The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1910-04-22

~ Dc1pl 80 ertaiaig
foEsnnato tl ~ s q goysIncF
Whe ne 80 Nv bot =
sosaie 60 etsgtion q aug
ai11 ~ aierioFs With iis en-
f1s HhIs iahing bic FemsEk,
ehie tfoss ths editions II Lake
CITY 1T Wssk, anothsF gOysrnog -
is carly Was diagEseiuy he erEiue.
10 8 ven ted Of n ths Pensacola JouE-
esi. etsry word Of Whleh We commend
That paper says:
Governor Patterson, Of ToaneDea,
fsola that b. 4 Of more imp0Ftanee end
q les falIlblo than 81 the courts b his
ereat state. he Supreme Court o.
fhat State upheld the lower coort 81
ths Coopeg enss and affirmed tas TWEEN
ty-year sentsnes Tor the Blayers q The
Iamented Carmaek. Robin Cooper vas
granted & new trial BY the highess
court n the State. while Colonel Coop
er's sentence vas affirmed.
Hardy bad the ink which recorded
this decision Of the court Of last resOrt
dried before Governor Patterson, friend
Of the CoopsFs and bitter enemy Of
Senator Carmaek. mounted bis little
pedestal Of power and shouted 10 ell
the Wv9ld that q fair trial had not been
given the defendants and for that reas-
on be deemed is wise and Just to par
don the eIdest Of the criminalsi
There Are many who believed that
the governor would probably pardon
these two men, but not until they bad
served ct least part Of their sentence.
The whole country b shocked 81 the
news Of such clean bin Of health fol-
loving 80 quickly the decree Of the
courts.
''in nv opinion neither Of the de-
PENDANTS was guilty, and they did not
have q fair and impartial trial, but
we're convicted contrary 20 law and ev-
idsBce."
This was the remarkable statement
Of the governor upon pardOning Colonel
Cooper
A more Aagrant and bold usurpatiOn
Of exseutivs pOWsr b scarcely eoneciy-
abial a nora FeVolting spsetaele q
outraged justice is not recorded within
che legal history Of roeant yearsf
Il % noe The provinces Of thls paper 70
venture an Oplnion on the guilt or inno-
csDce Of che COopsgu. but WAsn twelve
picked msn, after one Of the lOngest
and hardest fought legal battIea known
g Southern hIstosy, weigh calmly ev-
cry word of evidence "a the case, sn9
loo thslr God IN the faes and doeleFs
"a The world that thoso two men are
guilty Of murder, and when the SUI
prsms Court Of that State pondsrs Ov-
e. ere ease Tor practically three months
and dssress that the accused are guilty,
end thsn for che governor Of that
state % hurl the De st both courts and
WhitsWash these men, 10 nothing short
81 ca Internal outraged
And thla, too, when The entire eoun-
~ b IN revolt against the laws de.
lay." From every eoEner Of The Espub-
BE We hear The murmuFings Of diseoB-
ssat with respect 20 the various legal
lsehnicalities which pat the criminal %
Ire back and clap justice n the face.
PattsFsOn's eternal hate for q noble
nan. whose body b nov n the dust, is
following him 10 his own political
grayo. Il was not the governors love
loF the benshcIarlcs Of bic lenlebcy that
,ansed him TO fling this insult at the
Judiciary and citiEenry Of his State
10, not thatl-bat spite, eoWardly hate
nas led him 10 be little land Of exile
here 70 perish the lamented u not de-
lpised eroatuEs Of . corrupt q not
man.
An, Patterson. PattsrSonl YOu cay
h effect TO The Eve calm sDd gentle
Justices Of Tennessee: "Yon have con-
iemnsd my friend, who is the hench-
nan Of 9 great railroad corporation
and the liquor interests. Yea sesm 10
forget that am the monarch. the Euler
81 ali and By your actions you have
aisplsassd me n whom b embodied all
he sweet instincts Of iunties. 20 therel
take thatl"