The Saint Paul globe., 1900-02-07
= $50 - sl.,l'. -. +
MILITARISM ENDED.

The agreement reached by the CONFER
ence committee brings the reign Of mill
tarism in Kentucky to an end The for
evitable unless acting Gov. Taylor thinks
it safe to stand in the path Of its full
fillment and if he should, no doubt means
will be found to put an end to his at
tempted usurpation.
The country owes much to Senator De-
Doe for this result To his direct interfer-
ence Is it due that Taylor has been
brought to his senses. Aside from the
very proper refusal Of the federal author
tiles to send troops into Kentucky, no
other circumstance has had as strong an
effect on the situation as the telegram
already published as having been for
warded by Senator Deboe to Taylor.
This result is another vindication Of
the efficacy of peaceful methods. Taylor
and his associates destroyed all possibil-
ity of sustainment when they set about
repudiating the civil authority. Such a
the Kentucky notion Of the surest road
to success. But, happily, there is public
sentiment outside of Kentucky which
cannot be ignored, and the effect Of that
public sentiment has been to condemn
unreservedly everything that had trans
pired on the part of the de facto state
authorities since the assault on Senator
Goebel
So far as the outside public knew any
thing about the specific provisions Of the
so-called Goebel election law they con-
demned 1t. The condemnation was not
confined to Republicans. Democrats were
never blinded to the purely partisan char
acter of that enactment, so far as its pro-
visions were known to them. But the law
was on the statute books, and its effect
upon Republican officials, when that ef-
feet was favorable, having been accepted
urged them to its reputation when its
final operation was against their claims.
When the Democratic election board or
ganized under that law gave certificates
of election to Taylor and his associates,
and these gentlemen ratified that action
by accepting their certificates, the law
was no longer In issue. Were it's provis-
ions hundred fold more unjust than the
Republicans claimed them to be. there
was no longer any excuse whatever for
refusing to be b5uad by them.
Whether Kentuckians like it or not.
their state is now recognized as hot
bed of assassination. The Staying of Sen
ator Goebel was mere incident in the
programme of assa ssinauon which seems
to be so acceptable to that people in the
adjustment of personal and political diff
ficulties. 1t is conceded that no man is
ordinarily braver than Kentuckian in a
fair stand-up fight, no matter what the
weapons may be. But a fair stand-up
fight does not appear to be popular, and
assassination has become the rule of con-
duct in personal and political feuds. No
doubt Mr.. Goebels assassin deemed him
self to be doing an act which would ap-
peal to the approval Of all his political
associates. He had been taught so to be-
lieve by the press of his party, had he
been an attentive reader of that press
for any length of time before he commit
ted his brutal crime. He is not alone to
blame. Every adult man in the state Of
Kentucky is morally responsible before
civilized opinion
Palliation or defense is no longer posi-
BILE. Unless there is a radical change in
the prevailing standards of morals, and
some decent respect for the sanctity Of
human life is restored to that state, it
will continue to be regarded as a danger
Gus and debased community.