Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1859-05-12
Politics In Kentucky.


1--WE had the good fortune 10 hear the
debate at Elizabethiown last Tuesday be-
tween the rival candidates Tor the Govern
srship Of Kentucky. And very enter
. tanning and admirable debate il was. Il
was more; it was most instructive and
telling one.
Mr.. Magofhn, the Democratic candidate,
Is manly, generous, and genial gentleman,
well-informed politician, and fervent
and fluent speaker. Nor is he by any means
destitute Of adroitness either in the selec-
lion Of topics or in the handling of them
On the contrary, he exhibits a good deal of
dexterity in both; quite as much we think
as is perfectly consistent with the more
sterling qualities which he undoubtIy DOS.
seses and which we cheerfuly accord to
him. He couldn't well be much mere ex.
pert without being little less honest.
furthermore he is lively, ocular, and fun
ny. And sometimes he is irresistiblv droll
On the whole, Mr.. Magoffin makes a verv
respectable attempt to discharge the I'M.
practicable and impossible task which his
party expects or profeses to expect him TO
perform. Acquits himself with consider.
ao'e degree OF credit; but, unfortunately, he
dosnt acquit his party at all. Who could
acquit such party?
The opening of the discussion st Eliza.
bsthtown developed on Mr.. Masofin.-
With every disposition TO be condiments.
yto the gentleman we must saw that his
speech was not an argument SO much a, a
panesyriS or string Of paneeyrics. 1t
was an effort Of almost pure Qualification;
vigorous and often eloquent, indeed, but,
sun, sounding tide of eulogy. Mr.. M.
giorihed the office to which he aspires, plo-
rined the pioneers of Kentucky, plorified
the "orave men and beautiful woman" who
came alter them and who now adorn the
Commonwealth, glori6sd the new Constitu.
lion. glorlfied the party of which he i, the
candidate, glorifed the President who is his
Partys representative and lead, and plori-
ned the Administration which is the Presi.
cents especial handiwork. He achieved
nearly every sort Of Qualification, except
SELF gtorifcation; and candor compels us 10
say That he might have accomplished even
mat II the subject hadn't put it entirely out
of his reach.
AFTER consuming an hour and half in
ming up the outline we have here briefly
sketched, in the course of which, he paid
most high and hearty and glowing tribute to
Inc genius and worth of his competitor, Mr.,
Magoffln sat down. His speech 1--WE were
gratified 10 see or at least 10 think was re.
ceived not unfavorably by those in whose
service It was certainly an earnest and we'll
meant EFFORT. If, as respects pertinency
and general force. it fell below the expec-
TALON oil his friends, they suppressed the
symptoms OF chagrin; but we take it for
granted that as sensible men they were sat
nned. A party that staggers under such
sips as at present are crushing the Democra.
cy to the earth ought not to be to exac,ipe of
aPubiIc advocate, when it finds one, or Toe
rigorous or particular in estimating the
strength and success Of his effort. Mr..
Mago6in did his best and his friends oupbt
to have been satisfied il they were not. We
hope they were.
But Joshua F. Bell was not. And he
indicated his dissatisfaction in a speech
which for power and grace and felicity could
De excelled only by himself, Exhibiting in
simple flash of pleasantly the utter and
iudicrous irrelevancy Of the great bulk of
ms competitors speech, he proceeded at once
In STRAIN OF stern yet winning eloquence.
TO arralgn the. Democratic party, as represen.
ted by the Administration at Washington.
and glorifed by its representative in this
contest, Tor crimes and misdemeanors which
match, 1t they do not overshadow, the black.
est enormties that tarnish the annals of
our country. Nothing could surpass the
eiearnsss and fullness with which Mr..
Dell established these disgracefuI malprac.
tees or the skill and energy with which he
pressed them home on his excellent bu,
hapless antagonist. The course of hi. ar.
gument was resistless and its conclusions
unanswerable. His points were impreena.
Die. And the audience felt it and involunta.
rily acknowledged it. Mr.. Bell triumphant.
~ justified his condemnation of the party
which MIR. Magofin but elorifed without
defending. He, however, did not stop at
Having fixed long line Of actual atroc,.
ties on the Administration, and set forth
their hldeousness in the medium of and elo-
quence as clear as light itself, Mr.. Bell
turned suddenly upon those atrocities of
-~s'A"S "hiSu CoutdiH WllNIn themselves as
In germ the source Of Unreasonable future !
evils and which the Administration or Mr..
Magoffin or both haye adopted.
Mr. b. demanded of his competitor to
say whether or not he was in favor of the
Of the absolute and understandable
power Of the msjOrity which the President
announced in his special Kansas message
de called on him to define his position with
re.pect to the transfer of the war.makine T
power to the President which figures 30 '
in the foreign policy of III. G
Administration. And, finally, be asked his 9
Democratic rival to take bold and inteliei. :
'le and explicit ground on the vital question c
't the protection of slave property by Con- A
'ress in the Territories Of the Union.
Putting these sharp, searching, decisive Il
aterroga,i0ns in the foreground, against the S
lark perspective Of part and present iniqui-
les which he had heaped in such lavish and Z
'evolting measure on the party of which