The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-04-04

esteem, the confidence, the affection and
the honorable pride Of bis constituents :
Why, this; and, 50 Ear as We can see'
this onIx: he has been defendant IN
lawsuit. In a lawsuit affecting not mere
" his character and standing as public
man. but his personal truthfulness, his
honor. his fitness to lift up his head and
have recognition in the company of hon
orabIe men and pure women. The "rous-
ing reception" is 70 be given, no doubt
upon the assumption that his own YER
sion of the case is absolutely true and
unimpeachable, and the judgment OF his
constituents thereon that his vindication
Is complete. What Is his version of 1t,
bis explanation, his yindication? II vas
set forth in the opening Of the defense
on Wednesday by one of his array of
six eminent counsel From this 1t ap-
pears that nine years ago, when he had
reached the mature age Of forty-eight,
having been so much a man of affairs
and worldly exp erience as to have been
elected to Congress, and 50 active and
earnest a processing Christian as to be
looked up to with confidence and listen
ed 10 with devout attention in the higher
councils Of his Church, he was led astrsy
by designing young woman somewhere
from eighteen to twenty years old; that
he continued his Illicit relations with
her until within year past; that mean
time he had introduced her as q respect
able person in the families Of his friends
and social equals, and that he had at va
rious times to various persons deliberate
" lied concerning these relations.
That is the agentleman's" own story
doubtless accepted implicitly by the Lex
ington admirers, notwithstanding the ef-
feet upon his credibility in the mind Of
an ordinary person Of the nine years OF
admitted unclesnness, hypocrisy and
falsehood. Is that the sort Of character,
limned by the @gentleman's" own hand,
and held up to a jury by the advice Of
six eminent counsel as the best presenta-
ton possible-is that the sort of charac-
ter that the citizens of Lexington, KY,
consider worthy of admiration Is that
the sort o. person that awakens their
enthusiasm-that the kind Of hero that
they rise up to meet with a brass band
and honor by public banquet, the kind
of statesman they are proud to be repre-
sented by; the kind of gentleman"
whom they invite to their homes and in
troduce to their families; the kind OF
protesting Christian they put forward to
champion the strictest orthodoxy in a
Church the very essence Of whose doc
trines is purity and uprightness? Are
the citizens OF Lsxington-the heads of
families, fathers Of the coming genera
ton Of young men-pointing their sons
to the example of Mr.. Breekinridge as
worthy Of imitation? Do they know
that this is the 81 gnifcance Of their rOus-
ing reception, their brass band business
and their public banquet? 1t is hardly
credible.
And yet this Honorable" person must
know what manner Of people his con-
stituents are, and be is said to be "quite
confident" Of denomination and re-elec-
ten. A more amazing exhibition Of cal
lous insensibility to shame and disgrace
was never witnessed. We shall refuse to
believe, until We are compelled to, that
thecitizens Of Lexington are 50 lost to
all consideration of self-respect as to ex
tend a public reception and banquet tC
s man who upon his own admissions
has been guilty of Offenses that pillory
him before al, the world as untruthful
/ disbonorable and unclean.