Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1890-05-23
alopkiilsuillr lientufkian.
FRIDAY,
THE ATTACK ON MR., ELLIS.

HE n AIN OiN WIN 11-'S'
The KENrucKIAN has heretofore mad
occasion to speak of Editor Givens'
criticisms of Congressman Ellis bill
to erect public building at Hender-
son. This objectionable offense is
the burden of his song upon the stump,
and in his paper of Monday he is dis
posed to adhere to his position, after
being shown his error, by taking issue
squarely with the KENrucKIAN. He
copies one of President Cleyeland's
vetoes, preceded by the following
comments;
"As a complete and overwhelming
confutation of the KENTucKAN's posi-
ton, the Inquirer appends the mes
sage of President Cleveland vetoing
the bill for the erection of $4,000
building ia Youngstown, o., with a
population in 1890 of Sl5, ,435, or near
ly three times the population of Hen
derson in 1880, which was, $500. Mr..
Cleveland vetoed similar bills both
North and South, taking as the basis
of his action the Democratic platform
that all taxes should be collected and
expended for necessary public pur-
poses only. So that if Mr.. Cleveland
was right, Mr.. Givens is right also.
If the KENTuoKIAN is right, Mr.. Cleve-
land as well as Mr.. Givens is wrong.
But the unanimous endorsement his
party gave him at st. Louis indicated
very clearly that his party thought he
was right in carrying out the pledge
of economy upon which the people
elected him."
The main reasons given in the veto
referred to were that the appropria-
tions for public buildings for that year
already amounted to S37, 100000 and
that the postoffice at Youngstown was
occupying very suiatble quarters, leas-
ed for five years, and that there was
no particular use for such building
in that particular city.
To argue from this that Presi-
dent who had already signed in one
year bills aggregating $37 100000 for
such buildings was opposed to public
improvements where they were need
ed, is silly in the extreme. 1t is fact
too well known to require argument
that President Cleveland's policy was
to put the governments savings into
district improvements and he therefore
vetoed numerous bills to support able
bodied ex-soldiers in idleness who
had no just claims upon public charity.
In many cities of 5000 people the
"needs of the government require good
buildings for postoffices and the KEN
TUcKIAN is welded to the idea that
the people who pay the taxes would
be more benefited by such measures
than to have the surplus extorted
from them squandered in promoting
medicancy where we should look for
and hope to find patriotic manhood.
In 1856 Mr.. Givens was editor of the
Henderson Cleaner. He then in per-
son and through his paper supported
Mr.. Laifoon and claimed that he had
made the district a model Congress
man. He asked the people to endorse
his record, although there were three
other candidates to vote for. All of
this in the face of the fact that Mr..
Laffoon had introduced bill to ap-
propriate S25,000 for public build
ing in Hopkinsville, and had passed
similar bill appropriating $4,000 for
Owensboro. Mr.. Givens, of course,
knew this and in supporting Mr..
Laffoon he endorsed fully this part of
his record, and yet he thinks Mr.. Ell
lis should be defeated because he has
undertaken to serve his district in a
similar manner These two acts were
the principal part OF MIR. Laifoon's
record in Congress and Mr.. Givens
could not have been ignorant of what
had been done and attempted. Was
he acting part then or is he dealing
in demagogy nowi 1t may be that
his opinions undergo a change every
four years, but be that as it may, his
will place him under the
rensure of public opinion and he
can only blame himself for anything
that may happen to him when Mr..
Ellis, who is now attending to his
business at Washington, takes him in
hand next summer.
Mr.. Givens should know that such
attacks upon an absent opponent can
not benefit him in the least, but that
every such explosion will prove a
boomerang.