Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-03-17
Ibe fai,faster 1,,telli9enfer,
LANCASTER, MARCH II, 1885.
The Trouble With Thompson.

The struggle for the place OF internal
revenue commissioner could not have ended
in any other way than in the defeat of the
Kentucky candidate, while this admins
tration proposed to retain the respect of the
community There is no occasion to repre-
sent the choice of Mr.. Miller as the triumph
of Mr. Randall or the defeat of Mr.. Carlisle,
and as the upsetting of free trade by the
tariff chariot, save for the fact that Mr..
Randall, who favors protection, opposed Mr..
Thompson, of Kentucky, while Mr.. Car
Isle, of Kentucky, favors him. Mr.. Wat
teTson, the friend of Mr. Carlisle, and the
extrayagant friend of free trade, seems to
see in Mr. Thompson s overthrow the over
throw of Mr.. Carlisle and his doctrines.
He sees too much. Mr.. Carlisle made
mistake in supporting man for an impor-
tant office which he was altogether un-
fit, in the opinion of the country, to fill.
Mr.. Carlisle and his candidate came
to grief because of the candidates conspicu-
Gus unfitness. Mr.. Thompson never had a
shadow of chance of being selected for
commissioner of internal revenue by apresi-
dent of ordinary common sense and COM
prehension.
Mr.. Thompson has been conspicuous for
shooting men without Just cause. The
president recalled the man by this fact
when he was named to him asking whether
he was the Thompson the man-killer ;
these Thompsons have so common name
that it is really necessary to describe them
with an attribute to identify them, and it
does not do simply to spell them with p.
The president had only the general knowl-
edge which the country has of the
Thompsons, but he had no trouble
in identifying this Kentucky specimen
as the killer; who has become noto-
rious not only because of his thanksgiving
proclivities, but because of his having beel
chosen to Congress despite them and de
spite the general conviction that he was
guilty of murder. Such a man the presi
dent has no use for in office. The onl,
place in which the country can be justl,
asked to maintain him is in Jail.
And Mr.. Thompson was particularly in
eligible to the internal revenue Office be
cause he represents whisky constituents
MI. >dlloiC tiiNleC tiiuo iO pO p"e thN''
was not valuable for like reason. Th'
Kentucky idea upon whisky is no NOR
sound than upon murder. 1t is tha
there should he free trade in both
This Kentucky idea would make the in
dividual Kentuckian the Judge of whel
his whisky tax should be paid and when hi
friend should be shot :; which doctrine
somewhat in contravention of the curren
idea that taxes should be paid annually an'
citizens should be executed by the law
This seems to be the question raised be
tween Kentucky and the rest of the coun
try by the presentation of the Kentuck
champion, Phil. Thompson for Office b.
the solid state. 1t involved the discussion
of the question whether Kentucky or tn
rest of the country is sensible. Naturall
the president, coming from the part of tn
country which still deems murder to b
a crime and that tax on whisk
should be collected when due, quickl
lifted up Mr. Phil Thompson by hi
breeches and set him outside in the cold
where he will stay and along with hir
all the distinguished gentlemen of Ker
tucky who wish to tie themselves to the pt
culiar ideas which he so clearly represents