The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1899-02-01
IcOvington Commonwealth, Jan. IL.

lCovington Commonwealth, Jan. III
At the request often repeated of citi-
zens Of COvington, the stenographic re-
port OF the speech delivered by Judge
James 2. Tarvin at the Jackson ban
quet in Cincinnati on January 6, is pub
Iished in this impression of the Com
mOnwealth and is as follows:
"POLITICAL USES AND ABUSES. OF
THE LAW"
Mr.. Chairman: 1T has been often
SAID that Kentucky is the home of
brave men and fair women. No one
knows better than 1 how true the last
part of that statement il; and am CON
WINGED now that the first part is true
for it requires courage for any man to
rise to address this audience after those
who have spoken to you tonight.
There has been great deal said here
tonight about the war, and its heroes,
and about the North and the South
There seems to have prevailed some
what an impression that the late war
oblterated sectional differences. My
friends, that was accomplished long be-
fore this war ever, began, and President
Mckinley was the only man in the
country who did not know it. lie
thinks that his trip 10 the South wiped
out the bitterness of the war-a fact ac-
complished years before, and against
his protest and objection.
There is no South. The people living
in the Southern States of this one
Union are Americans. Just as you are
Americans. This flag is their flag, just
as it is your flag And hundred and
more years ago, the heroes and states
men of the Southern States did as much
to assure the existence. the glorv and
the fame of that flag as did the heroes
aud states in the Northen and Eastern
States.
The people in the Southern States
value and desire the respect and the
affection sof those in all other States.
They earned the respect of the world in
those days between 1861 and 1865. They
fought like heroes, suffered like mar
tyrs and died like men. And those who
We're left knew that the fight was over,
that defeat was their portion, and ac-
cepted the result as Americans, and
have lived to it ever since. 1t has been
so for years that no man would dare to
attempt to light those fires of bitter
ness again, unless he were fool or Grim
inal.
1t is BETTING and proper that men of
one side should pay tribute to the
memory of the dead on the other side.
1t is becoming that men of one side
should speak words of tenderness and
respect over the graves of the other side.
But L say to you, my friends, that the
psople of the Southern States do not
lesire the patronizing hyprocricy and
gush of any President and especially OF
one in none of whose professions on
any subject do they believe-a Presi-
dent who has spent his time in ap-
pointing commissions and in paradiug
about the country wearing a tonteder-
ate badge above as weak and tickle a
heart as ever beat in human breast.
No act has ever been committed by
any public man in this land that was
more unDecoming or in worse taste
than that of President Mckinley in
prating about the Rebel dead and deck
ing himself in noble emblems. Nc
man has the right to attempt to ride
into office through the graves ofmen
who fought like Americans and died
like soldiers. No man has the rIght t,
prostitute the sacred mem ries of the
dead of any people for his persona
political benefit. There is not schoo
boy in this land who DOES not know
that the only object of the President II
his trip to Georgia was to derive some
benefit to himself in the campaign oil