The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-13
MEN AND THINGS.
in Washington Post.

Savoyard, in Washington Post.
 Nearly everybody in Kentucky says Joe Blackburn Is going to be reelected United States Senator Occasionally one runs on a man who thinks the Beckham machine will defeat him, but the only reason he assigns for that belief is that the machine is admirably organized, while Joe Is depending on public opinion, and, truth to say, he has rarely invoked that great force in vain. The Republicans appear to give the Democrats no concern, and go so far as to say that they have no pretentions. Perhaps they are right. I have re- gently been on the ground. and give 1t as my deliberate opinion that the Re- publican party of Kentucky Is the only thing in the world the Democratic par ty of Kentucky can beat. and perhaps 1t is the only thing in the world that the Democratic party of Kentucky ought to beat.
 Joe Blackburn is an extraordinary man. He is abundantly endowed with the quality of Individuality, and he has great personal magnetism. If he had intellectual industry and imagination he would be one of the greatest men America has produced, He Is the last of the Hotspurs; Tillman is more like Glendower. Joe has prescriptivn right to do all the indiscreet things
  capable of and he not only exercises the right, but he abuses 1t, and carries 1t to extreme length,
 Yet 1t does not affect his popularity, and he has more friends who will swim the river for him than any other man in the State, and this Is the more strange, because Blackburn has never been accused of or suspected of, swim ming the river for anybody else. He Is our Joe. We long ago gave him all the rights that he could take. and took of his hands all the duties he had. if Indeed. he ever had apy. We sent him to Congress, and kept him there ten years, then we gave him Cerro Gordo Wiliams's toga Tn the Senate. and he had that twelve years. He was out four years-all because he got to think ing and practicing some nonsense he called statesmanship. an economic. ab- surdity known as 16 to 1. But Joe re- covered from that, and from the con fusion and the chaos of the Goebel cam paign he emerged with another Sena- torial term. The Legislature chosen this year will elect his successor. and the machine has selected Judge Thomas H. Paynter of the State Supreme bench to oppose him.
 It is claimed by the machine that the solid delegations in the two houses of the Legislature from the Fifth Con- gressional District. composed of the city of Louisville and County of Jefrer- son, will be for Paynter. In the first place, 1t Is not certain that Louisville will go Democratic this year. There Is fusion ticket in the field. supported by Editor Knott of The Louisville Post. and thousands of Democrats. and if 1t is an honest election this ticket will win. But even If the Democrats win. the Senators and members from Louis ville will vote as they are ordered. and 1t is by no means certain that they will be ordered to vote against Joe
 Since the assassination of Goebel the Democratic machine has done as 1t pleased. and some of It's capers and shines have been outrageous It held primary election in 1903 that was noth- ing in the world but a ratification of a ticket the machine had predetermined. For while Henry Watterson was a candidate. They soon served notice on him that he need not apply. They also drove off the track Robert J. Breckin- ridge. John K. Hendrick, and a Demo- crat from the mountains. BeclSham had no opposition. an dthe whole thing was