The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-09-27
slim CROWD
HEARS LAFO0N.
Speaker DragS out Race Cues
ti0n and GOebel'S Ghost.
Appeal to Prejudice and Passion
Full of MiSSrepreSenta-
ti0n.

Hon. Ruby Lafoon, Democratic can
didate for State Treasurer, spoke here
Tuesday to probably the smallest au-
dience that ever greeted a candidate
for State office at Hartford. By ac-
tual count there were only 81 persons
present, IA of whom were Republic
cans and two colored. Only per-
sons were present VINO came TO the
speaking from the country and one of
them drove Mr. Lafoon over from
Beaver Dam.
The speaker began his speech with
an appeal to race prejudice and end
ed with the worst sort of demagogy by
an appeal to the poor as against the rich.
In one breath ne charged that the Re-
publicans would, If given power, be
compelled to recognize the colored peo-
pie because, as he claimed 10000 of
them vote the Republican ticket in
Kentucky, and in the next he dcclar-
ed the Republicans had only used
the negro as a "hewer of wood and
drawer of water" ana had never Civ
en- them any pie" 70 use his own
expression, this looked TO some of his
audience like blowing hot and cold"
To cap the climax on the negro ques-
ton he next told his hearers that Gov.
Bradley had, while Governor, placed
negro stewart over the inmates of
the Hopkinsville Asylum, when in
truth Judge Alex Anderson, white
man, was Stewart at Hopkinsville
during the entire term of Gov. Brad
ley.
This was, however, about in keeping
with his accurancy when he stated
that Bradley had appointed Deboe Sem
ator, and then forced mis- election by
surrounding the State House with bey-
onets. Everybody knows that Bradley
never appointed Deboe to any position
in his life and also, as the writer,
who was a member of the House al
the time, knows that Deboe was elect
ed at the special session of the leg
islature in 1897, when there was not
soldier on the State House square,
and had not been for year.
MIR. Lafoon devoted a large share
of his speech to the Goebel assassina-
ton, which he evidently considered
second in Importance as vote get
ting theme to the negro domination
TRADE, neither of which elected any in
terest or applause among his audi
tors, who are tired of hearing these
matters threshed over every year TO
keep a set of men in power who don't
care fig for either. He justified
the theft of the State offices in 1899
by the old charge of soldiers at the
polls and tissue" ballots in Repub-
| lican counties, neglecting TO tell his
hearers, however, that the identical
paper was used by the same printer
large Democratic counties. His charg
in this connection that Gov. Bradley
marched through the streets of Louis
Vile at the head of soldiers is abso-
lutely untrue. 1t is a matter of his
tory that no member of the State
Guard in Louisville was on the streets
on that day in uniform until seven
o'clock p. M, three hours after the
polls closed, and then a squad of sew
en- went to some precinct, at the ur-
gent request of a Democratic Circuit
Judge, to enforce an order which he
had made on the election officers to
allow Republican Inspector to be
present at the count. Mr.. Laugh
foon" must have thought the people
of Ohio county very ignorant when
he attempted to befuddle them with
such glaring Misrepresentation.
Only small part of the speakers
valuable CD time could be spared from
the disappointing negro question, and
the Goebel funeral grafton, to talk
about State financies. He admitted
the excessive print bill but blamed it
all on ex-Attorney General Pratt who
he claimed passed on it, and said it
was regular. However, he did not
contend that Mr.. Pratt had Anything
to do with letting the contract. The
truth is, and Mr.. Lafoon knew it, If
he knows anything, Pratt only passed
on the question of whether the State
was legally bound o pay the bill, af-
tor ,ad ham incnrrad
No records were produced to prove
any of the board claims made by
the speaker with reference to the
States finances. but his hearers were
always referred to the records at