Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-10-11

THE table prepared by an es-
teemed Republican contemporary
at Cincinnati to show that the mur-
der rate in Kentucky is abnOrmally
high and the hanging rate immOr-
ally low is full of interest. Twenty
counties are taken as field of in
vestigation into the fiendishness of
the BIue-Grass State. Weare pleased
to observe that of these counties
Clay, Bell, Garrard, Jackson,
Knox, Laurel, Lee and Owsley-are
Republican. OF the 116 counties in
Kentucky twenty went for Hayes
three years ago. 1t follows, then,
that the proportion of laWlessness
on the Republican side, if the Gin
cinnati showing is correct, is 40 per
cent, Is in 20) and on the Demo-
cratic side l2,5 az in 96). In other
words, the average Kentucky Re
publican county Kills is men where
the average Kentucky Democratic
county kills 5, Or let us examine
the figures another way. In eight
Republican counties there are 808
murders-averuge per county, 3S.5
in twelve Democratic counties there
are 409-average per county, 34.l.
Or let us take still another way ,and
compare the number of murders
with the number of voters. In the
eight Republican counties there
were cast in 1876, in round numbers,
$40 votes. and as there were 308
murders, the proportion of murder
ers to voters is as l to 30. In the
twelve Democratic counties there
were 25,000 votes cast and 400 muir
deFs eommittedj the proportion Of
murdefers to voters, therefore, is as
l to 81. That is to say, in Kentucky
Republicans are about twice as apt
as Democrats to imbrue their hands
in the blood of their felloW.beings.
An awful showing this! Vet when
we examine the figures III detail it
becomes still more awful, till it is
quite too awfully awful-really,
upon our word, you know, indeed
it is. Thus In Garrard county,
where the parties are evenly ball
anced and the minority of peaceful
Democrats makes its influence felt,
there are 25 murderers among 2,27O
voters, or very little more than l
per cent. In Jackson county, how
ever, where the turbulent Republi-
cans outnumber the Democrats two
to one and are unchecked by whole
some public opinion and the pacific
influences of constitutional doctrine
there are set down in the Republi-
can campaign tables % murderers
for $50 voters, or about 3 per cent.
The same significant discrepancy
exists in the Democratic counties,
While the 2,460 voters of Marion,
where tWoemen out of every three
are Democrats, are only set down as
committing 16murders in ten years,
the 900 voters of Rockcastle, where
the two parties are very evenly bal
anced, are debited with 81 murders
in FIVE years! But the pen drops
from our unnerved grasp and we
must decline to pursue further this
painful subject. As Americans we
feel too deeply the disgrace which
such a showing casts upon the civ
ilization of our common country TO
flatter partisan pride by dwelling
upon the fact that the great major
ity of these crimes are committed
by Republicans. Let US put away
the dark and bloody picture, draw
ing comfort from the fact that the
Republican party is losing ground,
and that the counties in which Re-
publieans have so long held murder
Gus sway are coming under Demo-
cratic control and soon will cease to
resound with the slash of the bowie,
the crack of the revolver and the
sullen report of the shot-gun.-Nea0
YOg,E. World.