, 1900-02-15

fer his firm won their merited reward
He was first employed by Stevenson &
Meyers in Cincinnati. Later, when
that firm was dissolved, he continued
with Governor John W. Stevenson in
the firm of Stevenson & O'Hara. He
became prominent while yet with them
as a pleader of cases against corpora
lions, and made a speciality of damage
cases against the railroads. He con-
ceived a better a~ntagonism to all rail
roads, and felt particularly bitter
against the Louisville and Nashville
railroad. So successful was he in this
line Of work that after the firm OF
Stevenson & O'Hara was dissolved he
became the partner of Governor Stew
enson. He continued in this relation
for a number of years, until the gov
errors death, and then became asso-
ciated with John G. Carlisle.
He was associated with Carlisle con
t%inuously until the appointment of the
senator as secretary of the treasury.
The relationship then severed was new
er resumed, and Goebel began the prac-
tice Of law alone with such success
that he was soon earning in the neigh
borhood of s25 900 a a along his an
Incorporation lines.
But whatever his hobbies might be.
he was remarkably astute in never al
lowing them to interfere with his self
advancement. In fact. they generally
contributed to his success. He laid his
plans well. and never allowed anything
to escape him. Every little detail was
arranged a long time ahead, and his
plans rarely had to. be altered by sue
ceeding events. If they were changed
the contingencies which arose were al
ways provided for. 1t was this habit
Of looking a long way ahead and plan
ming each detail 10 prevent failure that
led to the drafting and passing of the
Goebel election law a year before he
wished to use it. 1t was passed for the
very purpose for which it later became
useful-to C his election as gov
ernor Of the state when he became a
candidate last year. And it has serv-
ed its purpose well, in spite of the fact
that it led to his assassination.
The law provided for the creation OF
a central board, which passes upon all
election returns and declares the re-
suits upon the returns which it re-
ceives from the county boards through
out the state. The difference is that
the state board appoints each of the
county boards, and the county boards
in their turn appoint the election Off
GERS, so that the state board can con-
troll the election officers, directly ap-
pointing those who will serve its will
in determining what the reports of the
various counties shall be, If these cleo
ton officers fail to do its bidding
throughout the state, and in spite of
their work the wrong candidate is
elected, they can still declare the cleo
ton to have gone the way they wish
1t, and there is nc chance for the OPP
posing party to win. The difficulty
with which Goebel met in carrying out
this plan was that one of his lieuten-
ants in the state board failed to do his
bidding. when it was found that in
spite Of the doctoring of returns by
the various county boards Taylor still
had enough votes to elect him to the
gubernatorial chair.
Taylor alone could never have swept
Kentucky as he did. 1t was the anti
Goebel democrats that enabled him to
do this. They were arrayed against
Goebel because OF his action in the
convention to nominate a democratic
candidate. The convention was pledg-
ed to nominate William Stone for gov
ernor, but in spite Of this he went in
with a small delegation and won out in
the briskest kind Of a fight. OF course,
the opponents whom he had thwarted
were. ready to throw their support to
the republican candidate, and with
them were the great numbers of demo-
Gratis whom Goebel had offended dur
A6 ITO pohS ocilcS VI DdtlitS III MS
senatorial career.
His management OF the nominating
convention gives an insight into his
cool and calculating character. Know
ing the necessity of keeping posted as
to the chances in the balloting, he Sc
cured the services of a bookmaker's
sheet writer of Chicago. and this In.
dividual kept tally on the balloting in
a manner similar to the way he keeps
his bets in the bookmaker's box. As a
result, Mr.. Goebel could tell at a glance
at any time just how he stood and Just
how his opponents stood. 1t was this
valuable information which caused him
to be at all times master of the situa-
tioD, and to refuse to listen to his
friends when they wanted hin to with
draw. He. knew all the details of the
convention, and knew the standing of
every delegate. He sat on the stage be-
hind the secretary, with his coat off
and his legs crossed. He appeared as
cool as a piece of ice. He never allow
ed himself to be disturbed by the ex-
| citing scenes with which the conven-