The record., 1911-06-01

one except night riders. If the officers
of the law i'm the counties whc.e these
night riders lived and did their work
could not or would not suppress them.
do you mean TO say that the soldiers
could not change their ideas from
those of mob members to those Of
peaceful citizens? They were killing
people, they were burning homes. they
we're destroying depots. they were
laying cities in ashes. they were ter
rorizing whole communities, they were
driving men from the state These
men were being threatened, and no
one else was threatened-and yet the
Judge says that you could not push
an idea through their heads with a
bayonet. And again he says:
"If. however. any Opponeqt, Demo
crat or Republican. cares t0 take up
the other side. am prepared 10 meet
him on the subject"
will take the other side and make
my appeal 20 the law-abidirg people
OF Kentucky. am willing TO abide
by their decision. even on bis state
ment made at Hopkinsville. and ig-
more HIS statement at Frankfort. that
he waited three years to explain. and
which he did not then explain until
ne became a candidate for Governor.
OF course the Democrats are not
going 20 fight Judge C'Rear now.
They want him nominated and will
hold their fire until after the nomina-
tions are made. But I here and now
enter my solemn protest AGAINST the
nomination by the Republican party
OF a candidate for GovernOF holding |
the views on law and order hat have
been expressed publicly ~ Judge
O'Rear Whenever the Republican
party. the party of Lincoln. Of Grant.
Garfield. Harrison, Mckinley, Roose-
welt and Taft, forsakes the principles
Of Law and Order and winks ~ mobs
and mob vlolences, It should go into
exile and never again boast OF more
than half n century OF the greatest |
achievements known to political his
tory.
Judge ORear may have thought he |
was right when he made that state
ment. and II the people think he said |
the right thing or the thing that |
ought TO have been said at that time. |
everything else being equal. be should |
be nominated. but when you do nom |
Inate him. II you do. you have struck |
blow at the very cornerstone Of |
civil liberty You should think we'll |
before making your decision.
The conference to which Indigo |
O'Rear alludes was called by the Gov |
ernor Just sfter the night riders had |
put the torch to Princeton. Hopkins |
Vile and Russelville and about the |
time thnt Hiram Hedges wps muir
dered In cold blood by the night rid |
| l., ~ - ht-
babies and In his own home. II was
at this time that lovers Of law and |
order should have had their wits !
about them. They should have said |
and done the right thing st the right
time. The eyes of the world we're on
Kentucky. and she cried; f'Is there
no balm IN Gilead2 Is there Nd Physi-
clan here Tn why Is sttstshs I
-recovered?'
We all agree that the trust was do.
ing wrong. and for that wrong thev
ought 10 have been punished hui
there was a way and place. They
should have been taken TO the proper
forum. where the weak and the strong
meet upon common level. Charter
| 101. Kentucky Statutes. beginning
with Section 1915, provides a way
and no one was better prepared than
| Judge ORear 10 explain the line OF
procedure. That statute fixes a fine
of from $500 to $4,000. or six months
10 twelve months In the county jail.
or the court may so fine and imprison
AT the discretion of the Jury. Pro
ceedings could have been brought by
any one Of 119 County Attorneys or
by any one OF thirtv-four Common
wealth Attorneys. The courts are
open always. and Judge O'Rear. SIT.
ting in the court of last resort. could
have seen 10 II that justice was given
them IL the cases ever got to his court
Why did he not advise what line TO
, pursue instead of saying:
"You can not push an idea through
; an Anglo-Saxon's head with a bayo-
net?
There is no place in this land OF
the free and home of the brave for
2 mobs and the mob spirit. ! think
J that every man at that peace confer
I ence should have said that law and
} order must reign and that reace must
be established and those In that con-
ference should have met mob violence
with that stern determination that
= would have convinced all that law
breakers could find no announcement
' at the State Capitol, and especially
, none from a member Of the Court OF
Apreals OF the State But, instead.
. Judge O'Rear threw a hombsheN into
{ the camp Of Law and Order that
. kindled more fire In the breasts OF the
= night riders and mob sympathlzers
c than all the speeches and all the Cd
D itorials that had gone before. Why7
Because at that time he was a mem
; Der of the Court of Appeals of the
e state. the court of last resort. II
q am not mistaken, he was Chief Jus
l. tlce of that court the man Of all men
who should have counseled obedience
- TO the law.
p The lsw-breakers had a right &c
think that If the Chief Justice of th'
u Court of Appeals should feel that way
y about their acts, they had not TO feaI
le any trouble from the inferior court:
- or from officers clothed with les!
y power That very speech gave judge
~ O'Rear the sympathy of every nigh
= rider in Kentucky. II was carried
!" from neishborhood to neighborhood
- from county to county. whereve
these sons of darkness had an organi
"a zation. at was told In Gath and |
= was published in the streets of As
= kalop." until every night rider In tn
y. :. State began to sing the praises o
- Judge O'Rear. At the same time
= however. his speech drove from hin
:, greater number of law-and-orde
he men. so that he lost more than h
90 gained
5e And there Is another thing tha
% should he taken into consideration
~ Night riders. as a rule. are confne
~ TO Democratic localities, and the