New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-05
DIES IRAE IN KENTUCKY.

Dolorous times in the Old Kentucky Home
Waiting and gnashing of teeth in Paris. Yer
sailles Frankfort Richmond. Cynthiana and all
the other noted centres of Blue Grass culture
The Hon. Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn, the
quintessence of Blue Grass chivalry and Blue
Grass craftsmanship has been endorsed IN
Democratic legislative caucus and dispossessed
of seat in the United States Senate by mere
judge from the pennyroyal district in Western
Kentucky. Such tragedies enough to I'M
nerve the stoutest hearted and to plunge
whole state into the megrims. Once before
somewhat similar catastrophe occurred. MIR.
Blackburn was retired to private life in 1897,
the Republicans having captured the legislature.
But Kentucky only grieved and waited, and
when the opportunity came restored him to Con-
gress and the country. But now. with record
Of forty years Of active leadership, the last ex-
emplar Of the older school of Blue Grass orators
and statesmen he Is unceremoniousy jolted out
of Office through the fundamentally of par
tisan machine manipulated by the Hon. j. w. u
Beckham, the boy Governor"
Truly, the old order changes and gives place
to the new, even in parts of the world where
the old order seemed to have intrenched itself
most securely. Twenty years ago Kentucky was
represented in public life by group OF men
who profoundly impressed their ideas on ma
tional politics. James B. Beck, ]. O. s. Black
burn John G.. Carlisle, William Lindsay, W. G..
P Breckenridge James B. McCreary and Henry
Watterson were group of leaders of excep-
tional capacity. They made Kentucky respected
and powerful. To-day Blackburn and Nc
Creary alone remain in public life. But Black
burns decapitation has been decreed by the
forces in control in Kentucky and McCreary's is
shortly to follow.
The other day before the Democratic caucus
was held at Frankfort Colonel Watterson was
moved to some mournful reflections in a New
Years editorial in THE Courier Journal" He
admitted Kentucky's advance in material pros
perity, but declared that the last ten years will
mot show a surplus to progress in good works
land intellectual development" Then came this
gloomy picture of the states political decadence
In politics we have had little else than tur-
rnoiI and confusion. Never has Kentucky
touched so low a point, have Kentucldans
heard such shocking tales of brutality and
wrong in our elections, in our political ma
chinery and in the public service Not one
single Kentuckian in the public life of the ma
ton stands high enough to be seen of all men.
to be found upon the fighting line of public af-
fairs. We seem to have fallen back upon time
when 1t said that the only world famous
kentuckian was q horse
While Colonel Watterson survives to delight
us with his wisdom and his enthusiasms we
cannot admit that the spirit of old Kentucky
is quite burnt out That spirit survives in men
as we'll as in bonding warehouses. But it is
startling coincidence that only two three
DAYS after the ColoneI's homily delivered
the legislature at Frankfort struck a last fatal
blow at the Old Guard IN politics and untogaed
the states last surviving Grand Old Man"
Kentucky's face is set toward a day Of wrath
and reckoning. The least it can do is to appoint
day OF humiliation and fasting for its sins.