New-York tribune., 1896-10-21
DeliciousIy Refreshing,
COLGATE & CO.'S
Violet Water.
THE RACE ISSUE DYING OUT
FREE SILVER TAKING ITS PLACE IN
KENTUCKY POLITICS.
''oRAToRy" WITHOUT THouGHT-ITIE FIGHT FOR
THE SENATORsHIP-TIIE IRRUPTION OF

THE SENATORSHIP--THE IRRUPTION OF
JACK" cTIINN
fFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBuNE1
Louisville, Oct. 20.--Times have changed In
Kentucky. and with them the whole trend OF
Bourbon politics The old rallying cries are
missing in this campaign; the old fires or preJu-
dice and bigotry somehow refuse to be kindled
1t seems odd to find great political battle rag
ing south Of the Ohio River. and yet not to hear
single voice of demagogy raised to picture the
imaginary terrors Of negro rule. 1t Is highly
significant Of the wholesome change which has
come over Kentucky sentiment in the last few
years that in the face OF the living. practical
issues of this Presidential canvass the outworn
chimera Of negro domination should have been
bundled so completely and contemptuousy to
the rear
Only year ago the State rang with the warn
ings Of Democratic orators ~ainst the insidious
perils of negro equality" involved in the IN
staation of Republican Administration at
Frankfort. will you, IL a vacancy occurs DUR
ing your time Governor, appoint negro as
United States SENATOR" was the question hurled
repeatedly in Joint debate at General "; o.
Bradley by his Democratic opponent. r. wat
Hardin. Despairng. indeed OF carrying the
State on the legitimate issues Of the canvass the
Democratic candidate had turned his whole ef
forts on the stump to arOusng that vulgar and
narrow spirit OF race prejudice which for years
has vented ts antipathy to the negro upon Ke-
publican policies and Republican candidates In
the South. Mr.. Hardins demagogic tactics
failed Of their effect. General Bradley was
elected. and his first year OF power at Frankfort
has effectuay exploded the senseless bugaboo
of negro aggression In State or local politics.
There Is no meaning any longer in the color
issue in Kentucky. and II Ia genuinely gratifying
to find that fact clearly and publicly con-
fessed In this campaign.
The partisan bgotry which found victim In
other years in the inorensive and powerless ne
gro has now a more conspicuous. but no less de-
tested. target. The spectre Of negro domination
has been replaced In the fancy OF the backwoods
voter by the bugaboo Of gold bug tyranny"
The bitterness felt by the rank and file OF the
Democracy against tho leaders who have bolted
the Chicago platform and ticket. having little
or no outlet through the press has famed out
ali the more intensely on the hustings, which
have rung since August with vehement personal
denuncH.tion OF Carlisle, Lindsay, Watterson,
Buckner. Atherton and the other traitors who
are openly opposing Bryan's candidacy. Politi-
cal meetings nave always been more or less tur-
bulent In this State but never before has such
an ugly and riotous spirit been shown as that
which has led to hoodlum efforts In many OF the
smaller towns and villages 10 stampede the
meetings addressed by Democratic Sound Money
orators.
The precedent for this sort Of intolerance
seems to have been set by no less an authority
in the silver ranks than Senator BLACKBURN.
Early in the fall joint political debate had been
Agreed on as one Of the popular attractions OF
Ile owen County Fair at Owenton. owen is the
banner Democratic county in the STATE. giving
a larger Democratic majority in proportion to It's
population than any other. 1t is also silver
stronghold: so it was decided by the Democratic
managers to send Senator Blackburn to do the
talking for free coinage before the expected
gathering of mossback Democratic partisans
j. NJ Atherton Of this city. one IT the sound
| IN fha u debate
Just the means he desired to reach a difficult
| constituency He presented himself AT the fair
and asked permission to divide time on even
terms with the Republican and free-coinaBe de-
baters The Republican speaker made no OBJ
lection to a division. but Mr.. Blackburn vgor-
ously demurred.
DO you propose to speak as a Republican or
Democrat" he sharply demanded OF Mr.
Atherton in the hearing OF the crowd
"As Democrat" replied the LOUISVILLE
banker.
"a Demecrat Democrat% thundered ur nas =, the
as much right to call themselves angels as you
people who go around the State forming Nc
Kinley aid societies have to call yourselves
Democrats
It is hardy necessary to add that Mr.. Ather-
ton failed TO get a hearing at the Owen County
Fair.
II only think when talk" was the naive con-
fession wrongly attributed to Gambetta, but
really put by Daudet into Numa Roumestan's
mouth. No phrase hits off more cleverly the
distinctive quality Of the free-silver orator OF
this campaign. Kentuckians have always had
a passion for public speaking. and stump and
| platform standards here have long been excep-
tionally high. Even to-day in the general de-
cadence OF political oratory Kentucky can boast
! in John G. Carlisle and w. c. p. Breckenridge
Of two genuine performers OF superior type
! the one master Of lucid and convincing argu-
ment the other gifted with a grace and felicity
of style which rarely fail both to fascinate and
command. These two among Kentucky orators
have cung in this campaign to the States
sounder traditions. both political and forensic;
but the mass Of the Democratic spellbinders
Of other years infected by the example Of q
fatally loquacious Presidential candidate, have
! fallen hopeless victims to the Bryanesque habit
Of oratorica sound and fury, Of pure demagoRic
easconade.
Senator Blackburn is not altogether a Ken
tucky Numa Roumestan: yet some Of his re-
cent speeches raise the question whether he
takes the trouble to think nowadays. even when
he talks. His imitators and followers in the
free-silver coinage ranks. John Rhea. Hardin.
Jack Chinn and "Ollie" James, have taken
even more through lessons in the Bryan "vox
ct praeterea nihil' school; though the Ne
braskan's demagogy is simply burlesqued by
some Of the more awkward local campagners.
Here is the peroration Of a speech made re-
Gently by free-coinage orator at an open air
meeting In this city, as reported by an amused
and astonished sound-money auditor:
"Felow-citizens: The gold standard is a fu-
tility q hollow chimera There In not enough
gold In the world to pay the expenses for one
year Of administering the Federal Government.
There is not enough gold in the world to pay a
single years interest on the National debt-a
debt contracted al the cost Of honest toll. but
now converted into perpetual source OF income
for the rich. But 10! On the Western horizon
young Lochivar appears. his cleaning scimetry
in his right hand. boldly defying the usurers
and money changers OF Wall Street. He tells