Year: 1865

DATE FOR THE LEGISLATURE.


To the Editors Of the Bullear:


| GENTLEMEN: Neither my private
inclinations, nor my sense of public
duty, will, at this time, allow me to
accept the invitation of "Many Dem.
ocrats," j" contained in the EAGLE Of
Thursday last, to become candidate
to represent the county of Mason in
the Legislature. 1t is due tothe par
!'ality which is thus shown me by q
portion Of my friends, that should
assign the reasons which impel me to
a noncompliance with their wishes.


The State of Kentucky, at this mo
ment, occupies politically different
position from almost every other State
in the Union, The rapid movement
Of events in the last four years, has
resulted IN the disruption of one of
our important domestic relations,
which had lbs origin before the estab
lishment OF the State Government,
and has existed in harmony with ali
other relations until within a very
short period, leaving among us a


arge number Of persons of an ignor-
ant and inferior race, hitherto accus-
toned to subordihatiOn, but now free,
unrestrained, and without the means
oI living, and incapable of entering
into a successful antagonism with the
more enlightened and sagacions race
in the struggle for existence.


How to adapt ourselves to this new
condition Of things, and what is to be
the future STATUS Of there persons, are
now the all absorbing questions to be
determined by the people of Kentucky.
10 elevate them to perfect political
Equality with the white population,
endow them with the right OF suffrage
and render them eligible to any and
all offices, is the persistent purpose of
a great political party, which is brings
ing to bear a powerful pressure both
from without and within the State.
for the accomplishment of that end
It is known that some of those who
cooperate with the radical party in
rhis State, dony their object to be to
elevate the freed negro to either social
or political equality with their late
masters but it is impossible to shut
our eyes to the fact, that the leaders
OF that party elsewhere openly avow
such 10 be their purpose. II the sim
Iplc freedom Of the negro wei e.all that
theY desired or designed, they have
surely accomplished shis, and why
not now be satisfied 2 Why do Ken
lucky radicals continue in 'afiliation
with Sumner, Greeley, Chase, and
other leaders, who make no conceal
ment OF their determination to agitate
until the negro shall be made equal
before the law with the white man Z
They say: "Liberty has been wun.-
The battle for equality is still pend
ing" 1t is this battle for equality.
that kentucky radicals are now fight
Ing, deny it who may.


But the faith to which their denialsI
are entitled may be estimated by the
experience of the pact, that safest and
best teacher. When they first united
themselves with the Abolition party
of the North, did they not repeatedly
deny that their OQject vas to interfere
IL any manner with the relation OIL
master and slave in Kentucky Is i'll
not as well known as any event in
the past, that in the early stagee of
their organization, they disclaimed
with yehemenco any intention to favor
the Liberation of the slaves and yet,
were they not the very first to invoke
the power of the Federal government
to bring it about, and are they not
now the most persistent in continuing
the agitation The president has
recently, very much to their dissatis-
faction, shown some indications of
purpose not to favor the elevation Of
the freed negro to political equality |
with the white man, and as these in
1icatiCns have been strong or feeble,
so have been their manifestations of
that dissatisfaction. Is there no sig
niicance in this


The proposed amendment to the
Federal Constitution, has been art
July designed by the leaders of the
radical party, 10 give Congress the
power, under pretence of perpetually
prohibiting slavery in the States, of
comforting citizenship upon the negro.
and thus placing him upon an equali.
y with the white man Whether
this amendment shall be adopted, and
the consequences Of giving to the
Federal Government the power Of
thus interfering with the relations Of
gersons within the States, shall be
imposed upon us, is now the sole