Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-10-13
TO THE CITIZENS OF WHINE.
SHIEk COUNTY.

with which | was charged, in my
work as a legislator in the 3Sth
General Assembly. / stated in that
issue OF the paper that l would this
week, give a further discussion of
the "offenses" OF which I was de-
ciared guilty.
THE PROCEEDINGS nor M
PLACEMENT OF GOVERNOR
HARDING OF IOWA.
Last spring certain persons spread
the report that when returned from
Des Moines after the close of the
38th session of the Iowa General
Assembly at which Session l voted
for Articles of Impeachment of W.
l.. Harding, the governor of Iowa, /
made excuses and apologies to
friends of Governor Harding for my
action in connection with that mat
ter.
This report, like some others that
were used against me. Was quietly
spread where it was thought it would
do most effective work against me,
and as / then had no opportunity to
correct the false statements so made,
Il
hedging" as the term is used when
one undertakes to favor both sides
in a controversy.
/ want to say now, and say ii en-
phatically, l never apOIOgized nor at
tempted to avoid full responsibility
for my vote in favor of Impeachment
of Harding; sat for over two weeks
with the Committee that was taking
the testimony in relation to the par
don of Ernest Rathbun of Ida Grove
the rapist whom Governor Hard
ing rardoned under such astounding
circumstances that it awakened
statewide ndignation-and | care
fully and conscientiously considered
the testimony lover fourteen humid
red typewriter pages of which !
have now in my office) and after
listening to Governor Harding on the
witness stand before that Committee,
and seeing how he twisted his testi-
mony. and shifted his position as to
Rathbun's guilt, and how he and his
now famOus-0r infamous-private
Secretary Witt showed their close
association with gamblers who open.
ly admitted to the Committee that
they were gamblers, and, also, the
Governors closest friends and act
i've supporters; and how the Cover
nor, while in hospital at Carroll,
Iowa, consented to go to Ida Grove
and appear before the Grand Jury
that was investigating the circum-
stances surrounding the granting OF
the pardon, and how he agreed to
= l. rlaA,, l. a H.,
his friends that that would settle
or clear up, the whole mess, I say
that after learning all these facts and
circumstances, was fully convinced
that he had shown himself unfit to
be entrusted with the great power
that the governor of the state has, as
chef executive of the state, ard al
though We thirty-three Republicans
and one Democrat of the fifteen in
the House We're freely reminded that
1t would be well for us to look some
what to our own political fortunes
in the future before we went on
record against the governor. We vot-
ed in Committee that report
should be made to tho House recon-
mending the impeachment of the
Governor. Today am more fully
convinced than ever that the welfare
of Iowa would have been promoted
by an impeachment, and a removal
from Office of the governor. Recent
disclosures in connection with Hard
ing's receiving two $1,000 checks, as
presents" from some friends, after
the time for filing his sworn ac-
counts of campaign contributions, to-
gether with his and his Secretary
Witt 's-connection with Stock Sell
ing schemes, confirm the belief of
those whe were in position to
know, that the governor did not OBJ
serve his oath of Office, and did not
use the powers vested in
him as governor, in addition to his
lnexcusable and unexplainable act of
granting the Rathbun pardon.
An incident occurred in connection
with the 'Rathbun Pardon" investi-
CATION and the proceedings in the
House the night the vote was taken
to determine whether the Majority
Report of the judiciary Committee
impeachment should
be adopted, or the Minority Report
which simply recommended censurc
OF the governor, and that incident
further confirmed my belief that the
governor was unworthy of confidence
yes, unworthy to sit as governor of
the great state of Iowa. A member
of the Assembly who was long time
with w. l.. Harding,
and one who had known him in his
college days at Morningside College,
told me just after the House
at about one o'clock
latter midnight, that Governor
had come to him and made
a personal appeal to him to
stand by me when the vote Is
and this man who voted for
said: Although | have
known since he was in college, yet
| cannot, in the face of the record he
has made, vote to support him now"
Now notice, please-this was at
about one O'Clock in the early morn
ing, and this man stated that the
governor had made personal appeal
TO him to stand by the governor, and
yet, early this same morning when |
got my Daily Capital to read at the
breakfast table, | found in big type,
in display lad" style, on a page OF
the Daily Capital a Statement to
the Associated Press" issued by
Governor Harding, after the result
Of the vote in the House that very
morning had been communicated to
him, and after he had made the
APPEAL to this old
- lic. ond ftar tha ino hic