The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-09-15

L
depths of depravity and demoraliza-
ton to which his party had sunk, re-
nounced it forever. This man was
General S. B. Buckner, man whose
life has helped make history,
Gould anything be more humilisting
than his burning words Saturday,
when he said:
81 was educated at an institution
whose motto is: Duty, honor, coun.
try This has taught me that we
should not live altogether for our
selves, but that we owe something to
others, that in our dealings with the
world we should always be frank and
truthful; and that 1t is incumbent ON
every citizen to devote his best ener-
gies to the welfare end happiness OF
his country. Believing in the truth
Of this teaching, as q citizen, / have
allied myself with that political party,
whose principles, in my Judgment,
would best promote the common vel
fare.
How many others have found that
the Democratic party now boasts of no
such words in its vocabulary as duty,
honor and country 2" How many
other proud, hoary heads, see the tot.
tering structure of their once proud
party as it threatens to crumble and
pass into we'll earned oblivion, and are
seeking the party "whose principles
promote the common welfare'-the
Republican?
General Buckner says Of the party
that he once called his own: Modern
Democrats teach that chicsnery, theft
and all forms of fraud should be prac.
ticed to overthrow the will of the ma
Jority and to install in offices of trust
defeated candidates who have no right
to bold them; it teaches instead of
that persons accused should be tried
by fair juries. that "juries should be
packed and judges chosen to prosecute
the innocent and to turn criminals
loose upon the community"
General Buckner says further that
he is former Democrat, because
modern Democrats have appropriated
a hundred thousand dollars Of the peo
pies substance as blood money for the
encouragement of perjury, and
for the better comprising the judicial
murder of political adversaries; and
their only logic in defense of their
devious ways is coarse and indecent
S,tuperation of those who would not,
like themselves, discard the principles
of their party. and, in the hope OF
personal advancement, betray the best
interests Of their country.
II am one of those former Demo
Gratis, he declared, ''who believes in
the right Of the people to govern
who, in the words OF q
orator, loves his party |
too we'll to be willing that it should
betray his country and whose confes-
sion Of political faith may be found in
the Democratic platform Of principles
promulgated at indianapolis in 1896.
Il is because / am such Democrat
that am here today at the opening OF
a political contest which is Of vital in
terest 10 every citizen Of the common
wealth.
mo question OF pational politics is
involved in this contest. 1t concerns
only our own state government. The
issue is q simple one and well defined.
Shall we submit to the misrule Of .
self constituted and self-perpetrating
oligarchy Of officeholde:s, or shall the
people rise in their majesty and assert
their rights to self-government and
free institutions? This question you
must decide next November"
He thus contrasts the two tickets;
Republican: "A platform Of princi-
pies on which every patriot can stand.
It demands fair elections, submission
to the will Of the people, the enforce
ment of laws and suppression of crime,
! and the redemption Of the state from
the misruls which has. In recent years,
degraded the commonwealth in the
estimation OF the whole country. With
this platform they have offered for
your support candidates whose charac-
ters invite the closest scrutiny"
Democratic: ga ticket fabricated
by q political machine, which faunts
the stolen banner of Democracy and
which would not permit the party
which they profess to represent free
expression Of their choice of canfi-
datea. We have the best proof of this