Kentucky Lawyer

The League of Nations

1 Kentucky Lawyer the bay. The enemy advanced, but our lines held and then came the bayonet charge of our soldiers and the break in the ranks of the Spaniards. The retreat became a run and finally a disorganized rout. Teddy and I, side by side, our horses neck and neck, galloped up San Juan Hill. When we reached the top we could see the enemy fleeing toward the sea with our men in hot pursuit and we knew that the day was won and victory was ours. Suddenly I saw Teddy jump from his horse. I followed suit. There lying on the ground before us was the flag, our American flag that had been trampled under the feet of the disposed enemy. Teddy picked it up and secured it to the flag pole and together we raised it high in the air. It was a wonderful sight, my fellow citizens, to see Old Glory floating and lashing in the breeze. We stood silently and drank in the beauty of this scene for fully ten minutes. Then Teddy walked over to me, put his arm around my shoulder and said, ‘Fes, this is going to make one of us President of the United States,’ and I said to him, ‘Yes, Teddy, I know, but you be President. All I want to be is jailer of Letcher County, Kentucky.’” You may well guess the outcome of the jailer’s race and cannot be greatly surprised that the victor was the Honorable Festus Whitaker, soldier and statesman. The League of Nations The jailer is many times the party wheelhorse and is powerful and useful in a very practical way in the interest of his party at election time when he is not a candidate. The late A. B. Rouse, former Congressman from the Fifth Dis-  Mac Swinford trict, and who served with credit as Clerk of the United States District Court for Eastern Kentucky for many years, told this story. It was during the presidential election of 190 when Warren G. Harding, Republican, was running against James M. Co, Democrat. The big issue in the campaign was the League of Nations which Woodrow Wilson’s administration had espoused. The Democrats had adopted a League plank in their platform and were forced to protect it against a very effective assault by isolationists concentrated behind the Republican nominee. The Kenton County Democratic Committee was winding up its campaign with a big picnic and rally at Independence . The main speaker was Circuit Judge Harbison of Covington who spoke for two hours, principally etolling the virtues of the League of Nations and the obligation of Americans to support it by electing a Democratic president. Mr. Rouse was the local party treasurer. He said immediately after the speaking he called the jailer behind the courthouse and said, “Now, Jim, we’re going to win, but all of us must bend every effort to get the vote to the polls. We must get the vote out.” While so speaking he slipped seventy-five one dollar bills into the jailer’s hand. Jim looked at the roll of greenbacks. “Mr. Rouse,” he said, “you have thrown more light on the League of Nations in the last two minutes than Matt Harbison has in the past two hours.” The prohibition era In the days of national prohibition, in what is now referred to as the roaring twenties, the federal courts were ...