The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-09-02


was unbounded. Owens doubtless gained
many votes in Lexington that day.
Hon. w. c. Owens IS a comparatively
young man, with mental and physical vir-
fifty evident all over him. He has his opin-
ions well in hand. and expresses them UNI
hesitatingly, in a straightforward manner
and with no foppery Of phrase. His work
in the State Legislature is commended by
all. and indeed he did more for the district
there than even its representative in Con-
gress for the past ten years has done.
a word about Evan f. Settle. Of Sweet
Owen county. There is little Of the tradi-
ti0nal Ke~ntuckian about Mr. Settle. He is
under the average height. and his manner
is more or less apologize, the mildest-
hammered Kentuckian imaginable. He is
considered u great man among the noun
taineers OF his home county 0he most
Democratic county in the d~istrict), and,
all in all. he is Breckinridge's equal as an
orator. But he is hopelessly out Of the
running. though 1 think he will keep TO
the course 10 the end.
There is something very significant in the
different classes of people to be seen at
the different political clubrooms here.
There is a tough element ever active
about the Breckenridge rooms that must
be somewhat CALLING TO the fastidious
Colonel, but politics makes strange bed
fellows" Tickets for the Breckenridge ex-
cursion TO Georgetown, and Breckenridge
buttons and badges were set out with the
free lunches IN all the saloons except the
better class houses in town. The most
prominent people in town, representative
OF all that is held highest in church, profess
sional and mercantile circles, are members
and adherents of the Owens Club
One OF Colonel Breckinridge's greatest
advantages in the fight is that he has a
majority OF the politicians on his side. men
who are past masters in electioneering and
the management of a campaign. This will
tell in the tale of the 18th. Still, as Prof.
Poyntz Nelson. OF the State College, the
only academician in the Breckinridge host.
said to your correspondent: with this
confounded kangaroo ballot you can't tell
what's going TO happen"
After the primary. what then? Let there
come again peace and good neighborli-
ness, says Colonel Breckenridge. But ami
mosities have been aroused i'm this con-
test that will not be laid for a generation.
II is a c~ousinly country, Kentucky, and
family pride is a religion. Yet into the
families has come the great dividing wedge
OF Breckenridge or not Breckenridge, and
1911 ~ OAI III
mending. Only the other day an estimable
young man of this town was told that if he
persisted in wearing the Breckinridge but
ton the mother of the young lady he was
engaged to would be forced to deny him
the house.
But the church is Colonel Breckin, ge's
bitterest opponent. The Christian Church
Is the strongest communion in the district.
AMI. following the lead of Elder McGarvey.
one Of the most highly respected men in
Kentucky, it is a unit against him. The
local preachers are, one and all, against
the Colonel. and his managers tried a
clever scheme last Sunday. The telegraph
&c dispatches have told of the sensation
created by evangelist George d. Barnes's
advocacy of Breckenridge at the opera
house here. But they did not tell of the
true inwardness Of the event. Mr.. Barnes
did not come here i'm a spontaneous burst
of enthusiasm TO support the penitent sim
ner. This notorious evangelist is a son-in-
law of Mayor Duncan, of Lexington. Now,
Mayor Duncan and his family have been
the recipients Of governmental favors by
the grace of Colonel Breckenridge, and il
was thought a fine scheme TO get Barnes
down here to preach a sermon and incl
dentally boom Breckenridge. But the audi
<A~N eAAaN WNhi ~ htdA Lie CfdilSClSl
preach the gospel would not stay to listen
to his apology for the Colonel, and at
present writing the Barnes boom has all
the appearance of a boomerang. And FL
der McGarvey has come out in another
letter to the Christian people of the dis
trict, scoring Barnes scathingly and reiter-
ating that the denomination of Breckin-
ridge would be an ineradicable stain on
the Christian character of the community.
CAN HE BE ELECTED?
If Breckenridge be re~nominated, will he
be elected? is a question frequently asked
these days, and bets are freely made that
he will not be elected. Two years ago the
district gave a Democratic plurality for
Cleveland OF nearly 1000. and Breckin-
ridges majority over Republican and Peo-
pies party candidates was 6,425. That is
something TO go up against. This county,
outside of Lexington. is Republican, and,
indeed, there is. 1 find. a considerable Re-
publican sentiment in the district. 1t has
been numbed by the seeming hopelessnass
of the contests in the past. but it could be
quickly revived If a good man were brought
out. A man is wanted who will take the
Democratic vote. Boiling a ticket in Ken
lucky has ever been considered. when
dreamed of at all. infinitely more heinous
than commission of any or all of the seven
deadly sins. but If Breckenridge be NOM
mated it will be done this fall. And for
this reason the Republicans here desire
Breckinridge's nomination.
By the way, the Republican organization
in Lexington is styled the Henry Clay
Republican Club" a name that is expected
to have a vote-winning effect this fall. The
name was chosen because of the great
commoner's original stand on the princi-
pie of protection as a political policy.
Breckenridge has antagonized the whole
Clay family by presuming to parallel his
case with that of Mr.. Clay-no Ken
tuckian speaks of him as Henry Clay-and
has aroused equal dislike among the many
scions OF the house of Johnston by his
attack on old Dick Johnston, the hero
OF the battles of the River Raisin and
Thames in the war of 1872. These are the
two most powerful families in the district,
and their whole influence will be- thrown
TO humble Colonel Breckenridge if his name
appears on the ballots next November.
Maj. Henry Clay McDowelrs name has
been freely mentioned as Colonel Breckin-
ridges Republican opponent. If he agree
10 enter the lists a Republican will repre-
sent the Ashland district of Kentucky in
the next Congress. But am afraid Major
Mcdowell will not allow his name to go TO
nomination. In the Republican organiza-
ton here the name of Mr.. George A. Dem