The age-herald., 1900-02-13
CHAUNCY DEPEW AT
 LINCOLN BANQUET H6 Discusses the Kentucky Situation at Length. 7GOEBEL WAS RESPONSIBLE 
The Opportunity for Fraud Vas Great.
PEOPLE ROSE IN INDIGNATION
The Senator Said the Kentuckian Had Framed a Law Which Robbed the People ot Their
 Rights


 Denevv presided over and delivered dhe prdncipal address at the fourteenth an- nual Lincoln dinner of the Republican club held at Delmonico's tonight. The dinner was attended by over 300 members of the club and their guests. notable guest present was Uincoln's register of the treas ury, E. Chittenden, who is now an octo- genarian. Among the other guests or honor were Abner Mckinley, General G. McCook, General Samuel Thomas, Attor- ney-General Griggs, Congressman Robert G. Cousins of Iowa, Beriah Wilkins and Prof. Edward Markham.
 Senator Depew before introducing the first speaker addressed the gathering in part as follows:
 "A student of the teachings of Lincoln will find instructive lessons applicable to the present conditions in the state of Ken lucky. The situation in the commonwealth brings emphatically to the front one Of the perils of our constitution. The country is filled With horror both at the murder or MT. Goebel and the causes which led to 1t. ''Dismissing the tragedy which we all la nnent and which was the culmination of Kentucky's electoral difficulties, we come at once to the lesson of Lincoln. The whole spirit and philosophy of Udncoln's politics were the power of the people. No statesman ever so thoroughly believed that the voice of the people is the voice of God. His appeal was always the judgment and console nee of his fellow citizens and he bowed with reverence to the decision of the majority when that decision was clear ly rendered.
 The Goebel Law
 MT. Goebel prepared and had enacted an: election law, which went by his name, and whose avowed object was to prevent the people from having their win unless their votes were in accordance with his, wishes. The opportunity for fraud upon the ballot and violations to the popular judgment was placed upon the statute books of the comm on wealth of Kentucky, this crime against liberty and popular gov ernment aroused such indignation among the intelligent and hoest voters of Ken lucky that they repudiated this invasion of their rights by an overwhelming majority. Upon orders from the chiefs thousands of votes were thrown out in different locali- ties. When this wholesale slaughter of the suffrage still left large majority against MT. Goebel and his associates on the ar rival of the returns to the supreme board at the capitol, tine American conscience of two of the judges rose superior to the party's demand for commission ofthe high est crime known to free government. These two judges standing against the con- spiracy which threatened their political lives am. their public careers, and acting honestly upon the law and the facts, de- serve to be pla'-d in t'e highest position of honor in the list of the patriots of their state.
 Against the judgment of these two honest partisans MT. Goebel and his associates ap- pea1ed to the legislature to use authority which that body possesses for the purpose ofscarrying out the original object of their legislature, which was to prevent the peo- pie from having their way, to corrupt the suffrage, to nullify the ballot and to cruelty every principle of representative govern ment. Such a crime in a presidential eec- tion would produce consequences from which the imagination shrnk.s This event may be most interesting issue in the com- ing presidential campaign.
 ''The distinguished man who will proba- bly, be the democratic candidate, and who is delivering daily and nightly orations up- on the violations of the declarations of in- dependence in the Philippines by organiz- ing government there without the consent of the governed, also twice visited Ken- lucky during these troubles and gave the moral support of his presence and influ- ence to the Goebel side. Should he be nom- mated the line will at once be drawn be- tween our constitutional right to govern the Philippines as colonies and the uncon- stitutional action of the colonel's friends in Kentucky"