The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1907-10-23
Mr.. WILSON SPEAKS
To a Large Crowd of His
Party Followers.
SPEECH WAS FULL OF VENOM
For Democratic Leaders and
Candidates Some Char
acteriStic Remarks.

Last Friday was Republican day IL
Hartford and a large number of Ohio
county people came to town to honor
the day The general concensus o.
opinion, expressed by both Republic
ans and Democrats. swas that there
were about seven hundred people pres
ent. OF course some eyes, magnifiet
by the lens of political prejudice, saw
more, but seven hundred strikes the
general average.
The occasion was the speaking Of
Hon. Augustus E. Wilson, Republican
candidate for Governor There was
some delay in the arrival of the speak
err and he began his remarks just q
few minutes before two o'clock. He
spoke exactly two. hours. ----- .--.-.
Mr.. Wilson was introduced by Col
G. M. Barnett in few well chosen re-
marks. Col. Barnett, realizing the
occasion, was careful of what he
said Mr.. Wilson arose, smiled and
began. He said the audience looked
good to him-smiling, happy and con-
tented. Then he began an argument
to show them why they shouldn't be
coMented Said they were the VIC
Tins of a ring" of some sort up at
Frankfort, superintended and managed
by "Beckham, Hager and Company.
Said they were all honest and respect
able and it was a shame that they
should he thus imposed upon. He
drew a line between what he termed
the old and the new Democratic par
ty and said they were not at all alike.
He said the old-time Democrats were
honest, conscientious and patriotic, and
characterized the present leaders and
managers as grafters and thieves
He appealed to Democrats to vote for
him for relief from present bondage.
After they elected him, he said, they
could reorganize the Democratic party
and make it all right.
Mr.. Wilson spoke of the Taylor
administration atFrankfort, during the
dark and riotous days seven years
ago, and endorsed it. He paid his
respects to Messrs. Percy Haly, Henry
B. Hines, manager of the State Demo-
cratic Campaign Committee, and DIR.
Milton Board, in the most vehement
and abusive terms. He classed them
as thoroughly INSCRIPTIONS, and said
they were Gov. Beckham's boon COM
panions. Said they and a few others
composed the Frankfort ring" Said
the ring had their hands, up to their
shoulders in the public treasury. He
reproached the Democrats present and
said they were tools in the hands OF
their political managers. Some DEM
ocrats, the speaker limited, were as
helpless in the hands of their
managers as "a colored Republican"
Mr.. Wilson said thatHager has robbed
and swindled the people.
Dwring the course of Mr.. Wilson's
remarks some enthusiastic Democrat
cried out "Hurrah for Hager!p This
had about the same effect upon the
speaker as shaking a red cloth In
front of a mad bull He repeatedly
threw epithets at the man, at the
end of each of which he would cry
in derision, "Hurrah for Hager!" He
compared Mr.. Hager to dom
KEY he once heard braying and said
the noise sounded to him like the an
imal was saying, "Haw-hee. Hager!
Haw-hee, Hager." The crowd didn't
applaud this much. Then Mr.. Will
son turned a verbal somersalt and
said ho came preaching nothing disa-
greeabie but only brotherly love to
all and SO forth, and so forth.
Mr.. Wilson then scored Messrs.Mott
Ayers. Ben Ringo and several others
because they happened to be appoints
ees of the Governor, Mr.. Ringo as a
member of the Board of Equalization.
Saidtthey are part of the ring" He
intimated that Gov. Beckham bought
their consciences and their principles
by appointment to office. He then
stepped upon the ninth plank OF the
Republican State Platform-which, by
the way, contains only nineteen words
but didn't larry long. Said he was
a Baptist and a Prohibitionist, and
practiced what he preached. In al
most the next breath he said he was
only the mouth-piece Of the Republic
an party and didn't claim any per-
sonal distinction.
TheY came one of the most remark