USA > Kentucky > A history of Kentucky and Kentuckians; the leaders and representative men in commerce, industry and modern activities, Volume I > Part 80
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(lom of his election, hastened to assure him of their admiration for his administration and the watchful care with which he scrutinized every subject demanding his attention. Politi- cal opponents as well as personal and political friends, hastened to do him honor.
Upon the wall of his home at Glen Lily to- day hangs a handsomely engrossed copy of resolutions adopted by a non-partisan meet- ing of the leading men of Louisville assembled to pay the Governor the honor which was his due. So far as is known, no such honor has ever come to another Governor of the state. These resolutions are as follows :
"Louisville, Kentucky, April 13, 1888.
"A mass meeting of the citizens of Louis- ville was held at Masonic Temple on Friday afternoon, April 13, 1888, pursuant to a res- olution previously adopted by the Board of Trade.
"Mr. R. A. Robinson called the meeting to order and nominated Mr. John E. Green as chairman, and Mr. Green was unanimously elected. Mr. John W. Buchanan was chosen by the meeting to act as Secretary and a large number of leading citizens of Louisville were designated as Vice Presidents.
"Col. John Mason Brown offered the follow- ing :
"'This meeting of the citizens of Louisville assembled without regard to political affilia- tions, disclaiming all partisan feeling and speak- ing as free citizens of a free-Commonwealth, have the right and duty to speak in commenda- tion of an upright, vigilant and conscientious public servant, and hereby tender their public recognition to Governor Simon Bolivar Buck- ner for the fearless and faithful manner in which he has within the forms and spirit of the Constitution and the obligations of his oath of office, prevented a mass of injurious legislation from ripening into binding statutes. They especially recognize that signal protection to the interests of the city of Louisville and its
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GLEN LILY-HOME OF GEN. S. B. BUCKNER
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citizens, which has secured a wholesome limit to the term of official power and applied to its Mayor that wise rule of the Constitution which limits eligibility in the office of Governor to a single term. And they declare that in all mat- ters of municipal policy which involve the creation of a bonded debt and the imposition of burdens which must endure for years and affect their fortunes and their city's prosperity, the voice of the citizens should be heard and re- spected, expressed in the form of a free and fair vote and under the safeguard of a pure ballot.'
"Messrs. M. Cary Peter, Frank Hagan, W. R. Belknap, John H. Ward, Isaac T. Wood- son and E. Polk Johnson advocated the adop- tion of Col. Brown's resolutions and when the vote was put a ringing cheer of assent was given.
"The Secretary was requested to notify Gov- ernor Buckner of the action of the meeting. "John W. Buchanan,
John E. Green,
Secretary.
Chairman."
When the official term of Governor Buckner was about to close, the citizens of Frankfort, without regard to political opinions, held a meeting at which the following preamble and resolutions were adopted :
"The citizens of Frankfort to Gov. Simon Bolivar Buckner.
"The citizens of Frankfort to whom during the past four years an association with Gover- nor Simon Bolivar Buckner has been most ac- ceptable, desire upon his retirement from the Executive office, to give some expression of the feelings of respect and regard he has inspired among them and to offer in public and perma- nent form, a testimonial by which it may be manifested ; it is therefore.
"Resolved, That in his capacity as Governor of Kentucky, Simon Bolivar Buckner has en- tirely filled the promise of ability and integrity given by an earlier public service and with exceptional fidelity, intelligence and a fearless
disregard of personal results, has conducted the affairs of the Commonwealth to the admiration of all its observing and capable people. They desire to bear witness that he has honorably and equitably administered the laws in all depart- ments of his office and that in the exercise of his prerogative he has neither been com- pelled nor restrained by any fear of public censure, nor by any desire to court public favor, but that all of his acts have come from a desire to execute rightly and justly his duties as a public officer and that he lias in no meas- use failed in this performance.
"With all of the higher elements of man- hood, sensitiveness, gentleness and firmness, with the fullest human sympathy and the most generous impulses, he has steered clear of the shoals of all mere personal considerations and has adhered closely to the line of justice alike to the individual and the Commonwealth.
