Washington sentinel., 1900-02-03
Rentuoky's Anarchist.

Democrats rests their States nope
Of escaping anarchy.
A man OF any personal sensitive
ness would have been so ANXIOUS
to avoid the iaintest imputatlon OF
a desire to proht by a cowardiy
crime that he would rather have
lost some OF his rights than to have
taken ADVANTAGE Of the attempted
assassination OF his opponent to
secure them. But Mr.. Taylor is
troubled with no such qualms. He
hastens to grasp the fruits Of muir
der with an aVidity that could not
have been exceeded if he had
planned the deed himself.
Taylor's purpose in adjOurning
the Legislature to remote coun
try village in lawless region filled
with his own partisans, where there
is no police protection, where muir
derous feuds are endemic and
where the Winchester is the Gus
tomary substitute for JUDGE and
jury, needs no diagram. He thinks
that the Democratic legislators
will not risk their lives in the den
from which the assassins oil Goebel
swarmed down to Frankfort, and
so that the members of the Repub-
lican minority will be able to or
ganize a bogus Legislature which
he can recognize. And even it the
Democrats should trust themselves
in the homs of his band of assas-
sins he still has the hope that Goe-
bel may die before the date he has
set for the legislative sessions.
It should be borne in mlnd that
w. S. Taylor is the first man in this
contest who has stepped outside
the orderly processes of the law;
or rather his bravo who shot Goe-
bel was the 6rst and Taylor was
the second. There had been many
accusations OF sharp practice. but
up to the time Ta"lor's partisans
fred at Goebel every step had been
legal.
In the election last TALL Taylor
received plurality OF a,38s on the
face OF the returns, out of a total
vote Of 4o3,oo7. He received 4S
per cent. Of the total vote to Goe-
bells 47.47 per cent. If he got an
honest plurality Of one vote he was
entitled to the office, but the figures
do not show such a popular up
rising on his behalf as to make it
Self-eVident that any contest over
the returns would be an attempt
to overthrow the will OF the peo-
pie. We have often had disputes
involving more votes than Taylor's
plurality in New York, and we
have settle d them peaceably, Quay
casts from twenty to tortv times as
many fraudulent votes as that in
Philadelphia at ev cry election.
The Democrats prosecuted their
claim from one tribunal to another
in legal way. When :heY lost in
one they did no shooting-theY
simply took their case to the next.
AT last there was only constitu-
tional appeal leit--to the Legisla-
ture. They prepared to take that.
Meanwhile they had allowed Tay-
lor to receive a certificate OF elec.
ton from a Democratic canvass
ing board on his prima iacie title,
and they had permitted him to be
peacefully inauguTated.
Matters having proceeded leg
ally thus far, an understanding got
abroad that the last tribunal having
constitutional jurisdiction of the
case, the Legislature, would de-
eide in favor OF Goebel. The ad-
herents Of Taylor said that this
would be an outrage. Suppose it
would, at any rate IT would be a
legal one, for which the American
method Of redress would be an ap-
peal 10 the people at the next cleo
ton. II it were as repulsive as al
legged it would naturally insure the
vote of Kentucky to Mckinley and
a Republican Congressional dele
cation next fall.
But Taylor and his followers
could not wait for legal remedies.
Twelve hundred armed men from
the ieud region went down to
Frankfort, threatening the lives Of
the legislators. Then one or more
OF them shot Goebel from the win
dows OF the building occupied by
Governor Taylor, and Taylor's
guards refused to permit search
to be made for the assassins, who
have consequently escaped. Next
Taylor falsely proclaimed the ex-
istence OF an insurrection, in which
the only shots fired had come from
his own men. and had the law