The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1900-02-02
LOGICAL
Outcome Of the Kentucky Con.
test Henry Watterson's
Comment.
scripps- McRae League.

Scripps- McRae League.
Louisville, Ky, Feb. 2-Thc follow
ing is the Courier-Journars comment
on the shooting Of Goebel:
The attempted assassination Of
Senator Goebel, while II shocks the
the whole country does not come as
total surprise to those in Kentucky
who are familiar with the conditions
growing out OF the recent election and
attending the contest for the govern
orship. To such IL has long been ap-
parent that IL murder did not grow
out out OF these conditions IL would be
about the only one Of the baneful re-
suits that the sorely afflicted south
would escape. The fact that yester-
day the senator of Kentucky and the
Democratic contestant under the law
for the chief magistraey of Kentucky
as he was on his way to his post OF
duty in the state house, was shot
down deliberately by some cowardly
political foe in hiding, was unques-
tionably the logical outcome Of the
course which the opposition to Mr..
3oebel has pursued throughout this
unprecedented struggle.
The Courior-J Journal speaks calmly
aud soberly. 1t could not quicken b
one beat the hot hearts that are today
pulsing with passion against this out
rage put, not upon one man, but upon
the entire law-sbiding citizenship Of
the state. 1t would not by one word
instigate further lawlessness that
would bring the commonwealth TO
still darker shame. Nay, rather by
simply laying bare TO the outside
world the Genesis of this crime and
impressing upon Kentuckians the du-
ties Of self restraint and maintenance
of the law, would it save the state yet
deeper humiliation.
"Mr. Goebel, who both before and
since his election has been assailed by
the opposition with fury and malign
ancy never before equaled in polit-
icsl contest in Kentucky, has through.
out follawed vigorously the plain pro
visions of the law. II is beside the
question to say that the law Is an OBJ
jeetionable and an unpopular law 1t
is the law and bad as it may be IL is
all that stands between the people
aud anarchy. When under that law
the election returns on their face gave
a majority to Taylor, Goebel. adhers
ing strictly to the laws, appealed from
the state commission TO the state legs
islature, the one tribunal authorized
to go behind the returns and decide
the issue in dispute between him and
his opponent. The issue is now under
an investigation by a committee of
the legislature, as provided by the
law The report of that committee is
to be finally acted upon by the legisla-
ture itself as provided by the law.
"At every step Of these proceedings
the Democrats have followed the law;
at every step their opponents have
proclaimed their purpose to go outside
aud beyond all law should the deci-
sion of the lawful tribunals be against
them. BY open threats OF violence
and revolution they sought to intimi-
date the state commissioners, as they
themselves sought TO intimidate the
Legislature. Not stopping at mere
threats, they brought from the noun.
ta'ns hundreds Of men armed with
rifles and revolyers--men from a re-
gion where vengeance is q vocation
and assassination from ambush it's in
strument--and then they assembled
upon the very steps of the capitol and
quartered in its shadows. Is IL the
least strange that an actual attempt
70 take the life of William Goebel Is
now TO be recorded?"