The Russellville Democrat., 1878-06-20
COL. BEN T. ElGBRY.

in Johnson county.
 -.
 COL. BEEN T. E1GBRY.
 The following letter and the ac- cosspanying comments appeared in ..ee .....e Little Rock Gazette of Saturday the 18th inst, in regard to Col. Embry:
 This gentleman announces himself as a candidate for Governor in . let ter published in the Pine Bluff Re publican of the 11th, of which the following is . copy:
 ATKINS, Ark, June 6, 1878.
 To A FRrExD-Dear Sir: I am m receipt of your kind, very kind letter of the - inst. l never have 1t any time sought the position of Govern or, although many of my friends and several of the newspapers of the State have done me the honor to mention my name in . very fatter- ing manner, in connection therewith. I have until recently looked upon it as complimentary more than real; but was on Tuesday last notified that the county of Benton had in structed for me for first choice for governor, and others would follow, with the urgent re- quest to say whether or not would accept if nominated, to which gave an affirmative answer. So please ac- cept my cordial thanks for your prof. fered aid and kind remembrance of our very pleasant association at Little Rock, as referred to in your letter. hope may have the pleas ure of seeing you at the capital on the 4th of July. l am most sincere ly your friend, BEN T. EMBRY.
 N. B.-I am not . Johnson man.
 B. T. E.
 There are three remarkable things to be noted in connection with this late announcement of Col. Embry's The first is that he should have wait cd until all the other candidates had made canvas of the State, m which the respective records and political views of ach were fully ventilated and discussed, before making his ap- pearance in the arena as . bran, spanking new candidate; the second is that the only qualification or per sonal n .rit he claims as recommend ing him to the support of the people is that he IS not . "Johnson man. ;'' and tho third and last is that his an. nouncement should have first seen the light sf day through . rspubli- can paper.
 We had been disposed to think very highly of Col. Embry, and to regard him as being above all tricks of demagoguery, but when we sec him deliberately condescsndiDg to sink the patriot and statesman into the mere politician, with no higher aim or purpose than to elevate him. self to one high ofl1ce by attempting to injurs m honorable gentleman, who is . candidate for another high office, and we will venture to say, who never did Gel. Emtry . wrong in his life, or threw . straw in the way of his political advancement, we must confess to . feeling of dis appointment partaking more of sor- row and humiliation than of Hanger or resentment Gazette.
 From the standpoint Tn which we view this matter, we must bs permit ted to say that we regard the com. ents of the Gazette as not only un- called for, but extremely unfair and unjust
 Neither one of the three points which the Gazette attempts to make is well taken, and all shows an ani- mostly toward Col. Embry which in- dicates that the opposition of the Ca zette to Col. Els claims is of a more bitter character and of an older date than could have been generated by the letter which is used as . pretext for attacking him. We are unable to reconcile the Gazctte's assertion that it 'had been disposed to think very highly of Col. Embry" with so viru- lent resentment as 1t now shows, fer there isnothing in his letter to justi- fy such marked change.
 The first point made by the Ga zette is . churlish one and hard ly worth answering. Col. Embry, as he says, has not been an office seeker, and did not think of becoming candidate earlier in the campaign. Even now he is not . can didate in the sense that that word is now generally used; that is, HE IS NOT SEEKER after the office % mat ter of his own seeking, but when he sees his fellow citizens earnestly de- sire his services at the Capital. he very properly concelves it to be his duty to serve them. Not until there
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