The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-10-08
HOW GEN. ADAIR ELECTIONEERED.
AN INCIDENT IN AN...oLD-TIME KENTUCKY
CANVASS.

In the good old times political matters were
managed differently from what they are now.
/ In fact, they were left pretty much to manage
themselves. In those days the Office sought
the man, and not the man the Office. This was
signally illustrated when the friends of Gen
eral Adair brought him out asa candidate for
Governor long years ago. The General re-
mained passive, neither seeking or refusing the
position assigned him. After a while, how
ever, as the time for the election drew near, the
opposition began to assume formidable proper
tions, and the Generals friends began to be
apprehensive that his success was endangered
by the extreme electioneering activity of his
popular competitors. Some Of them, indeed,
went to General Adair and endeavored to per-
suade him to take the stump, or, if he would
not do that, to travel around through the State,
show himself to the people and mingle freely
with them. But the General refused; he
would not depart from the settled rule OF his
lfe which was neither to seek nor decline pro-
motion at the hands of his felow-citizens. He
would not fatter Neptune for his trident, nor
Jove for his power to thunder. Thus matters
stood, up to within three or four weeks of the
election, Adairs prospects apparently growing
darker, while those of his more active competi-
tors seemed to become brighter each day; when
one bright morning in July, one of the Gener-
al's most intimate friends, Col. NJ, who
had long vainly endeavored to prevail upon
him to turn out and mix among the people,
standing in front of his Office on the main
street Of Harrodsburg, deserted him coming
into town mounted upon splendid horse, with
well-flled portmanteau strapped behind his
saddle and followed at little distance by
colored groom similarly mounted, both evident.
ly fitted out for journey. On riding up, and
after exchanging the usual salutations, Col.
NJ felt curious to know the Generals
destination, hoping, of course, that he had at
least determined to go around and mix with
the people, and said to him:
General, you seem to have started upon
Journey and if it's no secret, | would be glad
to know your destination ?" After moments
reflection, General Adair responded:
"Wel, sir, don't MUD telling discreet
man like you, but shall do so in confidence,
and trust you will say nothing about it in pub
lie until the result of my visit is known. Of
course, you remember that General Andrew
Jackson, in his official report of the battle of
the 9Th of January at New Orleans, used Ian
guage highly derogatory to the courage of the
Kentucky troops present on that occasion. He
went so far, in fact, as to charge that in the
very crisis of the battle they "ingloriously
fed" Now, sir, this expression is so unjust to
nv command, and so we'll calculated to fix an
undeserved but indelible stigma upon the honor
of Kentucky, that it has rankled in my mind
ever since its publication. And now, sir, can
stand it no longer. have determined to visit
Nashville, see General Jackson and have it out
with him in one way or the other. He must
either withdraw the Objectionable expression,
which I think he will do when he sees the
proofs I shall lay before him, or-sir, need
ul,ok ,rsn fo1 IL
son must undo the wrong he has done noble
State or he must answer for it in single COM
bat according to the rules of civilized private
war;"
Colonel VI was, of course, overjoyed
to hear this. He saw at glance that no bet
ter electioueering strategem could have been
devised if all the genius of Frank Blair, Sr.,
and Amos Kendall, Jr., combined, had been
brought to bear upon the question, than this
chivalric determination of the gallant, single
minded Adair to obtain justice for Kentucky
from the then all-powerful Hero of the Her
mitage. He bade the General God speed with
hearty gusto on his knightly mission, and then
went to work to let all the leading men in the
State know, in the strictest confidence, and
"not under any circumstances to be published
in the newspapers" that General Adair had
gone down to Tennessee, single-handed and
alone. tto beard the lion in his den, the Doug
las in his hail." for the honor of Kentucky.
Of course the intelligence, thus privately cir
culated, was soon known to nearly every voter
in the Commonwealth and the result was that
General Adair was elected Governor by ma
iority approaching unanimity. Indeed, when
| it became known, as was soon the case, that
his mission to General Jackson had resulted
in complete success, though amicably-that
the old hero, OH being convinced of the wrong
he had unintentionally done, had hastened to
make the amende honorable-General Adair's
popularity throughout the State was heightened
and he remaiued in truth "Kentucky's favorite
son" to the day of his death.-Franktort (Ky.)
Yconaan.
LOVES MIsHAPs.-The Boston ,]Ournalsays: