The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1880-07-28
A CARD
From the Chairman of the District
Democratic Committee.

tut enAtfubNh the DISTRICT
Democratic Committee.
As Chairman of the District Commit
ire of the 18th Judicial District have
tebored pretty faithfully, | think, in
laying to get the Democracy of the
district to unite in purpose and action,
so that success might attend them.
There is but one trouble in the district,
and only one; and that is, that Major
Haycraft was not before the primary
election. Now the question arises, Why
Uds he not Lef0re r.! This is the qIles-
The Major answers il by saving that |
got HIM out of the primary, that alone
did 1t; had it not been for me he would
have remained in the primary and
abided its decision. The way he says
| did ii was this: that in letter | sent
him and Jos. Noe ] said ''that il was
my opinion that unless ali the counties
in the district unite in the primary elec-
ton, under the call of the District Com
mittee, there would be no election rs
contemplated by the District Commit
tee, and the real spirit, intent and OBJ
ject of the call and of the primary cleo
ton for the 3rd day of July will he de-
feated." That opinion of mine with
regard to the defeat of the primary,
struck the Major with such force that
il completely overwhelmed him-swal-
lowed him up root and branch-so that
there was not vestige of him left be-
fore the primary. don't suppose that
any mans opinion ever had such infiu-
ence over him as mine did. He says
that my opinion got him off. He says
he desired to remain in the primary.
That opinion was quite destructive to
the Major. Ii is Il great pity that he
ever came in contact with it.
| have some other opinions, but
don't expect for any or all of them to
have any effect on the Major, because
the words "defeat, and defeat the pri-
mary" &c, will not appear in them.
| will name IA few of them: LIST. That
the Major ought to hare remained be-
fore the primary, and not bOded. md
That after herring GOited, he dckaOtci-
edges his WrOng By blaming sOmeJOdy
else for his O,cn doing. 3rd. That the
Major played quite a shrepd haad ia
gefting the opinion that carried him so
/ will now make some statements
W I'LL W lCtttl. tiic illSl
place, | NEVER WROTE THAT LETTER;
nor went for or hunted any one up to
write it. / nerer kncU that there Uds
such a letter desired, or being gotten up,
until met Mr.. Henry Tompkins on the
street i'm OwensbOro one morning. He
spoke to me, and said that he had been
hunting for me all the morning. He
spoke of the letter he had, and we
walked on to the Office of Mr.. Ollie
Haynes, and he there drew out the let
ter and read it. Mr.. Haynes was pres
ent, and we talked short time about
it, and thought it very good thing to
have the Committee of Ohio county
called upon by both candidates in Il
joint letter requesting them To call a
primary. And, upon the whole, il was
II very nice letter, and | authorized the
signing of it.
But after giving il some thought and
meditation ] saw that | had done
wrong. The doctrine contained i'm the
latter part of that letter | don't believe
now, and never did, after having proper
time to reflect. 1t is not Democratic.
Ii is just saying that a few committee
men of a county may defeat the will
and wishes of the Democracy of the
district whenever they choose To do So,
by refusing to call primary election,
though all the other counties i'm the dis
trict may have heartily gone into it.
The doctrine il, that one or two men
may govern the whole district. Ac-
cOrding to this doctrine Gov. Blackburn
did not receive the nomination as cam
didate for Governor of Kentucky, be-
cause from some counties there We're
no delegations i'm the nominating con-
While talking about the let
ter that morning Mr.. Tompkins said
that he knew that Mr.. Haycraft would
endorse that letter, but did not know
IS to what the other candidate would
10. In few days after saw Mr.. Hay
craft, and i'm conversation with him, |
asked him if he had not seen that let
Ter before l did. He said no. | then
asked him how Mr.. Tompkins knew
hat he would sign that letter? He said
hat he requested Mr.. TOmpkins to see
me- and get my opinion with regard to
he primary, should only three cOun-
lies unite in it. Now comes i'm the in
teresting letter. My objections to which
were known to Major Haycraft's friends
soon after the signing, and as early as
before the primary.
In this letter the opinion is fixed up
Tor me to give, and in writing at that,
and it is coupled ON to one of the most
solemn requests liver made i'm my
life, calling upon these two candidates
TO write joint letter to the Committee
Of Ohio county to get them to make
the call for the primary. This is right,
it is just, l stand by it yet; but here
comes the opinion, that unless the Com
mittee of Ohio county proceed under
the call, the primary will be defeated.
1t was this opinion that was wanted in
stead of the request for the Ohio COun-
ty Committee to act, for Major Hay
craft had already twice presented to
Mr.. Noe such letter as was mentioned
in my communication, and he knew
from Mr.. Noes refusal both times that
he would not sign it, and knew il before
he ever presented my communication
to Mr.. Noe, who, of course, continued
to refuse to be caught in this way. He
was just too sharp to sign any such let
ter, and l give him credit for it. My
was simply intended to
induce the Ohio County Committee
to do its duty, was not made for public
use, and was not designed to assume
the right to sit in Judgment ON the ac-
ton of my Democratic brethren, when
l had no such right as an individual.
Major Haycraft had no right to make
public use of it for his private advan-
tage and the injury of the party. The
same principle that was put i'm my let
ter for me, was stuck in Mr.. Haycraft's
joint letter for Mr.. Noe to sign-(the
defeat of the primary, &c.) BIT they
did hotd q primary election IN ohio
county. The call was made by II mi
nority of the committee, and the State
Central Committee have endorsed what
they did. So they are backed by the
highest Democratic authority in the
State. | am glad to know that the
primary election was success i'm every
county in the District, giving to the
Democracy of the District Democratic
nominees for its support at the next
AnUIISt pIactinp Thia r,uoh \ ,.x, Il,