The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-07-10


cans, after scrambling around foi
some time, picked on Mr.. Hopkins
who while minister of the Gospel
always took an active hand in politics
and stood we'll with those who knew
him. The Democrats were greatly
tickled over what they thought was
an easy thing, considering Bowlet
very strong and Hopkins very weak
The result was a complete surprise to
everybody and week or two later
when the returns came struggling
Down to the central portion of the
State, those who had written to Col
Bowles requesting his support in the
Legislature in various contests, dis
covered that Hopkins had won by
several hundred votes. Nobody
that is nobody down this way at least
has ever been able to learn just how
it happened, except that it has been
attributed to the general shake-up
which took place all over that section
last November, a number of reliable
Democratic districts going over to the
enemy.
"When Hopkins came to Frankfort
upon the assembling of the Legisla-
ture there was considerable curiosity
to see him because all those familiar
with State politics knew Col. Bowles
and thought it must be an unusual
man who could defeat him in Demo-
cratic county. To all such Hopkins
was disappointment. A more plain,
unpretentious man it would be hard
to imagine. He looked rather more
like a fairly well-to-do farmer of
S 'uthern and Western Kentucky than
a type i mountaineer, his ministerial
calling having worn some OF the
rough edges off him, but his features
were rugged and tanned and his
hands bore the appearance of being
used to manual labor. He wore his
hair and beard clipped close and
dressed plainly, but respectfully, and
did not appear to be very much at
ease in white shirt ornamented by a
collar.
For the first few weeks of the ses-
sion he kept his seat and did absolute
ly nothing but vote, always, of course,
recording his preference on the side of
rigid retrenchment and reform, and |
showing deep-seated, well-settled |
to appropriations of every |
description whether necessary or not.
Finally, one day, on the call of the
for the introduction of bills,
Hopkins rose in his seat and offered |
House Bill 90, entitled "a Bill pre-
penalty for drunkenness of
regular practicing physicians while in
he discharge of their duty" 1t was
referred to the Committee on Reli-
yion and Morals, and when it was re-
ported back the younger members of
he House, in a spirit of fun, advanc-
ID it to its second reading in order to
ret the author to make speech on it
md see what was in him. They were
lot disappointed, as, when the meas
Ire came up in the orders of the day,
lie got recognition and proceeded to
urn himself loose. He butchered the
english language in a most heartless
manner, yet occasionally a good, COM
nonsense idea would crop out. He
old a narrowing story of how sick
'eople were allowed to die in Pike
ounty at times because they could
lot get a sober physician to attend
o them, and was fully convinced that
he only way to make people moral
vas to legislate it into them.
When he had finished, the bill went
o vote and was promptly killed.
lie then subsidized for few more
weeks, when he bobbed up again with
local bill to change the school laws
f Pike county. He was never heard
f again during the session, and if he
las any of the elements of a states,
nan in him the other members of the
louise failed to discover it.
Mr.. Hopkins might be stronger than
g looks, but to those outside the dis
riot it appears that the Democratic
will have a soft snap.