The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-19
A CHAPTER
OF INSIDE
HISTORY
In the Kentucky Election Contained
in Correspondence Which Took
Place Between
BELMONT AND W4TTERSON
Relative to Proposed 1sgislation
Against the IntersHts Of the
1. an. Railroad.

Milton n. Smith. president Of the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad COM
pany, has given out the following corr
respondenco. mention Of which was
made In the editorial Of Henry Waiter
son, regarding the Kentucky election:
NEW YORK. Feb. IS, 1900,
NJ. II. Smith, President Loulsvillo & Nash-
vile Railroad Company, lOuIaville, KY.
Persistent illusions to the coFrespon-
dence OF Colonel Watterson and myself
of July last. and a tendency to mis-
represent its supposed contents. compel
me to authorize the publication by you
OF the entire correspondence, as'well as
the minutes OF the meeting OF the board
of the Louisville q Nashville company,
copy of which was sent to Colonel
watterson at that time, The reasons
for my hesitation to give the 'corres-
pondence to the public, apGft from my
already expressed feeling that It was
not an opportune time in the present
state Of public mind IN Kentucky, were
that felt reluctant without Colonel
watterson's consent to publish the let
ter of gentleman in Colonel Waiter
sons position, and for whom have al
ways entertained personal regard,
containing the bald statement made be-
fore the actual campaign had fairly be-
gun, that the election was not to be
left to chance, which meant. OF course,
that the will Of the people was not to
determine the result of the contest.
Coming from him. recognized as he was
then and has since proved himself to
be, an influential supporter of Mr. Goe-
bel, such statement was well calcu-
lated to alarm all vested interests in
Kentucky. to which Mr.. Goebel and his
adherents were known 10 be hostile, the
property confded to my supervision
being especially singled out by them
for assault and destruction. II their
public utterances during the past cam
pajgn and .sinca. arr. TO. ha taliPp ~ an!
index. as to the corFesp56dsnee. II
speaks for itself and must stand, for /
say now, and do not propose to be
drawn from the position feel my ofii-
clal duty and trust require, as well as
my personal dignity, that will under
no circumstances enter into contro-
very with Colonel Watterson or his
newspaper, feeling that the abuse OF
both the officers Of the Louisville &
Nashville railroad individually and the
corporation itself does not even now,
and certainly will not later when cool
Judgment reviews the past, meet with
the appreciation of the thinking people
OF Kentucky ut large tits useless to
attempt to stem vltuperation which
has becmoe both habit and a political
convenience. The public will in due
course appreciate it. and the Louisville
& Nashville railroad will continue, as
heretofore. to attend to It's business and
the share It has been in the welfare of
the state.
An extract from the minutes Of
meeting of board OF directors Of the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad com-
puny, which was held at the cOmpany's
ONCE No. l.l Broadway, Now York
City, on Tuesday. July II, 1888, at 2:l5
o'clock p. m.
The chairman submitted letter from
the Hon. Henry wattsrsoni editor OF
the Courier-Iournal dated Louisville,
Ky. JUNE 80. 1899, reading as follows:
wattsrsOn to Belmont.
LOUISVILLE, June 30, 1899.
My Dear Mr.. Belmont
Asyour personal friend and as friend
OF the LOGisville & Nashville railroad, l
venture, to write you this letter
In mg judgment, the local adminissra-
tion "a the road Is entering upon a
courR, which. II IL does not tend 20 de-
stro the property. will greatly burden
Rnfs impair Il,
She Democratic state tlciet just nom
irR.ted will certainly be elected. I'M
Ger the operation Of the Goebel law the
result la not left to choice.
In It's purpose to beat Goebcl the
Louisville & NaehvillH managers have
already expended large gums OF money
in futile attempts. To do this they
have not only made themselves respoH-
slblc for two unpopular and unlnhuen-
tiai newspapers. but they have set up
sentative a man by the name OF Whal-
len, the proprietor Of a Variety thea
ter. and undoubtedly the most odlous
personality In the city and In the state.
Al every turn they have met defeat, and
they viii surely meet II in next Novem-
ber.
For thirty years the Courier journal
has been the steady. dislnterested friend
OF tho road. Believing u public In
stltution OF the greatest usefulness, and
a most Important factor In all our af-
fairs, Mr. Haldeman and myself have
supported It at every juncture requiring
support. This has never cost the road
a penny.
But under the policy now adopted, a
war Of determination Is made upon US
through the newspapers In question.
and the man Whailen. backed M by the
money OF the road. The end ID a. GER
tain Us the day of election. The issue,
as Il now stands, is the Democratic
party VI. the Louisville E. Nashville
railroad. and on that Issue the road
could not win, even II its Newspaper
supporters were handled With capacity
and discretion But they are not 10
handled. They are the mereal partisan
concerns. without circulation or inilu-
encc. conducted apparently with no
other purpose than to abuse the Courier
Journal. II you will cause 10 be sent
10 you the Dispatch ana the Evening
Post for a single week, and will look
over them each day, you VIII be- able to
ReS for yourself how the matter atRndA
ON that showing alone. I WOpid b. will
Ing to rest the caRa.
In my iudlTnent tfa dttfadibn n both