The Hickman courier., 1872-02-24

no member of either House demanded
an investigation. This occurred the
Kentuchiaa says in January, 1871, and
also somewhat similar state affairs the
present session.
We will not stop to ask why the Ken
tachiaii, as an independent journal, was
SO silent on these charges the whole OF
1871, seeing that they originated in that
year and then abouuded, if at al! in their
most prolific grossness; nor why III
now 50 suddenly arouses to their dreadful
enormity. Is the fact, that two Gin
cinnati Trustees express he opinion that
they could if they had the money buy
r.asnIosEs-sf- the aISeutueky Legislsfure,
sufficient evidence upon which to con
demu members Of the high crime of
bribery, even when coupled with the fact
that certain members did afterwards
change their vote? Was member not
capable of an honest change Of Judgment
or never to put that honest change into
execution, because two trustees had been
foolish enough to express their foolish
opinion that they ycould buy members of the
Kentucky Legislature Or, does the fact
that these Trustees report certain amounts
as expended to aid in State Legislation
attach guilt TO any member? We
believe it is generally acknowledged
that Cincinnati paid Gen Breckinridse,
as a lawyer, a very large fee to argue her
case before the Legislature; that she
paid Col Beyier, aud perhaps others, to
give similar aid. Hence, it may be seen
that the money for State Legjslations'
might have gone in this way-to lawyers
= and not to members Of either House,
The misfortune appears to have been,
aud to be, that these allegations, or ru
mors, prevailed in such general, indef-
inite, and irresponsible way, that the
Legislature took no cognizance of them.
We had hoped that since the Kuuckia,
"a democratic journal-entered the list
of prosecutors, that it was prompted in
50 doing by a weight Of evidence, that
would eompell an Investigation or confes /
sion of guilt But it has FAILED, and .
if it will proceed no further its charges +
fall, if not unfouuded as iil-advised /
But if it will name the parties accused, +
the members so designated, can not re-
main quietly in their seats except through
the terror of guilt; and in which event
the people Of their respective districts
and counties, will summon them to an
investigation of eternal disgrace. The
Acrseaeclsterss is not called upon to assuiIie
that the parties named by it are guilty,
but simply to name members under the
sanction of its high authority against
whom accusations rest sufficiently strong
to merit investigation.
The Keutucti1a in its bitterness and
excitement, dubbs the COURIER as
'whitewasher, apologizer, - "screener,
etc, but if these ezpletiyes soo,he it un
der the sting Of its present misguided
step. we shall not object, conscious that
the public will find out that, ifany of our
members are ever proven guilty as eharg
ed, that they will fnd neither apology or
protection in,,theze columns.
We can not present our position better
than by introducing the following para
graph from the KratucEian's S article
"The Hickman Screener and Protector
has peculiar notions in regard to the
proper manner of conductinga democrat
ie Journal. When the atmosphere of
Frankfort is flied with rumors of cor
ruption; when Intrigue is going on aud
wicked combinations are being formed
"don't tell the people it cries out. This
is our democratic Legislature" 1T will
kurt the party
The COURIER does not object to the
Keatuchiau's exposing error aud corrup
ton wherever found; but its error, if
any, Is in the failure to do So 1t ap
pears to US that an editor Of the ac-
knowledged experience and ability of our
ueighbor, ought not to be sedueed in;o
such positive aud violent assaults upon
of its own party, except
upon proofs almost as strong as holy writ
The fact that such charges when made iD
a Democratic paper against Democratic
are accepted as admitted
facts and circulated as such by Republi-
can papers with the sole purpose and
effect of iujuring the democratic party,
ought to cause democratic journals to be {
exceedingly cautious of makiug such
publications, and then only upon the
most reliable authority. Unless the Ken
tncLiaa viii consent to specify, to name
by name the particular members accused,
its charges viii stand against the whole
Legislature; and as the Democratic par
ty is responsible for the action of the
Legislature, it logically follows that our
party must bear the accusations. Hence
when such insinuatlons find credeace and
confirmation by publication in Demo
cratic journal, justice to the honor of the
party demands that it should not be
passed over lightly. IF half the insinu-
ations which have found place in the
KentuckiaR, in regard to Cincinnati, I
Louisville, Frankfort, aud upper Ken
lucky ''rings," be true. the Democratic
party has become so infected with cor S
ruption as to smell in the nostrils of all
people, and its representatives
should be hurled from power, not only as $
unworthy of trust, but as unworthy to a
i've. Our neighbor will recur to its ar !
icles in regard to "Frankfort Rings,
tc,, and give us some reasons for the r
aith that prompts it to these charges. ih