Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-05-11
Breckinridge's Biasphemy.

In his speech at Lexington, Ky. las'
Saturday, opening his canvas for re-elec
ton to Congress, Col Breckenridge said
at is charged that the revelations con
cerning my private life have shown that
am not fit to be a representative; tha
it renders it the duty of the district to sci
me aside: that reelection would be look
| ed upon as vindication;' that q vote fol
me Is a vote of approval. and If not of ap
/ proyal, of conformation. If this were so
nv fellow citizens, would not stand fol
reelection; would not accept your votes
I would not live in your midst. vi what
| have been guilty / have made pubic &C
| knowledgement under oath IN the sight oil
| God, of the court and of the country. Al
| to the numberless charges made BY those
who have coaspired to destroy me l entel
my indignant protest; against the nance
| which has coined, the mendacity which
has fabricated. and the enmity that has
uttered the numerous lies against me.
"In the presence of you, my friends anc
constituents, with all the memories that
cluster about me and surge upon me as
speak to-day, protest in the name OF GOD
and of honor.
scBut do not wish this district to con-
ceiye that have any defense to make fol
what have done and of which ! have
been guilty. Entangled by weakness, BY
nassion. by sin, in coils which 1t was
almost impossible to break, 1 did every
| thing that was in my power to prevent a
| public scandal.
Except the one thing which for nc
moment ever entered my mind.
| Your reelection of me can neither take
| from nor add to the punishment nave
suffered 1t has not been hypocrisy tna'
my life has not been consistently wrong
| know the secret sin; tried to atone foi
| il in WAYS that it is not becoming IN me tC
more than allude.
| 'Now that exposure has come, there Ii
an element of gladness in it. l care mol
now what letters come in my mail; care
not now tor the closet door to be opened
there is no skeleton there; and l can &c
| into the clear sunlight out of mystery and
| look M through the blue skies into the
| upper world with the feeling that there II
no cloud there am not afraid that from
the horizon will suddenly come clap O.
| thunder and fash of lightning that Will
destroy me and mine. This is of the past
| | will wear with me the scars, but L vii
not longer carry the dread. | will come
out or that STORM, however long IL may
| last, in some respects conqueror.
4
confessed by me tn its uttermost boundar-
| les, without justification or palliation.
To that extent was guilty; beyond that
was innocent. Whatever charge OF any
kind, made against me by any person, not
| confessed in that solemn testimony, for the
| truth of which l appealed to God, Is false;
/ desire this acknowledgment and denial
| to be fully understood, that there may be
no misunderstanding hereafter. In your
presence here to- day, and in the presence
| of the district, l repent that for that sin OF
which was guilty have no justification,
no palliation, and / ask no condemnation
"If some one in your midst can better
do the work you want done as your repre-
sentative, choose him; / shall submit; some
one whose life has been stainless, whose
morals your young men can initiate Win
profit; whose days have been pure, and
whose nights have been sinless; whose
ability is ample, whose experience is vide
For a hundred years this district has been
represented by men. They have not al
ways been sinless men, and whether you
re- elect or reject me, hereafter when some
one comes to write its history, whatever
blame may attach TO me, he will write OF
me that, even with that blame, he loved
the poor, he toiled for his fellow men, he
labored for good causes; and as this his
torian turns over the pages Of the record
in which my utterances are contained he
will rise from them with the belief that |
was loyal to my principles. faithful to
truth, devoted to you"
Colorel Breckinridge scored the min
isterial union of Lexington for the part 1t
took in trying to poison the minds OF his
people against him, and when he wound
up his castigation of them he said be fully
and freely for-gave them. He said he was
willing to trust his case with his Saviour.
He also denounced the newspaper men
who printed the pictures Of the grave stones
of his beloved dead, togethe er with the
inscriptions thereon.