The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1899-11-01
A CAMPAIGN OF yITUPEUArION.
loourier-Journal, Oct. 2s.l

To an intelligent, Just minded obsery-
er, the attacks upon William GOebel.
the Democratic nominee for Governor
of Kentucky, are too viruleEt and IN
discriminate 10 be Trustworthy. They
are revolving. rather than convincing
They show upon the face Of them that
they are the carnations OF some force
more potent than partisan feeling. Mr..
Goebel is too Young a man, and until
recently has been too little known, to
have raised up sentiments of private
feeling on SO general a scale. They
imply organization. They betoken the
presence OF offended power. sincerity.
whichibeIieves in itself and makes sure
Of its case, is never frenzied. Disin-
terestehness deals in facts and abhOrs
mysteries. Scurrility is not one of its
weapons But these attacks are indie
cent in the highest degree. They af-
front the reason and disgust the taste.
Once old Ben Wade, accounted the
most acrimonious man OF his time, was
asked by an irate neighbor to Indite
him card If deuunciati0n against an
enemy whom he wished publicly TO
brand. How shall l begin?" asked
Wade. "Why, sir, says the would-be
warrior, Il want you to say that he is
a hell-begOtten son of a she-dOg, and
get worse and worse, and stronger aud
stronger every line you write.' So it
is with the assailants OF Mr.. Goebel
They begin with monster and
'fiend," and seek to build upon these
epithets of admiration, if not of alfec-
ton, an edifice of blackguardism which
doubtless delights the votaries of bill
| ingsgate, but which can never reach the
fair-minded and iudiciOus among a peo-
pie who are nothing if they are not
sportsmanlike-that is, on the dead
level and on the square-equally in
their racing and in their politics.
Take, for example, the use that is be
ing made of the killing of SandfOrd.
1t was the elimination of bitter, bru-
tai quarrel. 1t goes without saving
that IL was most lamentable affair.
/ But no one will pretend that it was
wholly one-sided. The dearest friends
of Mr.. Sanford will not claim that lhe
was set upon, bounded and pursued +;
that he had given no provOcati0n, per-
I petrated no act and that in the final
encounter he did not do his best to slay
the man who had the misfortune to
STAY him. Mr.. Sandford Was man of
spirit and courage. Between him and
Mr.. GOebel deadly issue sprang.
! Doubtless both of them performed their
share in making il deadly. 1t was
Sandford's fate to fall by the hand OF
| Goebel. But what connection in the
remOtest degree has that circumstance
with the fact that Sandford was a Con-
! federate soldier, whilst GOebel was too
young to be soldier on either side
during the war of sections? W hat pos
sible relation does it bear to the issue
in dispute between the Republicans
and the Democrats in the present cam
paign for State officers?
Andrew Jackson had the same mis-
fortune in his younger days to kill a
neighbor. Not until after he had ceased
to be candidate for office did General
Jackson hear the last of the duel with
Dickinson History has adjudged that
as such things 90, he had the right of it
But, right or wrong, it did not prevent
him from doing splendid service for his
country; it did not stay his victory al
New Orleans; it did not defeat him fol
President, or make him a bad Presi.
dent. What had the Staying of Dick
insOn to do with the Removal of the
Deposits. or the suppression of the Null.
lifiers? What had the shaving of Sand.
ford to do with the compelling OF pub
lie institutions to pay their taxes, like
other taxpayers, and with the cheap
ening of school books to the children OF
Kentucky? Yet the orators and the
newspapers of the Louisville and Nash
vile Railroad howl as if they were very
wOlves-as some of them are-and ap
peal to Confederate mothers and
daughters, and to the emotions of wo
men generally, to avenge the death oil
Sanford by electing as Governor acan
didate dictated by the very institutions
which would dodge their taxes and
shirk their duty to the public.
Not word of answer is made to the
plain tale told by Goebel. If he talks
of taxes, they talk of murder If he
talks of schOol-boOks, they talk oil
broken pledges. If he expounds his
peculiar views of Democracy-vi views
let us say, that in manv things we dc
not approve-they troll off lot of TO
that put the ticket he heads il The
field.
1t was bad enough, Heaven knows
but, from start to finish, it was six o.
one to half-a-dozen of the other; dog
one can deny, that the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad put forth all its
energies and resources to nominate one
of the contestants. With the Louis
vile and Nashville, it was anybody and
anything 10 beat Goebel. Failing ia
the original convention it got up an
other convention, set up an opposition
ticket and now, through the agency OF
this opposition ticket, it is trying &c
beat Goebel by electing the Republican
ticket. Is this not so?
This being the issue, and it is the is
sue and the sole issue, we are curious
to see how the people of Kentucky are
going to stand it. We are curious to
see whether people. supposed to be
brave and free, and of ordinary intelli-
gence, are going to allow themselves tc
be taken by the throat, and that by q
powerful corporation. and smOte to the
heart as common butcher might stick
a pig. We are the more curious to see
this because the agents for doing the
work are so transparent in their
methods and so wanton in their at.
tack. Since when did inhamed ap.
peais TO hysteric women count as force
in Kentucky politics? Since when did
the union of the capitalists with the
thug promise peace on election day.
Who is it that talks about bloOd-shed
but the Republican crowd and the
crowd, which. though paid by a great
railway company, has its headquarters
at dive theater, and, to the extent oil
Its capacity, may be depended upon to
break into ballot boxes and to steal
votes, aud other wise TO raise all the
hell it can on election day?
by their fruits We shall know them.
The newspapers which al e. in the en-
plCy OF a railway company, and in
obedience to its orders would drench
Kentucky in fraternal blood, show for
themselves. One need only read them
to known in advance and to realize the
despotism which this single, but pow
erful, corporation would establish In
the State il given the opportunity. No
man can read them without alterna-
ting derisicn and disgust disgust at their
coarse, vulgar and prOfane use of our
mother tongue, their shamelessness al d
and their lying; derision that men OF
average sense shou.d imagine that such
a dissertation Of election methods and
campaign devices could impose upon
anybody except the most predetermined
and creQulOus.
The Courier Journal has not parti-
Gle of concrete interest in this election.
For Gov. Brown. and his colleagues, it
entertains no Ill-will; having often sup
/ ported him and them, quite ready to
do SO again ii occasion requires. 1t is
the friend, not the enemy, OF the Louis
vile and Nashville railroad, as Of its
managers; and we have an impression
that tho time 10 20 cf oou,tntr ,rf,a a., fbot