"In his social relations, he is frank, easy and unpretentious, endearing himself to all and winning such esteem as has opened to him the hearts and homes of Frankfort people. To him and to the fitting consort by whom he has been so gracefully aided and sustained, there will always be welcoming hands at the Capital.
"In thus ending the happy and honorable re- lations of four years, the people of Frankfort have only to regret that their extent of feel- ing is so restrained by limits of expression.
"Signed
"Pat McDonald. "Chairman of General Committee. "Lewis Mangan, "Acting Mayor. "B. F. Farmer, "Secretary, General Committee."
During General Buckner's term as Governor the people of his native county unanimously elected him as their delegate to the Constitu- tional Convention in which he served with credit to them and to himself. Had his sug-
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gestions been adopted the resulting Constitu- tion would have been an instrument far su- perior to that which was finally produced. The Convention was unfortunately dominated by self-seekers and men to whom the sound of their own voices was sweet music, while men of the modest class to which General Buckner, Governor Knott, and others belonged, found their efforts of no avail.
In the memorable Presidential campaign of 1896, many Democrats found themselves un- able to accept the theories of Mr. Bryan and the platform upon which he sought election. They were unwilling to support Mr. Mckinley and the result was the holding of a National Convention of what came to be known as "Sound Money Democrats" at Indianapolis.
At this Convention, Gen. John M. Palmer. of Illinois, was nominated for President and Gen. S. B. Buckner, of Kentucky, for Vice President. These gentlemen made an ex- tended campaign, and though they failed of election, they had the satisfaction of a duty well performed and the knowledge that they had held intact a nucleus of the older and better Democratic party around which all of its members could rally when reason and sane policies once more returned to its leadership.
From a character sketch of General Buck- ner written by the late Morton M. Casseday, of the Louisville press. the following extracts are made :
"In the foundation of so well-rounded a character as his many influences work, and in such a man we may see the epitome of a people. His military training gave the large- minded man strength, reliance and self-control. He did not become a mere part of a military machine but a man of the strongest personality which made itself felt when he returned to the state after his service in the Mexican war. He framed the admirable military law of Ken- tucky; greatly increased the efficiency of the state troops and at the commencement of hos- tilities between the North and the South, was
actively engaged in trying to maintain Ken- tucky's neutrality. When this had been dis- regarded, General Buckner went where his sympathies and his sense of right called him and cast his lot with the South."
Of the battle of Fort Donelson Mr. Casseday wrote: "This battle made General Buckner a hero of the war. He was the third in com- mand but the brunt of the fighting, the morti- fication of surrender and the hardship of im- prisonment fell upon him. * *
* Floyd and Pillow left the field and their men and fled to Nashville. General Buckner, steadfast and true, remained with his little army and went with it into suffering and imprisonment.
"The Rev. Dr. Cross of the Confederate army in a sketch of General Buckner's military career, says : 'His moral character is irreproach- able. During the months of my intimacy with him, I never saw in him an act or heard from him a word which would not become the pur- est Christian on earth. Though not a com- municant of the Church his Bible and prayer book are his constant companions. In short, he is the most perfect gentleman I have found in the Confederate army, and of all the dis- tinguished men, civilians or soldiers, whose ac- quaintance I have enjoyed, I have never known one whose private character was altogether so unexceptional as that of General Buckner.'
"Of General Buckner's conduct at Chicka- manga, Dr. Cross says: 'He rode through the fiery tempest as calmly as if he knew himself invulnerable, and seemed as thoughtless of danger as if he were out on an equestrian pleasure excursion. He was everywhere among his troops, in front and flank and rear, directing their movements and cheering them to victory. To this cool courage, in connection with Longstreet's strategy and heroic resolu- tion, more than to the management or energy of their compeers, is attributable the triumph of the Confederate arms on the field of Chicka- mauga.' "
As these words are written the aged hero of
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two wars, now nearing the eighty-ninth anni- versary of his birth calmly and serenely faces what life may yet have in store for him. With mind as clear and active as when he led his company into action in Mexico or his gray legions to the tremendous conflicts of a later and greater war, he is familiar with the events of to-day with which he keeps in touch as close- ly as do men far younger than he. About his hospitable board, he delights to gather young and old friends and nowhere is a more charni- ing host. In a word, he is a young old man who refuses to live only in the past, though he rec- ognizes that his days have been many. Writ- ing to a friend who had failed to make a prom- ised visit, he said with cheerfulness : "Time is becoming a matter of some importance to me, and if you delay your visit unduly, I may not be here when you come." And in this spirit, he sits upon the porch of his boyhood home calmly enjoying the present and with no fears of the future-a grand old man, a soldier and a statesman.
