The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-11-01
Does General Buckner Represent
Sentiment of Old Con-
federateS?


Having been very consistently sup
porter of Republican platforms and
Republican Candidates since 1896, or
perhaps since he left the Executive
office at Frankfort in 1890 which was
the last year in which he drew pay
from the State of Kentucky as
Democratic official of the Common
wealth, Gen. S. B. Buckner. of Hart
County. last week addressed to the
public his eleventh annual letter, Civ
ing hissreasons for not this year Civ ng
his support (his one vote) Ito the public
which so signaiiy honored him during
his active life and down to the days of
his old age. One not informed..as to
the political record of Gen. Buckner
might imagine from the general tone
of his communication of this year that
he was just at the parting of the ways
with the DemocraticEparty, and that
he was just preparing to Withdraw
from its support. taking with him an
imaginary host of old Confederate SOL
diers, men VINO had stood by the party
in its darkest hours in Kentucky and
the Southland, and that it was painful
for him to part but that his conscience
and his duty to his state impelled him
to do so, and to take the step at this
particular time. AS said, one un-
acquainted with Gen. Buckner's record
might reach this conclusion, but there
are few men OF intelligence in Ken
lucky who do not know something about
his record, and that this stimulating
Democracy upon his part is but Re-
publican mask and clerk under which
ne thinks he can do the better work
among the most faithful class of Ken
tuckians, the soldiers of tie lost cause.
Annually, whenever he thinks he can
serve the Republican cause, he breaks
out in an open letter to the people
with whom he has not come in personal
contract for a dozen or more years,
and only know him through the Demo
cratic and Southern honors put puon
his shoulders in the days when he was
physically and mentally active. En-
dorsing Republican candidates it was
probably from him that Augustus E.
Wilson got his information that
eighty per cent. of the old Confeder-
ates would lend their aid to Wilson's
candidacy for the Governorship this
year. How unreliable was that infor-
nation was discovered by the Demo-
cratic State Campaign Committee,
which body took the trouble. follow
ing Mr.. Wilson's claim of Confeder-
ate support, to tell the old soldiers of
it so as to give it the best possible cir
culation among them. Through the
Democratic Committee, Mr.. Wilson's
utterance regarding the Confederates
was placed in the hands of kevery old
soldier now residing within the State.
To their credit and 70. their activity in
their old age, it can be stated that a
more generous response came to that
communication than to any sent out
this year from asDemocratic source.
The letter giving the old soldiers the
information regarding Wilson's claim
had hardly gotten into the mails be-
fore responses began to come in. The
old Confedertes speak in no uncertain
way regarding the claim of the Repub-
iican candidate. From the hundreds
of letters received, the Committee has
culled few which exhibit the feeling
generally expressed. That it is not
the sentiment expressed by General
Buckner, and that it rather gives Mr..
Wilson less than one-eighth of one per
cent, instead of eighty per cent, OF the
Confederate.vote OF the State of Ken
lucky, is evidenced by the following
paragraphs taken from letters of men
who are known to the people of the
section and county in which they are
spending their last days. and in which
they are honored by the younger citi-
zenship as the best type of Kentuck-
Iians. Read what they have to say
II am in my eighty-eiRhth year and
have never scratched a Democratic
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