The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-24

w TeQueSt OIL tue cntlrs membership
or tho chapter she has consented to
havc published. She said
Tho cry OF tic Petrol heraldinE tho
coming storm never fell with more
ominous forcbodinss om the sailors.
cars than did the ccnspiring Incidents
and notcs Of warning OF the incvita bic
crisis and catastrophe ui conflict be-
tween the North and the South fall
upon tho hearts and minds OF Kentuck-
ians. for tits doubtful il the people of
any other States bore the incubus Of
apprehension upon their spirits with
more regretful sadness than did those
OF Kentucky. Certainty mono more
clearly forecast and appreciated the
appalling OF the irrcprcssible strife.
Kentucky us the central border
State, with u large slave clement With
In easy distance Of the Ohio River line.
was subjected to repeated annoyances
and irritations from the loss Of this
species OF property. Organized ageu-
cies were multiplied on the Northern
side with their emissaries traycrsing
and ramifylng the state for the pur-
pose OF abducting and running across
tho river the slaves. IT became useless
w.
With these agitations and uphcavals.
which were but tho vibrations OF the
earthquake soon to como, political chaos
spread her BILE wings ever the whole
lEnd ana with this condition OF thingg
tbs small wonder that reign Of terror
was instituted within the borders of
kentucky by the arrest of ex- Cover
nor Moorchead, one OF the most dcvot-
cd adhcrepts to the Union under the
10
and personal friend Of Henry Clay. For
nothing moro than his denunciatlon of
the haGrant usurpation of the Wash
ington authorities he was thrown into
prison and held In q dungeon for
months without n hearing or even n
charge. Thomas Il. Mrnroe, district
judge of tho United States Court; John
I. BreckinridGe, Senator and ex-Vice-
President OF e&he United States; Hum
phrcy S1arslsl III. ex-Congressman and
minister to CS5ina; William Preston, ex-
Congressma%ya and minister 10 Spain, and
several otht9r of the most prominent
men OF KGntucky avoided a similar
fate through the good fortune OF hay
Ing received information that orders
Tor their arrest had been Issued in time
TO mako their escape.
about this time Mr.. B.eckinridgc is
sued IN address to the people OF the
State and convention was called,
which met at Russellville On Novem-
Der IS. as this point had not yet been
reached by the Federal forces
Sixty eight counties OF the state.
represented by 40 delegates, who pro
claimed the Declaration OF Independ-
ence for Kentucky, organized a govern
ment upon revolutionary principles. In
Justification of these proceedings Gov
ernor Johnson issued the following:
M ttnS 90
In organizing provisional government
for tho protection OF their rights of
person and property ia based upon the
ultimate right OF revolution possessed
by all mankind against despotic and
perfidious governments \ faction
which may be called the war party Of
Kentucky, composed of most of the mem
bers of the last Congress and minor.
:ty Of tho Legislature. after surround
Ing themselves with 5000 Lincoln
troops. forced majority of their own
body into a caucus and there concocte ed
ana afterwards enacted in the Legisla-
ture Cover tho veto Of tho Governor
and against tho minority protest OF
both houses) series of despotic acts
which left no alternative but abject
submission or manly resistance The
constitutional right OF secession by the
Slate with organized government from
the ruins OF the old Union was not pos
sible, because the power of adopting
such manly and philosophic action
was denied the people by the ensIaved
Legislature, who not only submitted
10 the despotism of the army, hut be-
tFayed their political opponents who
relied upon their honor, also their own
constituents and the great body Of
people of Kentucky who relied upon
their pledges of neutrality. Secession
being thus impossible they were com
PEELED to plant themselves upon doc
trinc universally recognized by all ma
tons, that allegiance Is due nloue To
such governments as protect society
and upon the right which God Himself
has given mankind. and which is tho
r.Ght TO destroy my government whose
existence Is incompatible with the In
terests and liberties of societies. The
foundation, therefore. upon which this
provisional government rested was a
right OF revolution Instituted by the
people for tho preservation of the pop
ulation of that great State OF Ken
lucky.
out OF this beginning, house di.
Vided against itself. grew tho circum-
stances which produced that wonderful
body OF men known to the world as tho
Orphan Brigade, given this name be-
cause as Kentucky did not secede i,
had no mother. An answer to the
question. What part did Kentucky take
In the War Between the States? can
BIO given in not better way than by the
history Of this great brigade Thous-
ands of Its members whose names and
deeds have come down to famo have
heard the soldiers last tattoo, and IL
Will not be long ere the few surviving
comrades will hnvo passed over the
river to rest under the shadow Of His
winEa. II therefore tloyolycs upon
their Children TO see that the motives
which Identified them with the South
during the great conflict nre not mis-
understood and that their conduct dur
ing the four blood-staincd years in
which they added another brilliant
chapter to those already written by the
sons OF Kentucky in the hlstor, OF
America shall not pass from the mem
ory OF man. Tho principles for which
they fought, suffered and gave their
lives were the inRliennble right or a
people to choose their own form nj otov