It is not the purpose of this history to write the lives of all Kentucky's famous men. Nei- ther time nor space would permit so great a task. It would mean the writing of an entire biographical library. The author, whether wise- ly or unwisely the reader must judge, has chosen three men of more than local distinction as representative Kentuckians and has endea- vored to fairly set them forth for the judgment of mankind. Mr. Justice John M. Harlan, of the Supreme Court of the United States; Lieu- tenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, of the Confederate Army, and Governer J. Proctor Knott are the typical Kentuckians he has chosen. The first two have been represented in the preceding pages.
J. Proctor Knott was born near Lebanon, Kentucky, August 29, 1830. After receiving a liberal education, he studied law and after his admission to the bar, followed the example of thousands of other Kentuckians and removed to Missouri. Having a natural inclination to-
wards politics-not for the spoils of office but because of a sense that it was the duty of a good citizen to give his best to his country- it is not surprising that the people of the county in which the young lawyer settled, should have chosen him to represent them in the Legislature. It was in this humble office that the foundations were laid for the great career of Proctor Knott in the Congress of the United tates. Always a student and a close observer, he saw and heard everything and forgot nothing. In 1859, he resigned his seat in the Missouri Legislature to accept an appointment as Attorney General of the state, being then but twenty-nine years old and having practiced law but eight years. The young lawyer had made the most of his opportunities and so firmly had he planted hin- self on the eternal principles of the law that at an age when most young lawyers are merely struggling for a foothold, he was recognized for appointment to one of the highest legal positions in the state. So excellently were the duties of the office performed, that on the ex- piration of his appointive term, he was unani- mously nominated by a Democratic State Con- vention and elected thereto, though at that troublous time, the early days of the war, Dem- ocrats were not too popular in Missouri. In 1863, owing to the disturbed condition of af- fairs in that state, Mr. Knott, in common with many other Kentuckians, returned to his boy- hood home and began the practice of law at Lebanon. His great ability did not go unno- ticed by the people and he was soon called into active politics where for many years he was to exercise a wise and potent influence. The peo- ple of his district elected him to the Fortieth, Forty-first, Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth and For- ty-sixth Congresses. Owing to the bitterness of partisan politics immediately following the war, Mr. Knott was not at once seated in the House after his first election, the usual charge of disloyalty being made against him and a majority of the Kentucky delegation when they presented themselves to be sworn as members,
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as is related elsewhere in this volume. Finally, however, he was permitted to take his seat and begin a career in Congress which made his name known throughout the entire Union. When the Democrats came into power in the House, no member of the Kentucky delegation had committee assignments superior to his, and after rendering faithful service on each assignment, he reached the goal of every lawyer's hope in the House, the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. It was here that his fine mind and great legal attainments won for him the attention, not alone of his col- leagues but of the thinking men of the coun- try. It was a great position in that day, great- er perhaps than at any other time. New con- ditions growing out of the war were daily to be met and considered and the chairmanship of the first law committee of the House en- tailed constant and untiring industry and watch- fulness. There were shrewd lawyers in the opposition but the records of Congress show no instance wherein they obtained the ad- vantage of Mr. Knott. He was a profound constitutional lawyer and one of his closest associates while in Washington, was the Hon. Jerry Black, of Pennsylvania, whom he esteemed the greatest lawyer of that day. They were both old-fashioned Democrats, a very different thing from latter day isms ; they were both great lawyers, and thus they were mu- tually drawn to each other.
