Editor’s Note: We are republishing excerpts from the 1891 Woodford Sun. The Constitutional Convention of 1890-91, which enacted the constitution which remains intact today with numerous amendments since, began meeting in Sept. 1890, and was presided over by Ambassador Cassius M. Clay of Madison County. The excerpts related to this will be the Clippings focus.For historical purposes, we reprint the Clippings “warts and all,” and so the presence of derogatory and racist stereotypical words are reprinted.
The Woodford Sun
February 26, 1891
[ON THE FLY, (a weekly miscellany front-page column of Editor J. Bowmar’s observations, jokes, etc)] L’OWED JIM WAS THAR: “Is Jim here?” inquired an old black mammy at the door of the county jail the other day. “Jim who?” asked the jailer. “Jim Johnsing, dat’s who. He’s my ole man,” she replied. “What’s Jim been doing?” responded the jailer. “Nothing’s I knows, ‘cept he nebber come to dinner, If’n I ‘lowed you mought hab him in heah . . . hes’s ah onery ol’ fool.”
[CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION NOTES] If Capt. Blackburn of this county should be defeated for State Auditor, which we feel sure will not be the case, the Convention will be the cause of it. Capt. Blackburn has been probably the most regular and faithful attendant of any man in it. He does not believe in drawing $5 for a day’s work in the convention and then electioneering while there.
The convention is making fair progress with the conclusion of the Corporation report and are now tussling with the lengthy Legislative report containing 59 sections. The section on apportionment is taking the longest to debate. The capitol question remains controversially in abeyance,
[DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION] How is it that the date for the Democratic State Convention was set for the week of the Louisville races? Could this have been intentional?
[POLITICAL ORATORY] The first guns have been fired and the war for Legislative honors in Woodford is now upon us. A big crowd gathered in the Circuit Chamber Monday afternoon to hear opening speeches from candidates S.H. Shouse and Field McLeod, the two Democrat combatants.
[J.J. HAYES DEAD!] One of Versailles most prominent and beloved citizens expired suddenly of heart failure at 11 pm on Tuesday night. In apparent good health one hour before and dead the next.
[DOWN IN FLORIDA] A word from the “land of the Sun” may not be unwelcome in Woodford given how hard it has been this winter. We heard from our friends in Lake County who have been resting there from their labors here in Woodford County and are eating oranges there for the past month. Our Woodford County friends report is now almost a “Kentucky Colony,” abounding in orange groves, beautiful fresh lakes, and splendid fishing.