Evening star., 1899-09-20
Rival Candidates in Kentucky Resort
to Personalities.
CALDWELL'S OPEN LETTER TO GOEBEL
Demands Explanation Of Charges
Made on the Stump.
THE CARLISLE INCIDENT
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

LOUISVILLE, KY, September lS 1888.
Two recent sensational developments
have but served to add zest to state cam
paign already acknowledged to be the most
exciting and most spectacular in the his
tory of Kentucky.
In an open letter of two columns or more
to Mr.. Goebel, published in local paper,
ex-Congressman John w. Caldwell of Rus
sellvile, and ex-confederate officer de-
mands of Mr.. Goebel "the name, time,
place and crime for which Theodore Hal
lam's youngest brother was imprisoned
1t will be remembered that Mr.. Goebel, in
a speech at Bowling Green two weeks ago.
stated that he had one advantage of Mr..
Theodore Hallam, one of the anti-Goebel
speakers in the campaign, in that he (Goe-
bed never had a brother in the peniten-
tiary. When called upon later to specify
| which brother of Hallam's he referred to
Mr. Goebel stated that 1t was the youngest
brother or the one who was in the confed-
crate army. and that Halam was not in a
federal prison during the war either, but
in state prison for a civil offense. This
stirred up the ex-confederates, and Col.
CaldWellS letter is a result. Mr.. Caldwell
states in his letter that the gallant career
of young Hallam as a confederate soldier
served to endear his name to his comrades,
who should and want to know Immediately
on what Mr.. Goebel based his statement at
Bowling Green.
Light on the Question.
The Paducah News, a leading democratic
paper of the first congressional district,
publishes the following statement in refer
ence to the Hallam matter, which is self
explanatory:
Several days ago Judge Robert ]. Breck-
enridge, the candidate for attorney general
on the Goebel ticket, was in town giving
currency to the slander started by Mr..
Goebel that James R. Hallam. jr., was once
confined in the Tennessee penitentary for
a civil Offense. The News sent a special
representative to Nashville. Tenn. to In
vestigate this statement. He obtained the
following certificate, refuting the charges:
September IA, 1S99.-To whom it may
concern: This is to certify that l have ex-
amned the records of the Tennessee peni-
tentiary, and no such name as James R.
Hallam appears on the books of the prison
Signed w. ]. Hartford, warden of the
main Tennessee prison."
1t now seems to be in order for Mr. Goe-
bel to explain, and for that reason his reply
will be watched for by people from one end
of the state to the other.
In TINS connection, and indica ting what
may be expected from the GoebeI side of
the controversy, a prominent Goebel par
tlsan said last night to your correspondent:
AT the proper time and place our candi-
date for governor will make public facts
which will substantiate any and all asser-
tiOnS he has made in private and public In
other words. he is loaded for the opposi-
ton, and has a card or two up his sleeve
that will be played when they are needed"
The Carlisle Statement.
The other sensational. development of the
third week of the canvass for state offices
was the statement by ex-Secretary of the
Treasury John G. Carlisle in WASHINGTON
that Mr.. Goebel in 1876 sought his (Mr.
Carlisle's) aid in taking a sound money del
egation from kenton county to the demo-
cratic state convention which was to be
held few weeks later at Lexington
Some conservative democrats saw the
publication of this bit of "unwritten his
tory by Mr.. Carlisle will furnish the ex-
cuse Mr. Bryan has been looking for TO
keep from visiting Kentucky for a speech
making tour in the interest of the Goebel
ticket Others say that the Carlisle asser-
tons VIII draw from Mr.. Goebel others of
MS supporters who are radical free silver
men. These prophets say that in view of
the fact that Mr.. Goebel is the nominee of
the silver democrats, is running on a 16 TO
platform and has been pointing with
Il have done for bmetalism'' that the
Carlisle "bombshelr' can result in little
good and perhaps much harm to the cam
dldate from kenton.
After the Negro Vote.
The efforts of certain Goebel managers
to organize the negroes for the Kenton
senator have proved fruitless in the very
outset OF the movement. AT Mt. Sterling
Friday night a West Virginia colored ora
tor named Armstead appeared and after a
vigorous ringing of the court house bell
and much drumming succeeded In get
ting together an audience of eighteen ne
grOes and seventy-four whites. To this au-
dience Armstead spoke or rather delivered
harrangue in the interest of Mr. Goebel
dclaring Brown a bolter. and saying hard
things about Mr.. Taylor, the republican
nominee and urging support of the friend
of the negro" In vain did the imported
spellbinder call for signers to his roll book
of negro Goebel club.
1t Is Gained that there is a large defec-
ton among the negroes of central and
western Kentucky in favor of Mr.. Goebel,
but SO far these black recruits have failed
to materialiZe in large numbers. The re-
publicans, on the other hand assert that
their candidate will poll the full colored
strength of the party, and will get two
thirds of the disaffected democrats who
not desiring to throw away their votes"
will support a candidate who can win"
In fact one of the leading democrats of
western Kentucky, now a 'bolter," but an
enthusiastic temperance advocate Rev.
Fred Hale of Owensboro', in a card pub
lshed yesterday urged churchmen all over
the state who intend voting against Goe-
bel to vote for Taylor" where the vote
will "do some good This development has
increa Sed the iuhilanc the Tavlorites