The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-08-29
THE SITUATION
IN KENTUCKY.
The Political Enemy Begins to
See the Handwriting on
the Wall.

0oo sAo Aouu"IItAu6 VI
the Wall.
POPS WILL GAIN 10000.
According TO Good Democratic Authority
The See. 81 Ballot will Give the People
Advisor Of the kentucky Conxres- ionsl
Delegation.
When q political enemy begins to
make concessions and admissions. it
is a sure sign that he sees a chance
of victory for the other side. And
when he sees that chance, it is pretty
certain that the chance is good for
the defeat of his party.
Here is some interesting matter
from the Washington Post:
81 came down yesterday from
Rock Enon Springs ON flying visit, 4"
said ex Journal Clerk Harry Smith
to Post reporter last evening"" and
shall return on Saturday 'polente
Deo,' as Col. Christy would say. l
found in my mail an interesting let
ter from a prominent Democratic
ex-member from Kentucky, in which,
after asking me to look up the Jour
nal entries of certain votes In the
House on the silver bill on the Fifty
first Congress, he makes some obser-
vations on Kentucky politics and
the outlook, which l think are en-
titled to consideration, as we'll as
publication, though l am not at lib
erty to mention publicly his name.
They dovetail, so to speak, so nicely
into the line of remark made in a
letter to me few weeks since from
Thomas s. Petit, the Populist can
didate for Governor, that l regard
the matter as very striking colnci-
dent, to say the least.
"Mr. Petit will be remembered as,
for twelve years under Mr.. Randall
and Carlisle. one of the two reading
clerks of the House Of Representa-
tives. 1t is entirely fair and proper
to say without disrespect to the Rep
resentative from the Owensburg
(Pettit's home) district, that Tom
was most of the time the real Rep
resentative. Not only that, but other
members of the Kentucky delega-
ton leaned on him heavily for ad-
vice and assistance. He is one of
the shrewdest politicians in the State,
was a member of the late Constitu-
tiol Convention, and of the Legisla-
ture, elected as an Independent Dem
ocrat, and gradually drifted into the
Populist party, and is now their
candidate for Governor.
'.In his letter he said: For the
first time in Kentucky we have Sc
cret ballot, and that means more
than was ever dreamed of in your
Philosopher anybody else's. 1t
means that the common people, the
wage-earners, will for the first time
have a chance to voice their senti-
ments. 1t means a loss of fifty thou
sand votes to the Democratic party,
Of which forty thousand will 60 to
the Populist party and ten to the
Republican party. The administra-
ton desires the defeat of Senator
Blackburn, but he will be saved by
the Populist vote.' We admire his
manhood and independence, as we'll
as his consistency" Then he invited
US to attend his Inauguration, which
invitation of course accepted.
1.-The Democratic ex-member of
Congress says: The situation which,
from Democratic standpoint, was
bad enough before, has grown worse
since Hardin Democratic candidate)
took the stump. He personally
stands shoulder to shoulder with
Blackburn ON the silver question;
just where Carlisle stood in 1878, and
yet he is running for Governor on a
gold-bug platform. The secret bal
lot. which we have for the first time
in Kentucky, will cost him fully 49,
600 votes, of which Petit will get
IS, 900, the remaining 5000 going to
Bradley. The Populists will hold the
balance of power in the Legislature,
and their members will vote first for
their own candidate, and then for
The talk of Carlisle's
for the Senate is idle CAB
BILE. He could not be induced to be-
come a candidate, for he knows he
could not defeat Blackburn even in
the Democratic caucus. It is under
stood that the Secretary will, in o.
tober, stump the State, making at
least twenty-five speeches. My own
opinion is that Hardin will be
beaten, while the Democrats may
barely save tho Legislature."'