Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1911-05-30

AOUn
and Democratic counties. The mob
that destroyed her beautiful city came
from another county. They travel
from one county to another There
are not many of them, although Judge
O'Rear thinks there are enough OF
them to nominate him for Governor.
He Is mistaken. They can not get
into Republican conventions. II all
the Republican night riders in Ken
lucky should attend the convention In
Christian County. where he opened
his campaign, there would not be
enough of them to carry that county
for Judge O'Rear, because there are
more law and order people In Chris
tian County than there are Repub-
lican night riders in the entire State
OF Kentucky. They are nearly all
Democrats, and Judge ORear is sup
posed to be Republican; but, to read
his speech. one might have some
doubt
Yet Hopkinsville Is where Judge
ORear went to open his campaign.
and before the ink was dry on his
announcement as candidate he
pitched his tent In Dawson Springs
Dawson Springs. where the night rid
ers visited one Of the leading hotels
about the time of his Frankfort
speech, and took therefrom one Of the
guests OF the hotel, dragged him to
the river bank, whipped him and
made him leave the country. and to-
day, on account OF the night riders
he Is forced to make his home In
distant State The judge, while at
the Springs, was in daily communica-
ton with his friends in that part of
the State, and doubtless received
many assurances OF support-from the
Democratic night riders.
He capped the climax by opening
his campaign at Hopkinsville, where,
during the night-rider troubles a mob,
estimated to contain from two hun
bred to three hundred men, all
masked, visited the city under cover
of darkness, shooting up the plate
glass fronts from one end of the main
street to the other. burning tobacco
factories, shooting a railroad engineer
off his engine. whipping people and
committing almost every crime and
outrage known to night riderism.
can imagine that If the Judge had
could still have heard the echo Of the
rafting glass. the tramp of the mid
night mob, and could have smelled
the smoke that should think still
hangs low over the rich valleys Of
good old Christian County. from the
burning barns, over the destruction
Of which suits are now pending in the
United States Court at Greensboro.
say, the people are wondering why
this man should have gone to this
place at this time to open his cam
paign. l will admit that I am at q
loss to know, unless It was that he
might be In close proximity to the
mobs that burned Princeton and Hop
kinsville, or have reunion Of the
night riders Of the State, where he
could be present
But, gentlemen, is that the way to
bring capital to your State? The for
eign investor. when contemplating
coming among us, will ask the ques-
ton. Who ia your Governor? What
stand did he take during your night
rider troubles? Which side was he
on?" Judge O'Rear's friends are
boasting that he went into my dis
trict to open his campaign. and pa
per supporting him said. "O'Rear has
bearded the Hon In his den." There
were eight other districts in the State
which had no candidates for Gov
ernor, and In courtesy he might have
gone to any one of these. Not salts
fed with invading my district. he has
designs on my county, as is evident
by the letters he is writing to the
precinct committeeman of that coun-
ty. Since Judge O'Rear made his an
nouncement | have not so much as
sent a letter to his district. Courtesy
demands certain things of a candidate
for the high office of Governor, and
no man understands that courtesy bet
ter than Judge O'Rear, but ambition
has dethroned courtesy, and the
was so great that he could
not resist it. Judge O'Rear, of course,
has the right to conduct his campaign
as he sees fit, but when a man comes
into my district and throws down the
gauntlet, and all because my stand
for law and order, for peace and
quiet and security and the rights OF
the citizen, much as l opposed and
am opposed to speaking campaign
for the nomination. accept the gage
Of battle, and to the best of my ability
will defend my cause. The Repub.
licans everywhere say that my stand
for law and order was right, but some
who are supporting other candidates
say that IL | should be nominated the
night riders would vote against me.
or course they will vote against me,
but for every night-rider Republican
that | lose shall get two Democrats,
aw-and-order Democrats, In his place.
have no fear of the result on that
score. Give me the nomination and
will take care OF the night riders.
Gentlemen. my stand when | went
among the night riders in 1908 and de-
them to their faces at their
county seats, with signs of their devil
ny before my eyes and the threats of
heir vengelAce ringing in my ears
my stand, say, was right or 1t was
wrong, and | want the Republican |
)arty to say which side IL will take.
| frankly say to you, II on account |