The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-26
The Kentucky situation.


free institutions. Its bold and unblushina
attempt to violate the plain letter of the
Constitution in depressing the American
territory of Porto Rico would sesm to JUS
tify the opinion that it will stop at nothing
in carrying cut its purposes. There is a
possibility, however, that point might be
reached at which it would feel the necessi-
ty for a halt in the presence of national
and noa-partisan resentment and wrath.
Perhaps this is only possibility, since we
find the Administration and its associates
in Congress defiantly determined to force
the Payne Foraker infamy to passage, not
witbstanding an excited and vehement ad-
verse public sentiment throughout the
country.
On Saturday it was the general opinion
in Republican circles that a way would be
found to interfere in Kentucky in favor of
the Taylor insurrectionists, and that mill
tary preparations were being quietly made
with that end IN view. Taylor had advised
the President that two armed bodies con-
fronted each other in Frankfort. and that
there would be bloodshed unless Federal
probably did not trouble himself to explain
a fact already within executive knowledge.
namely that one of these armed bodies
consisted Of his own Iawless bandtti, in
instruction against the State, and that
the other was composed of the civil and
militia forces of the legal State Govern
ment What he did convey clearly was
-,
Army to overawe the Commonwealth, he
might be supported in his rebellion, and
maintained in the Executive Building at
Frankfort until after the contested cleo
tion cases had been presented to the Su-
preme Court of the United States. 1t is
unnecessary to remark that such acton
would mean that the cases in question
would not be allowed to reach hearing
until after the Presidential election, wAen,
in the event that it should be desirable to
throw out the vote of Kentucky on the
pretenee of a state of revolution within
its borders, that could be accomplished.
But Saturday and Monday are not the
same. What the powers behind the throne
might have ordered and Mr. Mckinley have
been Wiling to perform two days ago he
perhaps would hesitate TO do today. On
Saturday the blistering evidence of the dy-
ing and repentant assassination conspirator.
Golden. had not been published to the hor-
ror of all liberty loving people, and to the
lasting disgrace of the Hanna nursed Re-
publican organization in Kentucky. That
evidence, which here need not be reviewed
in detail. as by this time, it has been read
by nearly every intelligent citizen of the
country. directly duplicates the bandit
leader Taylor in the plot to murder Gov
ernor Goebel and enough Democratic mem
bers of the Legislature to give the Repub-
licans majority in that body.
1t is a sad and startling commentary
upon the moral decadence OF the party
which once marched to victory under the
spotless banner of Abraham Lincoln, that,
in the last days of the century of Amer
lean history which he did more TO render
illustrious than any other single man. it
has fallen SO low that a petted section OF
it can deliberately as in cold blood plan
the massacre Of Senators and Assemblymen
at their desks and duty. in order to obtain
a political advantage which would inure
to the benefit of their. trust masters in
an impending Presidential election. 1t has
all the appearance of homicidal madness
preceding, and Immediately preceding,
party suicide. Great crimes and criminals
are the products of more or less definite
evolution. In the connection We are con-
sidering the evolution began when the
Presidency was stolen in 1876 and it has
been progressing through various stages of
machine corruption, the bribery or coercion
OF voters the purchase of seats in the SEN
ate, selling out the party organization to
the trusts and monopolies at last to open
and impudent violation of the Constitution
and the hideous crime in Kentucky. When we
look back through the annals of the present
Administration. remembering how it was
brought into power with a corruption fund
amounting to sixteen million dollars, and
reflect upon the continued story of Al
gerism. Eagauism, Sampsonism, the rotten
beef atrocity, the fever camp felonies, the
whitewash commissions, the Treasury and
Standard Oil bank scandal and the OPP
preston of starving Porto Rico at the COM
mand of the trusts, the wonder is. not that
such a thing as a conspiracy to butcher
the Democratic members of the Kentucky
Legislature has occurred in the final year
of President MeKinley's term, but that
other phenomena OF like character have not
been observable before.
The story told by the State witness.
Golden. on the stand has all the appearance
OF straightforward. connected. and fully
credible narrative of actual events. There
is reason to believe that the State has a
reinforcement Of other witnesses in the
background who are relied upon to fully
Republican Secretary OF State, who, it is
alleged. acted as general manager of the
assassination conspiracy, and hired the
persons employed for the murder of Gov
ernor Goebel and other Democrats will be
very fortunate IL he escapes the extreme
penalty OF the law. And the Golden testi-
mony points the finger OF suspicion so
strongly al Taylor that he. too. may be in
danger from the legal arm of the Common
wealth he has so impudently and wickedly
dehed. and still defies in the hope of bayo-
net ard Calling aid from the chiefs OF his
party in Washington
On Saturday there were good grounds for
believing that they had determined to ex-
tend It. VIII they do so now? Are they
public opinion that Federal troops are