Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-09-22
An Unwarranted Assault.

Henry Vaupel, postmaster at WAY
erly, KY, removed, and Tom Pike, a
Democrat, appointed in his stead.
This correspondent harps upon the
fact that Vaupel was Union soldier
while Pike was Confederate soldier,
and his structures led the Journal to
give his letter the following editorial
notice:
"a communication published to-
day, containing copy of letter
from Hon. Polk Latloon, congress-
man-elect in the Henderson district
of Kentucky contains an account of
how Union soldiers are turned out of
office and Confederates appointed in
their place by this Democratic ad-
ministration. 1t appears that Mr..
LalGoon is working to place Confed-
crates on the pension rolls! What do
Union men think of this?"
The letter alluded to is herewith
Reproduced:
"oEFICE OF POLK LAFFoOS,
"ATTORNEY AT LAW,
"MADIsoNvILLE, KY, Aug. II, 1857
-. w. Hager, ESD:
DEAR SIR am in receipt of your
last letter and the only one have re-
ceived from you, and am sorry that
my continuous bad health and over
whelming correspondence has de-
layed my answering sooner. AS l
did not receive your first letter, l
can't exactly understand what you
want to know the letter have from
you refers to that have agreed TO
recommend Tom Pike for the post
office at Waverly, and after consult
ing with many people in reference TO
the matter. Pike was an old Con-
federate comrade of mine, having
given one leg as an evidence of devo-
ton to principle, and my experience
has been that this character of man,
if otherwise competent, will make
faithful officer. This is the only
way that this poor fellow will ever
have to draw pension, and l am
DESTROYS to see him get it. However
| want to do right to the Waverly
community, and if it can be made TO
appear to me that he is in any way
unfit to fill the place l will be the
last man to recommend him. You
have my views on the subject, and |
have not recommended Pike yet, but
will unless 1 am con ,inced that he is
unfit TO fill the place. l will be
pleased to hear from you at any time
OH this subject. Yours truly,
"PoLK LAFFooN."
1t will readily appear to a person
of ordinary understanding that the
Journals construction is an unwar-
ranted perversion of the facts. No
sensible man will believe that Mr..
Latfoon's jocular allusion to the salary
of the postmaster as pension, indi-
Gates, in any respect, desire upon his
part 10 place confederate soldiers
upon the pension rolls. The very
next sentence in his letter shows
what kind of a man Mr.. Lalloon is.
lie declares that his personal friend
and ex-comrade would be the last
man he would recommend if his I'M
fitness for the place should be shown.
Mr.. Laffoon was himself an eX-con-
federate and is drawing pension"
in the way of salary, but he belongs
TO that class of patriotic citizens who
realize that the war has been over
for twenty years. 1t is only few
bloody-shirt idiots and fanatics who
have not yet found out this fact.
There are confederate soldiers in the
Cabinet, rebel soldiers now hold
ing Office as Republicans and I'm
ion soldiers drawing the "pcn-
sions" of Democratic officials all
over the country and yet the
Journal and its correspondent feel
called upon to fly to arms to save the
country because an eX-confederate
soldier has been appointed to coun-
try post-office in Democratic Ken
lucky. Perhaps the Journal does
not know that one of Mr.. Lafloon's
colleagues is Union general and
that the Lieutenant Governor of Ken
lucky also wore the blue. They
were elected by rebel Democrats who
are not still fighting the dead issues
of the civil war. Mr.. Laffoon has
recommended r. C.Speed, "a Union SOL
der, for postmaster at MadisOnville,
his own town. Does this look like he
is putting out Union soldiers to make
room for rebels? No, the fact of the
business is that Mr.. LafIoon is now in
Washington for the purpose of clean
ing out Republican office-holders in
his District. lie is a Democrat
who believes that a Democratic adj
ministration should be run by Dem
ocrats and wherever he sees Re-
publican head he hits it. Honesty,
capacity and Democracy are the re-
quisites that govern his recommends
tions and this attempt to accuse him
of favoring Pike simply because he
was confederate soldier, is a gross
injustice to him.
The Journal is usually fair and
conservative in its politics, but in this
instance it has departed from its us
ual course. While the letter pub
lished was private one, still there
is nothing in it that needs even an ex-
PLANTATION from Mr.. Laffoon. No I'M
nrniuIicnd rnadnr will hmm Of non