Solemnity used to be deemed a necessary ac- companiment of statesmanship. Mr. Knott was not a solemn man ; he could appear solemn on occasion but beneath the cover of appear- ance there lurked a smile and a fund of hu- mor greater than most men possess. It was ever afterwards his sincere regret that he should have delivered the great Duluth speech which was received by the House and by the Nation with roars of appreciative laughter. No other speech ever delivered in the House has equalled it in satire, humor and effect. It came as a surprise even to the close friends of the
orator. Some time afterwards he delivered in the House his Pennsylvania Avenue speech along the same humorous lines, but never after- wards did he attempt anything of the kind. The country measured the man by these two speeches, notably the first or Duluth speech, and his reputation as a humorist was estab- lished nation-wide.
For years afterward when it was announced that Proctor Knott was to speak men and women came for miles to hear him only to go away disenchanted and disappointed. They had come to listen to jokes, to quips and quirks and had listened instead, to a profound speech upon the Constitution or some one of the great questions then uppermost on the minds of thinking men. Mr. Knott felt these conditions keenly and often expressed regret that he had delivered the Duluth speech. Humor, though deeply imbedded in his na- ture, was a side-issue; he was, on occasion, a very serious man, perhaps altogether serious save in the midst of a circle of his friends when he was the most charming of compan- ions. As a raconteur, he had few equals and his retentive memory permitted him to per- manently treasure every good thing he had ever heard, while his brilliant fancy embel- lished the thoughts of others, making them his own so changed were they from their original shape.
In 1883. Mr. Knott was nominated by the Democrats for Governor and chosen to that office at the ensuing election. His administra- tion was quiet, dignified and successful, though, like all others who, in the past fifty years, have filled that office, he did not escape criticism. The office of Governor of Ken- tucky is not filled with beds of roses. It is probable that there has been no incumbent of that position who has not retired therefrom with a sense of relief, though at the moment when these words are being written, a former Governor of the State is seeking to be re- elected to that office.
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Ex-Gov. J. PROCTOR KNOTT
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After the conclusion of his term Governor Knott sought no other political honors, but the people of Marion county, mindful of his great capacity, chose him, unanimously, as their Delegate to the latest Constitutional Con- vention. In that body, he aimed to render, that service to the people of the state, that had ever been his high aim, but he was unable, it appeared, to stem the tide that set against him and the other wise men of that body. He was not a continuous speaker as were some others; he had no enemies to punish as had some others; he had no special interests to represent as had others ; he was merely a repre- sentative of the sovereign people of Kentucky and was therefore high above the petty aims of lesser men, as were Buckner and a score of other good men whose voices were drowned by the noise of demagogues and self-seekers.
Governor Knott settled in Frankfort to prac- tice law, particularly in the Court of Appeals, but it was not long until he was called to the head of the Law department of Centre Col- lege at Danville. This was a position adapted to his attainments and his tastes. He was fond of young men and liked to have them about him. He spent several pleasant years at Dan- ville, until rapidly advancing age told him that the time for rest had come. Retiring from the college, he went to his home near Lebanon where, in the company of his books
and with the friends of his boyhood, and their boys, about him he hoped to end quietly the days of a busy life. Unfortunately, this home was destroyed by fire and Governor Knott and his devoted wife went back to Lebanon where they had begun life together, and there, sur- rounded by troops of friends, beloved by all who knew him, this modest, brilliant and lov- able man, but the other day, almost as these lines are written, laid down to pleasant dreams and passed into the Great Beyond leaving behind, it is believed, not one who was his enemy.
Governor Knott was a poet and an artist, but these were accomplishments never on pub- lic view; he kept them for his close friends. He wrote graceful verse and as an artist, he would have taken rank with the highest had he in youth, turned to sculpture rather than the law. A medallion in plaster of Paris of a beautiful lady executed by him as a gift for her gallant husband who was his friend, might well have been claimed as his handiwork by the proudest artist, as might also a pen and ink drawing of Hon. Jerry Black, which was an exact likeness of that distinguished man. These gifts, as has been stated, Governor Knott modestly kept for his friends only, as he also kept the warmest feelings for the select few whom he invited into his charming circle.
CHAPTER LXVII.
