The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-03-03

man, but his qualifications for the Office
were neither known to me nor the men who
procured and forced his nomination upon
the convention. Captain Jones does not re-
present the democratic party of kentucky,
but only faction of that party, composed
of those ex-confederates such as were will
ling to accept amnesty, but are themselves
unwilling to forgive those who defeated
them in the late civil war. That he is the
distinctive repl esentatiye of that faction is
abundantly established by the facts. Coun-
ties where Captain Jones had never been
heard of, except by a few of his brother
braves, instructed for him over men who
were we'll known and favorably throughout
the state, and whose thorough qualifications
for the office every voter well understood.
The only recommendation Captain Jones had
with the people of the great majority of
counties that instructed for him was that he
was said to be a crippled ex-confederate
soldier. This wach-word was passed along
the lines, from county to county, and the
conntv meeting were fully attended and
controlled by those who still remembered
and revered the "lost caEse." So far as the
country knows the sole merit of Captain
Jones which procured his nomination over
well-known and tried democrats is that he
was confederate soldier and was wounded.
He was nominated because he was awound-
ed ex-contederate soldier. Whether he
possesses other qualifications, neither my
self nor the people are advised. We must
take him, if at ALL upon his soldier record.
We must, as democrats, fall in line and do
homage TO the lost cause by voting for man
only because he was wounded in the
essary that / should say that in
good faith L have maintained, by word and
action, that it should not be counted as
merit or dement, in politics how any one
stood during the rebelliOn-whether he
fought upon the one side or the other-but
10 mt tot nj
character, and qualifications of office should
alone be considered. Scholarship is no
qualification 70 civil Office. Certainly / can
not be called upon to vote for any man
merely upon the ground that he fought
against me. / do not propose to
GLoRIFY HIS SIDE OF THE BATTLE
by being controlled by such reason. have
again and again voted warmly and heartily
for men who were in the confederate SER
vice, and expect to do so again, but it was
because they were, in my judgment, qualified
for the offices they sought, and because they
sought the offices as good citizens, and not
as ex-confederates. If the democratic
party of Kentucky chooses to join
in the 80 triomphe" of the "exani-
mate" eoniederacy so iubilantly sounded
upon the nomination OF Captain Jones at
Frankfort, will not join in the chorus. If
the democracy of Kentucky choose, by the
support of Captain Jones, that it was a DEM
ocratic merit to have been wounded in the
confederate service, L will not subscribe to
the proclamation. If the democratic party
or Kentucky intends to go back on its pre-
viOus declarations, and at this late period
assume it to be democratic duty to reward
those who were in rebellion because they
were so arrayed, can not cooperate in such
course, but enter my dissent and my oppo-
sitiOn. This attempt, through the name
of democracy, to revive the issues
and antagonisms of the civil war,
by declaring it meritorious ac.
of democracy TO have fought on the side of
rebellion, is to my mind as reprehensible,
and to be as severely condemned by conserv-
alive men and patriots, as that sentiment
announced 10y the other extreme, to "make
treason Odious' by depressing those who
fought and acted ON the southern side
Those who in good faith fought upon the
side of the south, and in good faith yielded
to the force of arms. must and will depre-
cate this revival of the war issues and menu
cries as earnestly as / do. The faction or
clique of bitter and unforgiving men within
the democratic party that desires to keep
alive the animosities of the civil war / be-
lieve to be very small element.