National Republican., 1882-08-02
Kentucky RepubliCanS.

Our recent declaration that "were we
in Kentucky we should think that the
safest possible thing to do would be to
vote and work against the regular nomi-
nee of the Bourbon Democracy" has
called forth a very earnest and we'll
written communication from Kentucky
Republican, who favors the election Of
Jacobs, the unorganized Democrat"
as the Georgians would say. Our friend
says:
In the first place the Republican party is in a
hopeless minority in Kentucky. No such miracle
as carrying the State by n Republican nominee is
likely TO be performed soon. The State has gone
from 5000 majority to 10000 Democratic since
the war, and there is to-day no dreamer in the
State who believes 1t possible for the Republican
party no,o TO overcome that majority The vari-
Gus canvasses made by the party in the state have
been training schools in which the people have
heard the great principles of the party explained
and vindicated. OF course there has been 10
time when Republicans would not, if they could,
have taken charge Of things. Yet there has been
no time when they did not know that it was inn
possible to do that short of political revolution.
1t is true that each election showed gains for the
Republicans.
With large majority, acquired through the
uuSSuOHS IclHl'Ie W shNSIl RrOWliB put Oi lhc
war, the Democratic party, marsh0lcd and led by
the ex-coniederatc soldiers almost exclusively,
have carried things with high hand in Ken
lucky. The hoaterS, the negative people, those
who worship majorltcs aud bow their knees to
power, went with them. The reaction had Just
set in against this olgarchy of seventeen years
duration. The eX-Union soldier began to re-
member that his comrades outnumbered the eN
eonfederates at least four 10 one, and to ask the
nrarticnl QUESTION WHY il liz that body numpTi-
eally so feeble should dominate the politics of
the State to his entire AMI marked exclusion.
The young men who have come to maturity
since the war have begun to wonder
and TO ask how long this oligarchy is to
continue. That large element of civilians who
were not soldiers, whose whole attention has been
given TO civil pursuits, are about persuaded that
the confederate regime should now cease. Mani
festly, If possible these elements, every one Of
which is more or less progressive, should be con-
solidatcd and thrown in one solid lump against
Bourbonism. The Republicans, while proud OF
their party's past achievements, look also tj the
future and expect to find It's blazon In posterty.
Every motive, every interest, should conspire to
this end.
The seventy nine thousand soldiers on the rolls
ofthe Federal Armies have been as much ignored
by the Democratic party Of Kentucky as if they
had marched under Pharoah or Hannibal.
All agree that in "war honor au1 policy like
unseycred friends, do grow together" Pray tell
me what should separate them In peace?
We have suppressed the controversial
portions of the communication that is
TO say, its complaints against Rcpubli-
cans who decline TO sunnA::. Jacobs, be-
cause we tilinE them Improbable, and
also because We do not think they can
be sustained. We reiterate our own
opinion that 1t would be the part of wis
dom for the Republicans Of Kentucky to
vote and labor against Henry, the Bour-
bon candidate, and in favor of Jacobs,
his Independent antagonist. But we
have nowhere seen any declaration by
the Republican party "a favor of such a
course. The State Central Committee
Tefrained from calling State convention.
This negative course Of the committee
simply left every Republican in the State
free to exercise his Judgment This has
been the uniform practice, as W. under-
stand. When only clerk ofthe court OF
appeals was 10 be chosen the Repub-
Leans have ealways rGfsained from holding
convention or putting up Il candidate.
This is a sufficient answer to the com
plants Of any who may insist that their
NPices have been stided by the refusal of
TIC committee 10 call a convention. But
VI the Republicans who favored a con-
veption have no right to conplain, those