The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1879-08-26
Let Justice be Done Though the
Heavens Fall.

For the last two weeks evcryncws-
paper in the country has been busily
engaged stirring the Sprague- COnk-
ling scandal pool, rendering It more
and more nauseating 10 the public
nostrils. And what does II all
amount tor Is there any reasonable
evidence of guilt? There is none.
Put the worst construction possible
on the matter and il can only amount
to indiscretion, so far as the direct
evidence is concerned It is true the
high social standing Of the parties
renders the case more Interesting, and
magniIes the slightest suspicion an
hundred fold The one ~ Senator of
the U. S. and one Of tho foremost
men in the nation, md an aspirant to
the Presidency, itself; and the other
the wife of all ex-senator and an ex-
Governor, and the daughter of a Chief
Justice of the U. S. And what is the
evidence In the case? Why, Sprague
is absent from home, and upon re-
turning q day sooner than expected
finds Senator Conkling and several
other visitors at his house. That is
all there is of it. Sprague, who Is an
inebriate and who was no doubt
drunk at the time, seizes his shotgun
and orders Conkling away, and the
latter takes him at his word and goes.
Is there any convicting evidence OF
guilt In that2 Conkling had fire.
quently been there, the guest of Gov.
Sprague, himself, and the fact that he,
together with other guests, was there
does not prove the guilt Of either
party. Bot this was considered sufii-
Client ground, by the newspapers, for
a firsi-class scandal, and it has been
the prevailing topic ever since. II
has been alleged that the couple have
is:keu rides together, have exchanged
notes ana bouquets, and thousand
other charges male that amount to
ktast nothing. II these things are
grounds fss judging them guilty,
then there are thousands of the
purest and noblest women subjected
to the same suspicion every day..
Suppose she did ride with him, on
send him bouquet or note from the
Senate gallery2 Do the rules ofpro-
priety prohibit a. gentleman from
taking a lady riding, even though she
is married, or prohibit lady, either
married or unmarried, presenting q
gentleman with bouquet, or writing
him q congratulatory note at the con-
clusion ota speecha Why certainly
not. And yet that is oil the evidence
of guilt existing. .E
But It Is also alleged that Kate
Chase, twenty years ago, flirted with
a young man at Columbus, and that
he was horsewhipped by her father,
then Governor of Ohio. Well, sup
pose she did. what girl is there who
has not carried on half a dozen flirta-
tlons, which In the end amounted to
nothing. Besides, what right have
the papers TO reyiye the dead past in
order to prove chimcrical charges of
the present. Eli
We see no reason why the reputa-
ton of either party shonld be affected
by the promiscuous articles that have
crowded the papers for several days.
We believe the principle that "every
one Is innocent until proven guilty"
should be carried out to the letter.
We have not joined in the general
denunciation of all parties concerned,
because we did not believe the evil
dence conyicting. We believe that
political differences and love for the
sensational have caused many of the
papers to add their handful Of filth
to the pool already made black with
corruption, perhaps undeservedly
thrown into II. We haye kept silent
concerning the matter because we
would rather let ten guilty ones CO.
cape. than help to blast the reputation
OF one who is innocent. .s.