The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-09
ETCHINGS FROM
CURRENT TOPICS,

The wildly exciting tempest In a. feaS
| pot" or to speak more accurately ths
cyclone in whisky bottle. which has re-
Gently stirred up the beauty and chlvalry
of old Kentucky has awakened national
interest in a very trivial matter. In lieu
of foot ball games and political CAM
paigns, the great american public has
had opportunity to consider the why's,
whereofs and wherefores of mis- nautical
engagement between the governor OF
Kentucky, ex-Secretary Herbert of AIa|
bama and Miss Harriette cambridge
Richardson of Lexington, KY The pant
played i'm the social drama by Miss Chris
time BRADLEY, daughter of Keptuclxys
governor was so dignihed and becoming
thait she has necessarily received the apI
plause and bouquets of the on-1ookers-
Miss Bradley's appointment as the chris
tener of the battleship Kentucky" by
SECRETARY Long a day or two ago settles
ihe unfortunate matter as far as THE
blue grass bellas are concerned. But it
does mot cause the public to l. ok leniently
upon the conduct of her father, Gov.
Bradley, in THE affair
Gov. Bradley, in all proba biltty could
not have selected a falrea representative
than his own daughter to ohristen the
battleship. The pictures of her printed
in the many leading daily Journals rep
resort a handsome, womanly young girl.
But there is never any lack of beautiful
women in Kentucky, for social or official
Functions. So that Gov. Bradley had a
wide, almost unlimited field to choose
from. He could have found hundreds of
lovely girls belonging ito influential and
prominent families who could appear at
the docks and break the bottle with grace
over the bow of the batleship without
combining his selection to THE bosom of
his own family. His bad taste and nepot-
ism have disguised well-brAd people. He
claims in extenuation of his faux pas
that ht is usual for governors and
mayors under such circumstances to con-
fer upon their own daughters such hon.
ors. Fortunately, facts will not sustain
this assertion of Gov. Bradley
When "a man is hcn5aed with exalted
office it is net expected that he will con-
fer upon his own family-as far as they
will go round-positions of honor and
conspicuousness Gov. Bradley's affec-
tion for his pretty daughter caused him
to commit fatal blunder.
iMiss Richardson has proven by hsr let
ters and rl-timed speeches emphatically
thah she is not the young woman for the
place of distinction. Her eplstle, adj
dressed to ex-SecreJtary Herbert, has GER
tainly done her no credit. In attempting
to reflect upon Mr. Herbert she has set
persons ITO wondering why she should
have construed a mildly courteous speech
of the gallant Albanian into an invita-
tion to christen the Kentucky" From
her own le, ter 1t appears that Mr.. Her.
bert was almost compelled to invite Miss
Richardson to do the honots for her state
when the battleship was launched. Miss
Richardson's communication fully exon
crates Mr.. Herbert, but leaves unbiased
persons under the impression that she
was unduly anxious ito become conspicu-
GUS
There seemed nothing left for Secretary
Long to do but Ito confirm the appoint
ment of Miss Brardley which had been
made by her father but he would have
exhibited great pluck and good sense lie
he had selected some other Kentucky girl
of beauty who had taken no part in this
absurd and unseemly controversy.
There is no room whatever i'm any state
of the union for the introduction of nep-
o.ism in American Politics.
man has the God-given right to pro-
vide for any and all members of his
family, at his Individual expense, but hs
should be very careful not to render him
self liable to the charge OF advancing his
own people ait the exp:nse of a commons
| wealth.
When the batteship Alabama" is 70
be christenad it is to be hoped there will
| be nothing but harmony and kindly fael-
| ing i'm the hearts of the girls of this good
| old state. Alabama young women and
| their friends can be depended upon NOT
| to court an invitation to christen the
| handsome vessl from either state or cab
| met officials. There is MO danger that
| any of them in the exuberance of their
| qualification at the hope of the coveted
| honor will present a bottle of whisky to
| the secreta of the navy and then write
! an exasperating, urcalled for II tten about
| it. Alabama girls win show those Ken
| lucky bellies what constitutes the ethics
| of ship-clhristening. BALL.
Finny Siamese Twins.
| There are two catfshes Joined for life
| in "a SIamese- twin fashion. They We're
| caught at the mouth of the Cape Fear
| river, in North Carolina.