The morning call., 1894-05-06
ON HIS DEFENSE.
Breckenridge Talks to
Kentucky.
JUSTIFIES HIS HYPOCRISY
By the Doctrine of Secret
AtOnement.
JUsTIFIEs HIS HYPOCRISY
GUILTY OF ALL HE CONFESSED
But Beyond His Sworn Confession in
Court There Has Been
No Guilt.

G.. Z. Breckinridge was greeted here to-
day by an audience Of 5000 people, repre-
senting the voters of the Seventh Con-
gressional District and many people in
the surrounding country. The speaking
was in the Opera House, and half an hour
before Colonel Breckinridge arrived the
auditorium was full of people. When he
advanced toward the stage from the rear
entrance, the audience stood up and yelled
wildly for FIVE minutes. The Colonel was
filled with emotion which shook him from
head co foot. He made the most power
full address ever delivered to a kentucky
audience.
When he spoke of the action of the
Ministers Union in this city against him,
he assumed the most defiant look and
strained every nerve in his body. his fists
were closed and his expression was that OF
brave man thoroughly eDraged. he
gave the 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, II have! [ haveV The
reception was certainly enthusiastic. and
while every man in the house will not cast
his vote for Breckinridge, it was plainly to
be seen that he had many friends who in
tend to stand by him.
After reviewing his boyhood life at Lex
ington, public services in the Confederate
army and in Congress. Colonel Breckin-
ridge said: II do not wish this district to
conceive that have any defense to make
for what have done and Of which / have
been guilty. Entangled by weakness, by
passion, oy sin, in coils which it was al
most impossible to break, did everything
that was within my power to prevent a
public scandal, except the one thing which
for no moment entered my mind.
''Your reelection OF me can neither
take nor add to the punishment l have
suffered. 1t has not been hypocrisy that
my life has not been consistently wrong.
L knew the secret sin. L tried to atone
for it in ways that it is not becoming ia
me TO more than allude 10. How many
kind words die this atonement produce to
others; how much of self-control and how
much of self-Sacrifice; how much of ear
nestness and labor in aid of good things
and to good causes? When | came to
make a public utterance under any cir
cumstances, to any audience, how cautious
was l that no word of mine might tempt
others to be guilty as was guilty?
NOW. that the exposure has come,
there is an element of gladness in il. I
care not now what letters come in my
mail; L care not now for The closed doors
to be Opened-there is no skeleton there,
and can go into the clear sunlight. out OF
mystery, and look up through the blue
skies into the upper world with the feel
ing that there is no cloud there. / am not
afraid that from the horizon will suddenly
come clap of thunder and flash of
lightning that will destroy me and mine.
This is of the past. | will wear the
scars, but | will no longer carry the
dread, | will come out of that storm,
however long it may last in some respects.
conqueror Sweet domestic relations,
which absolutely need. and out of which
have no life, are mine.
''The extent of my guilt was truthfuly
confessed Ey me to its uttermost bound
aries without justification or pallati0n.
To that extent was guilty; beyond that
| was innocent. Whatever charges of any
kind is made against me by any person,
n OF confessed In that solemn testimony,
for the truth Of which appeal 10 Coo. is
false. desire this acknowledge and
denial to be fully understood, that there
NAV be no more misunderstanding here
after. In yonr presence to-day, and in the
presence of the district, repeat that for
that sin of which l was guilty, have no
Justification, no palliation. and ask for
no condonation. If some in your midst
can better do the work you want done
than ], your representative. choose him
choose one whose life has been stainless,
lo ir,,if fo rrif
profit, whose days have been pure and
whose nights have been sinless, whose
ability is ample, whose experience is wide.
ssWhen some one comes to write this his
tory whatever blame may attach to me,
he NAV write of me that even with that
blame, he loved the poor he toiled for his
fellow men; he labored for good causes !;
loyal to principles and faithful to truth
devoted to you.
At a meeting of the Mount Horeb
Church, of which Colonel Breckenridge is
a member, and over which his father once
presided, he was summoned to appear
Mr., Breckenridge confessed his guilt in
about the same way as he testified in his
suit at Washington and prayed for forgive
ness. He had repented and would live
new life IN the future. After consulta-
tion he was forgiven and taken into the
church again.
This is the second Kentucky statesman
who has embraced religion in the past two
months. Joe Black burn has confessed
before Moody, the evangelist. aud been
converted. This movement, it is believed,
will put Breckinridge in good standing
with the church people.