man go
TO prison for murder who is now IS
years of age, who has never killed any.
body, because he happens TO be
friend of governor? Is a governor
worthy to hold the office who would
suffer it? If | had been afraid to save
this friend from an undeserved dis
grace, no matter what the consequent
ces were, | would have forfeited the
of honorable men, and,
what is of more importance, my own
self respect, which no man can lose
and be gentleman whether he is in
or out of the governors chair.
"People speak of justice as if to par
don was an act of injustice, when il
may be the highest form of justice
They say it is the setting aside of the
decisions of the courts. So it is, else |
there would be no reason TO pardon
and the people believed when they
made the constitution that the court |
was as liable to err as a governor, and |
clothed him with supeme power in ex-
tending clemency.
iustifleS Seeming Haste in Granting The
Pardon.
"But | am condemned because it is
said | acted hastily and without proper
lecorum; but is it true? This case was
from any other which had
ever come before me- | had read every
inc of the evidence, was just as famil-