The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1875-04-14

W either harness or trutht 1t l5 easy to
make charge but sometimes difficult to
sustain 1t. Trepel the insinuation wheth-
er direct or indirect, and whoever shall
heneeforth say that am the candidate OF
any ring, clique or faction of any kind
whatsoever, will stand branded as a SLAM
derer and a falsifier. In my humble sphere
as an advocate of Democratic principles,
and a worker for the success of the DEM
ocratic party at large, / do not intend that
my character shall thus be traduced and
myself held up as a mere trickster, opera
ting through selfish motives and seeking
through local agencies to advance my own
interests at the sacrifice of honor. What
ever reputation or standing / have attain
ed has been honorably won. and is as dear
TO me as life itself. and I shall defend it
against malice as | would my life. Hav-
ing pursued line of conduct marked in
every step BY courtesy and an elevated
sense Of delicacy to the rights and feelings
Of every one, appeal to all in whose boz
SONS there beats a manly heart to vindi-
cate me from aspersions like this, which
tend to zap the very foundations Of my
honor. No, fellow-citizens, am the cam
didate and representative of no clique or
faction, but relying on the cause of truth,
and with an eve single to the good OF the
whole party, and Of my own honor, If
have offended at all it is solely in the pre-
sumption of daring to aspire to an office
to which my competitor seems to think he
alone is entitled. The Democracy OF Ken
lucky, although in some counties they
may have been misled by these sp.c'ous
appeals, will not permit me to be stricken
down and condemned on charges 20 Void
Of any semblance Of truth. To them in
their assembled wisdom in convention
am willing to submit, content to abide
their decision, and ever ready, as hereto
fore, to sustain their decree, whether or
another may be exalted to the position to
which aspire.
WILLIAMS cRRRo GoRDo HERoIsN UNDER
THE MICROSCOPE OF UNBIASED HISTORY.
approach the third main point upon
which he claims your support and bases
the reason why should be rejected.
confess approach it with reluctance, and
would willingly omit all reference to it
did not unreienting duty require otherwise.
And first as to Gen. Williams Mexican
war fame. / can excuse much of his self
exaltation on the ground that he has
reached that age when the soldier likes
to fight his battles over again, and by
common consent considerable latitude is
granted in the enterprise. But when his
claims differ so materially with the rec
ords Of history it is not admissible that
he shall take to himself credit which does
not belong to him. He does not hesitate in
his harangues to pronounce himself the
hero of Cerro Gordo and to claim that he
planted the flag of his country upon its
CORY heights. ] have heard OF self-made
men, but this may be said to be one OF
the most remarkable instances of a self
made military reputation on record. Has
the lapse of time effaced from the mem.
DRY of men the facts in regard to battle
which occurred in the lifetime of many oil
those now before me? The battle Of Ger
70 Gordo was fought by Gen. Scott in
command of the American forces. Gen.
Williams was in command of an indie
pendent company originally composed OF
one hundred and five men from the coun-
ty of Clark, OF which Roger Hanson was
the lieutenant. | have heard the latter
describe the exploits of that company and
of its Captain, and though as jealous as
any man OF the fair fame of his gallant
countymen, he represented their experi-
ence in action as disastrous defeat, CON-
polling a retreat down a steep hillside
with more alacrity than dignity, and al
ways pictured himself and his Captain as
among the most skillful in getting down
the precipitous heights. He was never
aware that my competitor was entitled to
the credit which he claims, but even
charged and proved that cannon bought
to Kentucky as the trophy Of the battle
had been fished up out Of the pool in
which it had been thrown by the Next
cans in their subsequent retreat instead Of
being wrested from the hands of the ene-
my in action. Nor was Gen Scott less
| ignorant of the distinguished bravery OF
Captain Williams, for in his official re-
port of the battle he ascribes the honor oil
planting the flag Of his country on the
Mexican works to Lieut. Robt E Lee.
who, though thus officially indo's ed and
subsequently elevated to great eminence
in the eyes of the whole world, was never
known to boast of his exploits In after
years Chiffon Allen, distinguished poll
tician, at a public dinner or barbecue, in
a vein Of humor and pleasantly, gave to
Gen. Williams the sobriquet of "Cerro
Gordo," and Roger Hanson subsequently
in race for the legislature against Will
liams, while humorously recounting the
incidents of the battle, and the sham cap
ture Of the cannon, sarcastically applied
it, and it has stuck ever since. The facts
as | have cited them will be found in a
letter written by Roger Hanson in 1851
and published in the papers at the time.
They may be within the memory of some
present They are familiar to all of that
day in central Kentucky. Disguised that
the people of Kentucky, did not appre-
ciate his great virtues, he has erected for
himself on the basis of imaginary fame,
monument so towering in height as to
obscure in its shade that of Lee. and even
of Scott himself. Not content with this,
he now demands of Kentucky the high
est niche in her temple of fame as an ad-
ditional reward for his exalted services.
LIE NO III. PUT TO THE SWORD.
But great as Gen. Williams regards
his services in the Mexican war, they are
as nothing compared with his achieve
ments in the late war. in which be
boasts that he was the hero of two hum
dred battles. History SO far has failed to
do him justice, and if he secures an ade-
quate record of his exploits he must nee
essarily monopolize the pages of some fu-
ture historian, who may delight to hand
down to an admiring posterlty narrative
of his wonderful victories II he confined
himself to an enumeration Of his own acts