The Hartford herald., 1879-07-30
To the Democracy Of Kentucky.

The undersigned, the Central Com
mittee, commissioned by your late
State convention, which met i'm Louis
Vile on the first day of May last, desire
to address to you few words pending
the August election. In less than a
fortnight you will be called upon to
vote for one hundred representatives
and nineteen senators, who are to be
your legislatOrs-the former for two, the
latter for four years; and on the same
day you are to vote for seven State Off
GERS, including the Governor and Lieu
tenant-GOvernor, who are to admins
ter your laws. The large majority
welded by the Democratic party of
Kentucky for the past twelve years has
led to feeling of apathy and over
weening confidence, which, to the casu
al observer, Is construed into indifier-
ence. An ever-vigilant foe hopes, at
the ensuing election, to profit by this
apparent want of interest which springs
from your sense of confidence and Sc
curity. We address you for the pur-
pose of invoking you to disappOint
these expectations. 1t is true that for
practical purposes, il is not essential
that We should have an overwhelming
majority, either in the General Assem-
bly, or for the State ticket. But remem-
Der that Kentucky, being the State
which leads off I'm the elections for the
current year, should see well to it that
encouragement Is not given to our po-
litical enemies by permitting our ma
jOrity to fall off through lethargy.
Should this happen, it would be pro-
claimed far and wide as an evidence of
the increased strength of the Republi-
can cause, and nerve its advocates i'm
Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and
other States, to increased efforts TO per-
petuate the power which, now central
lied at Washington, presses 50 heavily
upon the people.
Then throw off your lethargy. Heal
your local differences, which are being
so assiduOusly famed into fame by our
opponents. Organize I'm your counties,
precincts, and wards, and let every
man who claims the name of Demo-
crat, or to whom the principles of our
party, as opposed to Republican mis-
rule, are dear, see to it, as a duty to his
State and his family as well as his par
ty, that he does not neglect to vote ON
the day of election.
The short time which has elapsed
since our appointment, the fact that the
head of our ticket has been unable, on
account of i'll health, to make can
vass, and other circumstances needless
to enumerate, have prevented your
committee from organizing the cam
paign as thoroughly as usual i'm respect
to public speaking. They therefore APP
peal to the Democracy of the State to
make up for this deficiency by local or
ganizatiOn and activity within their
respective counties and legislative dis
tricts, and see to it in each county that
they do not permit their representa-
tiOns, State and Congressional, to be di-
minished by falling off in the vote of
their counties in the approaching elec-
ton.
In addition to the political questions
referred to above as at issue, you will be
called upon to express your sense as to
the propriety Of calling a convention to
revise the State Constitution. This is
not political question, but the late
Democratic State convention having,
without dissenting vote, adopted a
resolution favoring the call, We deem it
our duty to remind you of the fact, and
to urge you to vote for the convention,
bearing i'm mind: that, since it re-
quires majority of all legal voters of
the State, every one who does not vote
for the convention will he counted
against it.
j. STODDARD JOHNSTON, Chm,
]. w. TATE, Sec'yA
l. ToBIN,
j. w. SOUTH,
w. p. ID. BUSH,
A. DUvALL,
WIN. LINDSAY,
FRANKFORT, KY, July %, 1879