The mountain Democrat., 1864-01-16
THE KENTUCKY ELECTION.
Az address TO TIE people AND CONGRESS OF ri
USTkD STATES By TEE KEHTUcKY DENOCRATIc As
sOcTATION.

In response to the numerous inquiries
addressed to US from every quarter, we
ask leave to submit to the people of the
United States the following paper, in ex
PLANTATION of the canvass which preceded
the recent election in Kentucky, and oil
the causes which led to its most unex.
pected result-unexpected not so much
by ourselves, who had, from sad expe.
rience, already learned the extreme and
desperate character of the measures that
WOvla NJ, ~~e"y==t VI ~ NV Tho A@rU;~;At
ton party to suppress the voice of our
people, as by those of you who, living in
less troublous regions, had not realized
the extent to which determination to
retain power would lead its possessors.
[The address next recites the various
steps by which thu political power in
Kentucky had passed from the civil to
the military authorities.]
In February the Central Committee OF
the Democratic party, appointed some
years since under its old organization, is
sued a call for a Convention to meet in
Frankfort, to nominate candidates for the
various Offices to be filled at the August
election. With this call we had no con.
nection, and we neither attended the
meeting nor approved of its expected ac-
tion. Upon its assemblage, and before
any business had been transacted the
meeting was dispersed by Colonel Gill
bert, then commanding a regiment of L.
S. troops at Frankfort
The Convention of the so.caled "Union
Democratic" party met in Louisville on
the 18th Of March. One of their first
acts was to refuse hearing to Northern
Democrat-the Hon. Mr.. Cravens, Of In
DIANA member of that great party
whose manifestations of conservative SEN
timent had so recently been hailed with
pleasure by the Legislature. They re-
adopted, as part of their platform, all the
resolutions passed by the Legislature, and
nominated as their candidate the Hon. j.
F, Bell. Alter long hesitation Mr. Bell
declined the candidacy, and the Central
Committee of his party substituted in his
stead Mr.. Bramlette, who had been the
frequent recipient Of Office from the Adj
ministration, and had been generally re-
garded as supporter Of its policy.
Under these circumstances, and early
in the month Of June. aletter was written
by one Of US residing in the interior of the
State to another residing in Louisville, in
which it was suggested that meeting of
conservative Union men should be called
for the purpose of consultation as to the
proper course to be pursued by them.
Before our meeting was he'd Mr.. Bran
lctte had already taken the stump, and
though the newspapers Of his party exer-
cised prudent caution in rcfraining from
publishing q report, or even a notice, Of
his speeches, We were not without infor
nation Of their character. The platform
Of that party to which be owed his nomi-
nation denounced,as startling usurpations
Of power, the suspension Of the writ of
habcas corpus, and the extension Of mar
tial law over States where war did not cx-
ist. We learned that, on the contrary,
NJ. Bramlettc maintained in argument the
rightfuintss Of these measures. The plat
form denounced the emancipation procla-
nation as unwiSe, unconstitutional and
void. Mr.. Bramlette contended that it
was valid as war measure, though be
regarded it as impolitic. The platform
hailed with pleasure the recent manifes
tations of conservative sentiment at the
North, while Mr.. Bramletse denounced
those whom he derisively termed Consti
tutional Union men quite as violently as
the secesSionists; and finally he threaten
ed with the tender mercies Of the Provost
Marshal all such malignants as should
perversely refuse to vote for him, even
though he was without competitor.
Under these circumstances It will sur
prise no one that, on meeting, we found
ourselves agreed in approving, with some
exceptions, the resolutions Of the "CnNn
Democratic" Convention, but equally
agreed in diStrusting the sincerity of the
men by whom the resolutions had been
adopted, and particularly Of the candidate
by whom, if at all, they were to be en-
forced. We therefore determined to pre-
sent ticket in opposition, and agreeing
without difficulty upon the principles by
which our candidate should be guided,
we addressed letter to the Hon Charles
4. Wlcklitfe.
Mr.. Wicklife, in a published letter, ex-
pressed his hearty concurrence in our
views. He accepted with reluctance the
position We had assigned him, and we
proceeded to place a full ticket in the
fed. Few did more thar Mr.. Wicklitfe
to maintain the fidelity Of Kentucky to
the Constitution and Government of the
United States, ard he has not changed
his principles or policy.
After stating that the Administration
papers had grossly misrepresented the
objects of the Democratic party in Ken
lucky; that it had but one paper IN the
State to advocate their cause that they
were falsely accused of being secession
lists, and were entirely free from all com
plicity in the rebellion, the address pro
ceedA :
In short time it became evident that
misrepresentation alone was not sufficient
to secure our defeat, and Messrs, Wolfe
and Trimble, our candidates for the First
and Fifth Districts, and Mr.. Martin, can
ddate for the Legislature in Lyon and
Livingston counties, were arrested by
Provost Marshals. The first-named gen
tleman was speedily released on parole,
and the latter two were carried to Hen
derson, a considerable distance from their
homes, and there detained until the cleo
tion was over.
On the 10th day of July, Governor
Robinson issued the proclamation which
will be found in the Appendix, marked
No. Q. 1t had never before occurred to q
Governor of Kentucky that it was neces-
sary to remind the judges of election by
proclamation of the duties enjoined upon
them by the laws of the State. They