The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-06
BRECKENRIDGE TALKS
He Addresses 5000 of His Con-
stituents at Lexington, KY,
And the Reporter Says the Colonel Was
So Filled with Emotion that He
Shook from Head to Foot.
HE AGAIN ADMITS HIS GUILT
But Says He Was Not So Sinful
as He Might Have Been,
For He Was Careful I'm His Public Utter
ances to Say Nothing That Would Lead
Others to Follow His Example.


was full of people When he advanced to-
ward the stage from the rear entrance the
audience stood up and yelled wildly for ten
minutes. The Colonel was filled with emotion
which shook him from head to foot. He
made the most powerful address ever de-
lvered to a Kentucky audience. When he
spoke of the action of the Ministers Union,
in this city, which took action against him,
he assumed the most defiant look and
strained every nerve in his body his fists
were close and his expression was that of
a brave man thoroughly enraged. He gave
the public press some very hard filings, and
when he said that he had no criticism for
the Judge who sat In the trial, fifty voices
shouted at once: 'I have, I have" The
reception was certainly enthusiastic, and,
while every man in the house will not cast
his vote for Breckenridge. 1t was plainly
to be seen that he had many friends who
intend to stand by him.
The CoIoneIs speech.
After reviewing his boyhood life in Lex
ington, public service in the confederate
army and In Congress- Colonel Breckin-
ridge said
"But it is charged that all this Ohis SER
vices in Congress) may be true. but that
under what the revelations concerning my
private life have shown, that / am not fit
to be a Representative; that that renders IT
the duty of the district to set me aside;
a 'vindication;' that vote for me is a
vote of approval, and if not of approval, of
condonation. il this We're so. my fellow
citizens, i would not stand for reelection;
/ would not accept your votes; / would not
live in your midst. OF what have been
guilty have made public acknowledge
ment under oath in the sight of God, of
the court and Of the country. As to the
numberless charges made by those who
have conspired to destroy me, enter my
indignant protest; against the malice which
has coined, the mendacity which has fabri-
Gated, and the enmity that has uttered
the numberless lies against me, in the pres
ence of you, my friends and constituents,
with all the memories that cluster about me
and surge upon me as l speak to-day. l
For those who have fabricated and uttered
these lies, who for low and ignoble mo-
tives. have given them currency, who do
use them TO my hurt, have only boundless
scorn and contempt. OF whatever and to
whomsoever 1 ask forgiveness. to whom
sover 1 owe reparation, to these 1 have
them know now and forever that they
have not alarmed me: that they cannot in
timidate me. 1 defy their malice as
loathe their mendacity. and / bring them
this day to the bar of public opinion, and
in the presence Of these witnesses and Of
this district l charge them as base con,
spirators, fabricating ISLANDERS for foul and
ignoble ends. and l am ready TO meet that
issue whenever and wherever it may be
desired.
"I am a lawer and litigant, as we'll as a
citizen, and have no criticism here to make
upon the court and the Judge who presided
at the late trial. The proper criticism upon
his rulings will be before the Court of Ap-
peals, from whom I confidently anticipate
a reversal; and comment upon his conduct,
upon the floor of Congress in attempting emp ne
such legislation as will give to other liti-
gants remedies which were not possible to
me. 1t cannot, however. be improper to
say that it was the first time within my
knowledge, and / have had considerable
practice, where litigant came into court
and asked a postponement TO a later day
because of the absence Of the leading coun-
sci to whom he had confded his case and
by whose assistance 1T was prepared. and
that that request was denied, and denied
In part upon the ground that the ltigant
himself was "a lawyer of marked ability.
the meaning of which can be better under
stood when il is known that upon the last
day of the trial that litigant. in correcting
q false statement, known to be false by
false by the judge in whose presence 1T was
uttered, was rebuked, and with scant cour-
tesy told that he must not interrupt coun-
sci, but must permit those Interruptions to
be made by his counsel.
DIDN'T GIVE BAD ADVICE.
"But do not wish this district to con-
ceive that / have any defense to make
for what have done, and of which have
been guilty. Entangled by weakness, by
passion, by sin in coils which IL was
almost impossible to break, L did
everything that was within my power to
prevent a public scandal except the one
thing which for no moment ever entered
my mind. Your reelection of me can
neither take from nor add to the punish
ment / have suffered. 1t has not been
hypocrisy that my life has not been con-
sistently wrong; I knew the secret sin: I
tried to atone for it in ways that il is
becoming nor A.
How many kind words did this atonement
produce to others; how much of self-con-
troll and how much Of self-sacrifice: how
much of earnestness and labor in aid of
good things and to good causes? When I
came ~ make a public utterance under
any circumstances to any audience how
cautious was / that not word of mine
might tempt others TO be guilty as I was
guilty; that in what / would say no trace
of what was not noble could be found?
Il thank God that in the almost number
less utterances which have made, whether
upon the stump TO the most miscellaneous
audiences or TO the most select audiences
in the most select places no word was ever
uttered that would not help the weary and
the struggling wrongdoer: that would not
was not hypocrisy; that was felt by the
heart and delivered In the soul; this was
what the brain approved: this was part
posu-e has come there is an element OF
gladness In it. / care not now what letters
come in my mall 1 care not now for the
ton there, and / can go into the clear sun
light out of mysteries and look up through
the blue skies into the upper world with
the feeling that there is no cloud there;
l am not afraid that from the horizon will
suddenly come clap of thunder and a flash
of lightning that will destroy me and mine
This is OF the past; will bear with me the
scars. but will not longer carry the dread
viii come out of that storm, however long
IL may last. In some respects conqueror,
sweet domestic relations, which absolutely
need and out or which L have no life, are
mine The loyalty and the devotion of the
children given 10 has not been lost
learned professors. in vituperative language
In the name OF God, may wantonly wound
the hearts of those who love me; they can
not estrange them from me. They who
speak in the name OF the Crucihed Savior,
whose mission IL was to bind up
the broken heart and to wipe away
the tears. may make the wounds
bleed afresh, but they cannot take from
me the comfort of their daily ministra-
ton. nor remove from me the precious
consolation OF their love. enter the fu-
ture with unimpaired physical health:
~ II. a.. - -, 3AuA