The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1904-06-15


ed 1t in the Kentucky Legislature
the winter before. He had the
same convention to endorse the
election law, of which he was the
author, although daily during the
Legislature that it was enacted the
Courier. Journal and the Times had
been as severe in their denuncia-
ton of him and his measure as
t ey have been of me. Upon this
d atform he was nominated pos
sessing not a single plank, advo-
Gated by either of these papers, yet
he sought what looked to me an
impossibility, their support. HIS
gigantic mind had solved the prob
lem-he had looked into their faces.
He turned over to them what they
lost in 1896, the organization in
the city of Louisville and they in
turn supported him, and for the
first time in my life learned what
that famous declaration made in
1896, meant "no compromise
with dishonor.'
Upon every stump in Kentucky,
William Goebel proclaimed in that
campaign "if l am elected Govern
or and the legislature should re-
peal or alter the election law, l will
veto that measure sure Yet his
tongue had hardly been silenced,
his great brain had hardly ceased
to act, the hand that chiseled out
this monument of which he was
proudest, had scarcely been para
lived by the assassin's bullet until
these same honorable" gentlemen,
who dictated the policy OF these
honorable" Democratic papers
were demanding in the Lexington
Convention that nominated Gov
ernor Beckham a declaration in |
favor of repeating this law. We
had 80 dc 1t or they would bolt.
Again they could not compromise
with dishonor. oh, unholy set,
when I saw you lay your foul hands !
upon the monument of my dead
friend, whom i loved and trusted
and who in turn trusted me, and
tear it down as cody as you would
carve meat in your stall, | resolved
then that no such vultures should
ever by any act of mine come in
control of the greatest party onl
.arth In the grandest State beneath
the sun.
With the recollection of all this
fresh in my mind, l came 10 Louis
Vile at the request Of Governor
Beckham in the last cam paign, foil
the purpose of inducing the orga. ii |
cation in the City of Louisvil.!.e to
support him for Governor. for II
knew he would not tpfn loose the
assassins who he'd murdered my
friend. fouId that they were in
a plot to defeat him. then went
10 zee John II. Whalen, for whose
Democracy l have the same sort of
respect | have for that of the
Courier-Journal gang. l found
that he was willing to support our
ticket provided l would assure him
that all Democrats who were can
didates before the approaching
primary in Louisville, would have
a square deal, votes counted for
them that were cast and an equal
division of the ele tion officers In
that primary This was consented
to by Governor Beckham and others
in the fight. l agreed that every
cand date before theprimary should
have a fair chance and an honest
count When it come to the time
that they were to he nominated, l
was petitioned by these candidates,
twenty-three in number, and also
by the Democratic Executive Com
mitteeman of the City of Louisville
to carry out my promise. l invit-
ed them to appear before the State
Central Committee and present
their grievances. They did so and
showed that they did not have a
single election officer in all the
precincts Of the City of Louisville;
that the Committees then constf-
tuted had even refused them ad
mittance in the room where the
officers were selected, or even to
permit them to know who the
officers of the election were. The
Committee decided that this was
harmful TO the party and unjust
to the people that submitted their
claims to the Democratic party.
And they adopted the resolution
directing me, as Chairman of the
Committee, TO see that fair pri-
mary was held, and that every vote
that was cast was counted for the
man for whom 1T was cast.
Then it was that / set about to
carry out this resolution; then it
was that / was threatened by the
| Courier-Journal if did so that