Candidates Tibbatts and Gaines Campaign
Licking Valley Register, Saturday, June 28, 1845, page 2
CAMPBELL COUNTY-The candidates for Congress met & addressed the people at Grant's Lick on Saturday last the 21st inst. On the day before, at Alexandria, Col Tibbatts objected to speaking. He did, however, address the people there, but with no small degree of reluctance. He was followed by the noble and gallant farmer of Boone in a most withering speech. The Col may egotise and prate about what he has done for his country; he may boast of his Western Waters Bill and cajole the people with all the cunning and smoothness peculiar to himself, yet Mr. Gaines will hold him and all his absurdities up to public gaze and will entirely vanquish him.
According to the regular course of appointments, they were to have met and addressed the citizens of Beallmont, in the afternoon of the same day they spoke at Alexandria, but the valorous Colonel dodged, sent his agent to Beallmont to answer Mr. Gaines there and made his way to the neighborhood of Grant's Lick, the very sanctum of his hopes in Campbell.
Mr. Gaines went from Alexandria to Beallmont and addressed the people there. The next day he went to Grant's Lick. Mr. Gaines claimed the right of following the Colonel in his speech here; inasmuch as he, the Colonel, failed to attend at Beallmont the evening before, but was heard by proxy there, which entitled Mr. G (according to previous arrangement) to the privilege of closing the arguments at Grant's Lick. But the magnanimous Colonel utterly refused to speak first, and Mr. Gaines was compelled to yield his prerogative to the sullen contumely of the Col.
Well, Mr. Gaines proceeded and took along with him as he went, all of the Colonel's arguments and to each position he replied a forcibly and clearly, that there was very little room left for Mr. Tibbatts to say, and he said little in reply to Mr. Gaines.
The candidates have gone to Bracken. How they are to come out is yet to be seen. Bracken contains an intelligent population that can discriminate between the true article and the false and such a population will award to Mr. Gaines the palm over the Colonel. The Colonel says he will get one hundred and seventy Whig votes in Campbell & that he knows exactly who they are.
No is this not blowing off steam at a rapid rate? I should think it was. Now John W Tibbatts may assert and figure from "Dilworth" til the first Monday in August and he will not get a solitary Whig of Campbell to vote for him. His position is now so well understood by the Whigs that not one, either in Campbell or elsewhere will vote for him. If he has been successful in drawing after him some one? or a dozen who have heretofore called themselves Whigs in this county, we have still gained upon him several hundred percent, by the recent exposure of his political inconsistencies. Away then with blowing braggartism. I repeat that John W Tibbatts will never again gull any of the Whigs out of their votes.