Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-07
Gov. HARDING
COURTS QUIZ IN
RATHBUN CASE
Iowa Legislature to Take Up
Investigation at Once;
May Appoint a Spe-
CiaI Committee.
From a Sac Correspondent.

From a staff Correspondent.
Des MONIES, Ia, March 6.-Fol-
lowing the address Of Governor Will
liam L. Harding, who across from
a sick bed today long enough TO
tell before a joint session of the
Iowa senate and house his version of
the Rathbun pardon case, which has
been the cause of a national sensa-
ton, the house decided to take up
the investigation of the affair at
once.
At a special meeting the house
judiciary committee will vote on a
recommendation to the house to
further action. The appointment Of
a special committee, empowered to
incur expense TO make a thorough
probe, is expected.
, IF | had acted corruptly, that fact
should be determined and | should
be punished = the governor said If
] had acted contrary to provision Of
statute or upon false record, those
questions could have been raised be-
fore me in direct proceedings and
my error in law pointed out, or false
record corrected by providing me
with a true one and | tell you gentle
men, without any reservation what
ever that If had found myself in
error, either in law or upon the fact,
l should have been glad to be cor
rected and should have thanked
those who pointed out the error The
state has a right to know whether !
have acted corruptly or whether |
have acted honestly in granting this
pardon and it is for you to determine
and inform them and in this search
you have my undivided support"
Crowded to Capacity.
Thus did the governor sum up his
statement before the joint session of
the thirty-eighth general assembly
held in the house chamber. The
chamber was crowded to the limit
during the entire time the governor
was reading his message. He be-
gan by declaring that many innuen-
does are floating about that possibly
the governor was bribed or accepted
money in connection with the grant
ing OF the pardon g.
Ealk Of Investigation.
Let me say to YOU" he urged,
that ii these innuendoes have as
sumed such proportions in your
minds as to create even a doubt, it
is your plain and imperative duty to
trace them to the utmost limit to
ascertain their foundations" He
further declared that if the investi-
cation convinced them that the gov
ernor did not err, it was the duty of
legislature to announce same so that
people know the truth. The COVER
nor then went into the law confer
ing the pardon authority of the gov
ernor, saying that mere reading of
the statute shows the right of the
governor to pardon on record with
out going through the board of pa
role. He said it was on this law
and on the records as submitted to
him that the pardon was granted.
1T is reported that the pardon
was set aside as void by the district
court of Ida county, one of the
grounds being that | acted illeg-
ally" said the governor.
IF this statement was started by
any one who was present at the
court in Ida Grove at the tifhe the
Rathbun pardon was before the
court, it is malicious falsehood,"
said the governor, and IF it started
by someone who was not present
It is simply an ignorant faisehood. !"
He declared the court records
show that the pardon was set aside
by a stipulation between the attor-
ney representing state. and the at
torney representing the defendant
or the defendant himself.
Investigate Settlement.
''In other words" he said, "the
settlement of this important criminal
matter appears to have been made
between the attorney general and
the accused, and it might be inter-
esting to investigate fully the con-
sideration which prompted the de-
PENDANT to acquiesce in il.
He declared that threats we're
made by the attorney general and
his assistants that if the members
OF tire Rathbun family did not enter
into this stipulation surrounding
Rathbun, and invoking his pardon
indictments, prosecutions would fol-
low.
In discussing the pardon further
he said: "You thought from the re-
quests coming in as they did that the
supreme pardoning power Of the
state was properly invoked to save
from the penitentiary boy who had
committed an immoral act, but who
was not guilty of the crime of rape
as charged in the indictment.
Attorney General Havner submit
ted letter to the investigating COM
mittee today announcing that he
was ready to furnish the names of
witnesses and other information to
the committee.