The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-14
|M'CORD RESENTS THE ME ETHOD USED IN INVESTIGATION Issues Signed Statement Re-
 garding Recent Rumors
 in Circulation TOO MUCH CHANGE
 FOR PERSONAL SPITE Thinks Proper Method Would Have Been to Take Matter Into Court of Competent Jurisdiction

| been mentioned in connection with the | investigation which Governor ONe9l has 1 ordered to be held in Birmingham Oc-
 tober 19 last night issued a signed state
 ment regarding the matter which will be ! read with interest all over the state. MT. McCord's statement is the first formal expression the subject since the let 1 ters to the governor were made public l from the four men involved offering their cooperation in going to the bottom of the charges that have been circulated. Mir McCord says:
 ITO the Public:
 By direction of the governor an in- quiry is to be held in Birmingham on the 18th inst relative to certain rumors concerning myself in my official and private capacity.
 This inquiry seems to have originated and emenated from individuals, hiding behind i, and having the ear of the gov ernor, and while l had hoped that their sober second thought might prompt them | to come out in the open, and oyer their l signatures. formally preferring charges | in the manner sanctioned by statute, at | least for the purpose of compelling the attendance of witnesses or production of l documentary evidence which might be properly and legally compelled in order 10 l let the real light in, believing as I do | that my fellowman is too broad and gen l erous to read a personally or a political grudge into an ideal truth without a just cause or provocation, ] am willing, as heretofore announced to join in whatever inquiry is to be made, dependent upon | the willingness of witnesses to voluntarily appear and give evidence to the officer commissioned by the governor to hear the eX parte investigation, as there seems to be no province, power or authority of constitution or statute to compel anything to be done or any party or witness to appear before this commission and give evidence. It is, therefore apparent that while I know that I am innocent of any wrongdcing, and while shall make every effort to get evidence of my innocence properly before the investigator, I am practically at the mercy of every enemy have who has seemingly awaited such an opportunity as the governor has cre- ated for them to try to tear down in a moment that which it has taken me lifetime to build up. I am accountable to the people who elected me, not to the caprice or my personal or political ene-
 mics; and yet, had I not acceeded to the wishes of the governor to investigate these rumors it would have been made to ap-
 pear that I disapproved of his course for fear of exposure, at least some people would have so construed it.
 The press today advises the pub lie, that the governor had added the attorney general of the state and pos sibly before the end of the week may | add another to the assumed court of
 investigation When the chief exec
 utive named MT. Evins, his legal ad- wiser, as the party to conduct this ii.- vestigation, had he wanted to accord all those who are accused of this al- legged wrongdoing an impartial repre- | N.ft xsr~l.t seemed fair to all reasonable men that the accused should have named one of the members and the two so desig- mated name a third for the purposes of the inquiry. Under these conditions the present attitude of the governor would indicate that he Is instigating this one sided procedure in order to satiate some personal animosity to-. ward me. If it is not fair for me to assume this as true. then how can the governor ignore the charges made by paper in Birmingham that one of his appointees holding an import ant state office is charged with being the legal adviser of the excise com
 mission and at the same time receiv- ing money for representing clients be- fore the commission who seek a license? These are mere rumors but we hear nothing of MT. Evins' author, ity to investigate this open charge of
 
 circulation, at least in Jefferson county. Has the governor as elective of ficer, or as chief executive of this state, the legal right to investigate certain rumors relative to another elec- tive officer in the way suggested by him and about to be proceeded under
 as in the present case? It would have been much better and broader of the governor to have said to the parties conveying these rumors that you must prefer the charge and I will order the attorney general of the state to file | impeachment proceedings, rather than taking the suggestion of an enemy who uses the governors paw to pull. the chestnut. The present status of the whole affair is to the average man who is unfamiliar with our statutes a court of competent jurisdiction having full and complete power and author ity to investigate and punish. Such is not the case, as was well known to | the governor I would have as much authority to appoint an Investigating committee to inquire into the charges recently made that the governor was coercing the saloon people of Jeffer- son county to donate funds to the local option cause of Lauderdale, the home county of the governor. The foul hiss ing tongue of islander shall not be protected under the guise of an in- vestigation simply to leave dts stigma in the ears Of generous. people Who have honored me with their votes and l shall see to it that they have the whole truth of this or any other mat ter in which they have a right to know the whole truth.
 If there is anyone who knows of all or any part of the transaction to be inquired about l trust that they will do the state and myself the justice to voluntarily appear before the commits ! sioners at their appointed time and make known these facts that the peo- pie may judge for themselves. There was a time in the history of this great state when the law required ones guilt to be proven; the governor has made incumbent upon me in this instance to show my innocence, which I must do through an unconstituted authority. without the sanction of single stat ute If there shall ever be any more investigations I hope that they will
 be ordered under the statutes and heard by a tribunal clothed with power and authority of law commensurate with the dignity of the office involved, re- moved from any possibility of inten- tional or unintentional injury, reflec- tion OF aspersion. LEON M'CORp" Appoints Special Judge
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