The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1875-07-10

Court Day nj Versailles.
(Cincinnatti Letter to the Washington COM
mcrcial
Tho first time | ever saw Gen.
Breckenridge was somewhere a.
bout the year 1851, '5a or those re-
mote periods of time. lie was
running for Congress in the Ash
land district against Governor
I4ctcher. In Kentucky the compe-
titors for public favors travelled
about the country, making speech
es al the same hustings. These
two gentlemen met at the court
house in Versailles, Woodford
county. II was "County Court
day." when everybody and their
friends came together to try law
suits swap horses, whittle shingles
anddrive sharp bargains. Your hum
ble servant, having some curiosity
to attend a primitive political
meeting, assembled in force upon
this occasion. There was mot
Icy crowd oflong haired, unkcmpt
rustics, aud rough IA they seemed,
yet the affcctionate admiration
they all manifested for "Joln"--
they always called him BY his first
namc--was really touching. The
confidence, too, that they had in
his prowess, his ability to discom-
tit any body, or anything was per-
feet. Says one, sitting on a dry
goods box, with long pair Of legs
| u slouchcd hat, shaving a smooth
pine stick, I'm tell you, boys.
John Breckenridge IL gwine to
give ole Bob l4ctchcr particular
>" forget what it was, but it
was not fits, nor do l think that it
was anything desirable. The Ken
| tuckians Of that day had also the
peculiarity Of pronouncing his
last name as though the first Sc"
was an "a".
| went into the courthouse
when the speaking began. 1t was
a sweet gathering. They sat on
the floor, on the backs of the ben-
ches, they were the b'hoys Of the
dark and bloody ground; they
smoked and sworc, they chewed
tobacco and expectorated to that
fearful extent that trying to cross
the floor dry-shod was like taking
up arms against sea of troubles.
Breckenridge and Letcher took
turns in speaking.
Having been brought up in the
pure uncontaminatcd Why party,
my sympathies were not at all
doubtful. High protective tariff,
American industry, internal I'M
provcments, and United States
banks, were the watchwords OF
my existence. The teachings ol
my childhood were impressive In
the fact that the man who would
not support home industries was a
traitor to his country.
! To be sure, my ideas were some
what vague, aud It was not dcfln-
itely settled in my own mind
whether the protection was to be
accomplished by the yeomen turn.
ing out with bayoncts, or whether
we were to take this "Amcrican
industry" and lock it up some.
where for safe keeping; but !
knew that the British, with their
cheap goods, were at the bottom
Of It somehow, and everybody
knew that the British were das.
tards. Then as to the currency
question, | was simply ready to die
Oh the banks--I was so well salts
fed of it, whatever it was.
therefore listened to Governor
Lctcher with eminent complacen-
cy. lie made the same argument
the Wings always made, and
which were to me unanswerablc.
Breckenridge then rose to give
"olc Bob Letcher--," whatever 1t
was. And he did it. The style.
the manner Of imparting this gift
was inimitablc. Breckenridge
was young, not thirty years ofagc
probably. He was very handsome