Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1911-05-30


night riders lived and did their work
could not or would not suppress them,
90 you mean to say that the soldiers
could no4hange their ideas from
those Of Mob members to those OF
peaceful citizens? They we're killing
people, they Ewere burning homes, they
we're destroying depots, they were
laying cities in ashes, they were ter
rorizing whole communities, they we're
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
bayop<t And again he says;
III. <lowever, any opponent, Demo
crat or Republican, cares to take up
the other side, am prepared to meet
him on the subject"
| will take the other side and make
my appeal to the law-abiding people
OF Kentucky. am willing to abide
by their decision, even on his 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
he became a candidate for Governor.
OF course the Democrats are not
going to fight Judge O'Rear now.
They want him nominated, and will
hold their fire until after the nomina-
lions are made. But I here and now
enter my solemn protest against the
nomination by the Republican party
of candidate for Governor holding
The views on law and order that have
been expressed publicly by 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 at mobs
and mob violences, 1t should go into
exile and never again boast of more
than half a 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, he should
be nominated, but when you do nom
mate him, IL you do. you have struck
a blow at the very cornerstone Of
civil liberty. You should think well
before making your decision.
The conference to which Judge
O'Rear alludes was called by the Gov
ernor just after the night riders had
put the torch to Princeton. Hopkins
Vile and Russelville. and about the
time that Hiram Hedges was MUIR
dered In cold blood by the night rid
ers In the presence of his wife and
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 at the right
time. The eyes of the world were on
Kentucky, and she cried: rs there
ma balm In Gilead7 Is there no Physi-
chan there! Then why Is not the
health Of the daughter of my people
recovered"
We all agree that the trust was do
ing wrong. and for that wrong they
ought to have been punished. but
there was a way and place. They
should have been taken to the proper
forum, where the weak and the strong
meet upon a common level. Chapter
1O1 > kKentucky Statutes. beginning
with Section 3.915, provides a way,
and no one was better prepared than
Judge O'Rear to explain the line of
procedure. That statute fixes a fine
of from $500 to $4,000, or six months
to 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 thirty-four Common
wealth Attorneys. The courts are
open always, and Judge O'Rear, sit
ting in the court of last resort, could
have seen to it that justice was given
them if 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-
nett?
There Is no place in this land of
the free and home Of the brave for
mobs and the mob spirit. think
that every man at that peace confer
ence should have said that law and
order must reign and that peace must
be established and those In that con-
leTcuCc SuOuiu nave IuCl iuOD NiOichCc
with that stern determination that
would have convinced all that law
breakers could find no encouragement
at the State Capitol, and especially
none from a member of the Court of
Appeals of the State. But, instead,
Judge O'Rear threw a bombshell into
the camp of Law and Order that |
xindled more fire In the breasts Of the |
night riders and mob sympathizers !
than ell the speeches and all the ed
Itorials that had gone before. Why? |
Because at that time he was a men, |
Der of the Court of Appeals of the |
State, the court of last resort. II |
am not mistaken, he was Chief JUS |
tice of that court, the man OF all men
who should have counseled obedience |
TO the law.
The law-breakers had right to !
think that If the Chief Justice Of the ,
Court of Appeals should feel that way |
about their acts, they had not to fear
any trouble from the inferior courts \