The National tribune., 1902-09-11
POLITICAL CONDITIONS.

POLITICAL CONDITIONS.
An open letter from Henry Watterson
to the Democrats of Kentucky is pregnant
with more themes for the thinking. patri-
otic man than anything which has been
published recently from any source. He
says:
EXCLUSIVELY PERSONAL.
''To the Democrats of Kentucky:
Since so much has been said on the
subject without authorization of mine, II
seems proper that should in some public
manner declare that l shall not be can
didate for Governor of Kentucky.
when the suggestion was originally
made l gave it cEteI eItainment and con-
sideration. 1t was represented to me that
il consented l might Iely upon substan-
tial unanimity in the nominating conven-
ton. aid. although | am too old n hand
at the bellows 10 take stock in any such
nonsense. / confess thar the thought OF
uniting the party in n new departure on
high. broad lines of public policy. lifting
the State ont of the ruts of faction and
restoring it to its former place at the head
of the marching column of the Ma
tlOnai Democracy, WIS not without
its allurement to one who has always
held Office, and Offlcialisin in all its forms,
in sincere aversion. There was especial
attraction in the idea of going out among
the Democrats OF kc.ltncky, and from one
end of the State to the other of proclaim
ing the doctrines of the Fathers of Dc
mocracy as the sole hope of the future OF
the party; Of meeting all Corners face to
face in the substantiation of truth. in the
denunciation of falsehOod, and in the de-
fense of my own record, and, by direct
appeal, addressed to the good sense aud
good feeling, the higher nature and the
loftier aspiration of the people. to win q
vote of confidence after a lifetime of ar
duous, disintercsted service. l did nol
doubt what their verdict would be after
they had heard me, nor do l doubt this
now.
Il think know the Democrats Of Ken
lucky well. They are n cranky lot; but
am something of crank myself W.
have had our ups and downs. They will
give me credit at least for padding my
own canoe. Whether in the matter OF
1S9G they were right. or l was right, all
Of us paid the penalty. If they were right
they whipped me. ard as on a certain Oc.
casion old Sam Houston observed, they
whipped ME good That ought to satisfy
them. II I was right, and they whipped
me- wronsfuliy, Heaven knows l forgive
them.
MANY things have happened since
then. Many things are likely to happen
before the end of the chapter. In my
appointed sphere and place 1 shall en-
dcavor to lead, as have always led. with
the feaf of God before me; answcrable al
all times only to God and my own con.
science.
"Prefcrment is not for me. Brought to
the point where l must look the situation
full in the eye, l am appalled, by the con,
ditioRs which the successful candidate for
Office must needs meet and overcome; the
rogucs and cheats he must court, or CO
zen; the serviiity he must affect, or prac-
tice; the obligations incur; the personal
solicitation, ignoble and humiliating; the
use of money more or less corrupt and
cOrrupting; for, though he have an over
wheiming minority of the people at his
back, there stands the machine, first to be
captured and then to be deployed, with all
that this implies.
although l have never had machine,
l am not stranger either to the char
acter or the efficacy of machine methods.
Nor do l lack some points of vantage in
case L wanted to construct Il machine for
my own purpose. But no unclean dollar
has ever passed my hand. either coming
or going, and l am too old to turn ras-
cal. Sometimes, l have declared that /
should like the people TO write Governor
of Kentucky on my tombstone. But
should i'll rest in my grave if there were
the suspicion of stain upon Il letter of that
honorable epitaph.
1T is known to those who know any
thing of my private affairs that | could
fill no office requiring all of my time with
out a very serious diminution of income.
Without counting the cost of canvass,
+ yiSf in off OF
Frankfort except Mt an outlay Of money
greater than l feel that l can fairly sub
tract from the reasonable expectation of
those who have natural claims upon me.
Contemplated from afar, the hope of rem
dering the people, the party and the State
some service, a hope which became the
most inspiring as ii tasted of self-sacri-
fee, expelled from my estimate cOnsidera-
tions of n more material kind. With the
nearer approach of the time when de-
cision must be made, / am admOnished
not less by my business obligations than
by the judgment and wishes of my family
to descend from the clouds and to bethink
myself of these things; and. doing this,
1t seems little short Of preposterous that
should proceed with n suggestion, which
has taken no form or body through any
act of mine. In one word, let me say,
that the apple tempted me; but that 1 did
not eat, and that shall not eat.
Prom many parts of the State and
from some of the best men have received
assurances Of friendly sympathy and sup
port. I thank them one and all, and with
all my heart. Nor am without certain
sense of Indebtedness to those enemies
who by the fabrication Of all sorts Of
pretensions on my part have sought to de-
fame and injure me, but who have in
reality much strengthened me with con-
siderate people. In the long run, lying
rarely hurts anybody except its authors.
/ stand upon my record, such rs it is. and,
profoundly grateful to my fellow citizens
OF every way Of thinking for their conf
dence and favor. often in the face of Sc
rious differences Of opinion-profonndly
hopeful Of the future Of the party and the
own rOof-tree, till my race is run, a free
man, a Kentuckian. and Democrat.
"HENRY WATTERSON.
louisville, Aug. 13. 1902
1t would be silly to assume that the
conditions to which Mr.. Watterson al
ludes are confined to Kentucky. or to the
Democrats Of Kentucky. The frank,
truthful. observing man of any party
must know that much Of what Mr.. Wat
own party and locality. 1t is what a
shrewd, honest. forceful man, of long ex-
perience in politics, has learned Of politi-
cal conditions which obtained more or less
everywhere and in all parties.
To correctly diagnose disease is half
the cure. The imperative needs of the
hour are not new issues and new party
81; k,,A ]