The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1894-05-08
DAILY WEATHER FORECAST
Highest temperature yesterday, S0i
lowest. 90.
Forecast to-day, Fair, Stationary Tenn
perature.
CASTING our nRECkINRIpaE.

Kentucky is the mother of states
men, and the Ashland congressional
district is the home of oratory. Yet,
perhaps, ut no time since the founda-
tion of the republic has any commun.
ity ever listened to a more mastery
appeal for it's suffrage than that
which fell from the lips OF the silver
tongued Breckenridge, asking renomi-
nation from his constituents, at Lex
ington. last Saturday.
Master Of the orators art, with the
prestige of hereditary greatness ably
sustained, learned in letters and in
law. great beyond the pinnacle of de-
sire; and yet fallen in fame, broken in
political fortune, his honored name
trailed N the dust, the pride of fam
lily tradition polluted, he stood before
his constituents aad plead for re-
instatement in their favor. lie who
had been of the qns,ity. pride, ''pomp
and circumstance 30 long as To be.
come almost part of the nations life;
he who had been accustomed To move
with the tread of an imperial I@sar in
Roman triumph. became the sSoh
and jeer and shame of the people who
had loved 10 honor him IA. hal been.
born To command, not To ask. Prime,
of an unerowned line, To has blood had
come u corruption and TO the historic
name IA taint that would burn forever
The grisly shades of Parnell. BoulaL-
ger aud multitude of others again
brought memories of national dis.
grace and national dishonor.
Before the orator was an audience
composed largely of those who had
known him since boyhood. Wnne
A,s reception was tnmult lous
yet taere WAS deep
seated, ~sullen, cold res erve which his
most fsrvent periods coull moi over
come. At times the tide OF his elo.
qaence would seem To sweep every
thing before its resistless food, yet as
the waves rolled back there stood that
old distrust. submerged, misplaced for
the moment but not removed. lie
sounded the gamut of the orators art.
he recalled the days when the flower
of kentucky chivalry, himself at the
head, went forth To face the flame and
steel of war; he skillfully smote upon
their heart strings; aud yet that cold
up and up and froze the music of his
words at their very fount With deli.
cate shades he told the story of his
crime: 'In your presence today ana in
the presencs of the district l repeat
that for that sin, OF which was
guilty. have no justification, no pal
liation and ask no conformation.
His nomination seems certain.
Whether or not Ashland district will
cast hIm out remains to be told. He
has already lost the immortal part of
himself and on the escutcheon Of family
honor burn lurid streaks of bestial
desire. The influence of his voice and
presence are magic IL is hard to cal
culate the fervid force of his speech,
or to say whether history will speak
of him in the words of his peroration:
For a hundred years this district
has been represented by men. They
have not always been sinless men. and
whether you re-elect or reject me-
hereafter when some one comes to
write its history, whatever blame may
attach to me, he will write OF me,
even with that blame he loved the poor,
he toiled for his fellow men, he
labored for good causes. and as this
historian turns over the pages of the
record in which my utterances are con-
tained. he will rifle them with the be-
lief that was loyal to my principles,
faithful to truth. devoted to YOU"