THE PRESS OF KENTUCKY-THE GAZETTE-JOHN BRADFORD LOUISVILLE'S FIRST PAPERS- FIRST DAILY IN KENTUCKY-GEORGE D. PRENTICE-LOUISVILLE JOURNAL-LOUISVILLE DEMOCRAT-WALTER NEWMAN HALDEMAN-THE COURIER-JOURNAL-HENRY WATTER- SON-EMMETT LOGAN- LOUISVILLE TIMES- OTHER NEWSPAPERS.
To write of the newspapers of Kentucky one's mind necessarily turns towards Louis- ville which for many years has sustained a press of National fame, but the first newspaper published in Kentucky was issued not in Louis- ville but in Lexington, where John Bradford, a brave old pioneer, issued The Kentucky Gasette, the first number being dated August II, 1787, less than a score of years after the first permanent settlement in the then Dis- trict of Kentucky. It would be interesting to compare the linotype machine and the great perfecting presses of today with the small font of type and the little wooden hand press with which John Bradford issued the first number of the Gazette. He came down the Ohio from Pittsburg on a flatboat and it is related that the first number was set up before he had reached the settlement which he had chosen as the place of publication. The forms were taken to Lexington on a packhorse and print- ers and newspaper people will be interested in knowing that one of the forms was pied in transit which delayed publication for sev- eral days. The Gasette was small but am- bitious. It was in quarto form and consisted of two pages. The people of Lexington knew nothing of Bradford's coming or his inten- tions. They had not been informed that "now is the time to subscribe," when the Gazette was issued with this pretentious motto at its editorial head :
"True to his charge
He comes, the herald of a noisy world, News from all nations lumbering at his back."
It is worthy of note that more than a cen- tury and a quarter later, the Louisville Herald used the same quotation from Cowper in its advertising matter.
There was naturally not much local news of interest to Lexingtonians in this first issue set up on the Ohio river, but the Gasette was welcomed and if ever a paper filled "a long- felt want" it is probable that the Gazette was that paper.
John Bradford was immune from some of the ills which befall his successors. For instance, his printers never struck for higher wages and shorter hours of labor. The office- boy never stole away to witness a game of baseball. The reason was simple. He was editor, proprietor, compositor, pressman and office-boy all in one, and his paper never missed a mail for the good and sufficient reason that there were no mails. What an ideal life this first editor of Kentucky must have lived. John Bradford was honored by those among whom he lived and wrought wisely and well. He was the first Public Printer of the State chosen by the Legisla- ture, and the author of this history was the last one so chosen in Kentucky. He was chair- man of the Board of Trustees of Transylvania
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University, and at the time of his death in 1830, he was Sheriff of Fayette county. For forty years he had published the Gasette and when he passed to the eternal sieep after a life well spent in the service of his fellow men, he was still its proprietor. When its first issue was made, the forest was filled with wild and fierce animals and still wilder and fiercer savages ; when he issued his last num- ber, peace, prosperity and happiness prevailed.
Before the close of the century which saw the first issue of The Gasette, Lexington had a second paper, The Herald, and that beau- tiful city is fortunate in that today it still has a Herald. Bourbon county had also a Her- ald. Mason county a Mirror and Frankfort a Palladium.
In 1801, Louisville had its first paper pub- lished by Samuel Vail and called The Farmer's Library, which was succeeded in 1808 by the Gasette. The Western American was the third paper issued in Louisville but its brief candle was snuffed out in less than a year. The Western Courier followed in 1810 and was the first paper published in Louisville printed on paper of home production. In 1821, this newspaper became The Emporium and Com- mercial Advertiser under which title it bore up until 1832 when it ceased publication. The Louisville Correspondent was also established in 1810 but its life was fitful and ended in 1818.
From the Memorial History of Louisville by that accomplished writer and gentleman, Colonel J. Stoddard Johnston, the following is taken:
"The next paper. which became the first daily published in Kentucky was The Public Advertiser, the advent of which marked a new epoch in the history of the state as well as the city. Prior to this time, Lexington had overshadowed Louisville in everything except the commerce which the Ohio river made possible. But in political prominence and control of the offices. State and Federal,
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