William Goebel, late governor of Kentucky for the brief space of time that he lay upon his deathbed, after the assassin had struck him down, was born in Sullivan county, Penn., in 1858. His father was a native of Hanover, Germany, and came to this country, where he pursued his trade of cabinetmaker. William was the eldest son and when a mere boy he removed with his parents and brothers to Covington, Kentucky. After receiving a good education, he made the friendship of Gov. John W. Stephenson, who took him into his law office. In a few years he had shown such ability that Governor Stephenson took him as a law partner.

After the death of Gov. Stephenson, Mr. Goebel became the partner in his law business of John G. Carlisle, and for several years he remained with this great Kentucky lawyer. The young man entered politics and in 1887 was sent to the State Senate as a Democrat to represent Kenton county, and served continuously as such until his nomination for governor in 1899. That was the only public office he ever held, except that he was a member of the constitutional convention, where he served with marked ability. He was a candidate for judge of the court of appeals in his district. In the Senate he soon became the leader of his party. In 1896, from which time dates particularly his prominence in State politics, he became a member of the Democratic State Committee. The exciting senatorial election of 1896, when J. C. S. Blackburn failed of re-election, brought Mr. Goebel out prominently as a director of political affairs. In a fight extending over two sessions Mr. Blackburn was defeated, a Republican being finally elected; but Mr. Goebel displayed astounding generalship throughout the contest. With Senator C. J. Bronston he managed the unseating of two Republican State senators. So much excitement accompanied the 1896 session that Gov. ' Bradley called out the State guard at the capitol. Mr. Goebel was the author of several important State laws, notably the Goebel election law, upon which hinged the contention that aroused the most terrible political storm that ever broke over Kentucky, and finally ended in the assassination of its originator.

Under the provisions of the Goebel law the election of Taylor was declared invalid and Goebel was declared successful. While the resulting litigation and controversy was in progress at Frankfort, Taylor held the office by the aid of militia. Under those circumstances came the assassination of Goebel, his deathbed inauguration and his death.

The political party which met in Cincinnati and nominated as its candidate for the presidency the Hon. Wharton Barker of Philadelphia is proud of the name which it bears-"The Middle-of-the-Road Popu lists." They refuse compromise or fusion with any other party except that party comes over to the Populist principles and adopts them as its own, in which event the recruits have a warm welcome.

Mr. Barker is a rich Philadelphia banker, and one of the rarities, a rich banker who is also a Populist and an enthusiastic silver man. A student of economic conditions and financial questions for many years, he has reached his conclusions by his logic and is firm in his convictions. He is not only a banker but an editor as well, having founded the Philadelphia American, of which he is still the head, in 1880. He is distinguished as a student, writer, financier, and commercial diplomat.

Wharton Barker was born in Philadelphia, May 1, 1846, and at the age of twenty years graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. While he was still in college in 1863 he commanded a company of colored soldiers and helped to enlist and organize the Third United States Colored Regiment. Becoming a member of the banking firm of Barker Brothers & Co., he was appointed in 1878 financial agent in the United States of the Russian government and was entrusted with the building of four cruisers for the Russian navy. Alexander II. was so highly pleased with Mr. Barker's work that he conferred upon him the Order of St. Stanislaus, an honor rarely given to a foreigner. A contract was offered him by the Emperor of Russia involving $15,000,000, to develop the iron resources of southern Russia, but the Czar died before the work was begun. In 1887 he secured valuable railroad, telephone and telegraph concessions in China.

Mr. Barker founded the Investment Company of Philadelphia and the Finance Company of Pennsylvania. The Penn Monthly, which he established in 1869 was afterwards merged into the Weekly American, which he still owns and edits. He was a prominent Republican until 1896, being a warm supporter of Presidents Garfield and Harrison, but left that party in 1896 on the silver issue. A member of many scientific and educational societies, author of standard works on finance and coinage and student of affairs, Mr. Barker is one of the best types of the active American gentleman.

Ignatius Donnelly, orator, statesman and litterateur, was born in Philadelphia, November 4, 1831. Removing westward, he settled in Minnesota, where he became a well and honorably known influential citizen of the State. He has long been connected with its public and private affairs, his political record showing him capable of filling the highest positions. Formerly a Republican, he drifted into the Democratic ranks, and finally associated himself with the Farmers' Alliance. During the Civil war he was Governor of Minnesota, and later was Lieutenant-Governor for four years. He served in the State Senate for five years, and afterward represented his district in the house of representatives for six years.

Mr. Donnelly has made himself famous in connection with the BaconShakespeare controversy, being an enthusiastic advocate of the Baconian theory. The doubt raised some forty years ago with respect to the authorship of the Shakesperian plays and the belief that these are the productions of Lord Bacon, have both been thoroughly treated. More than one hundred books and pamphlets denying the authorship of Shakespeare have already been published. Therefore it is an arduous task for any one to make any new literary discoveries in regard to the matter, as Mr. Donnelly has done, claiming to have found the mystic cipher which settles the question of authorship. By this remarkable cipher he declares that the plays contain Bacon's direct statement that he wrote them. Mr. Donnelly's work attracted wide attention, but few Shakespearean critics accepted the conclusions of it except those who were already adherents of the theory. He is the author of other notable books of high literary quality. "Atlantis" and "Ragnarok," a tale of the age of fire, being the most famous. "The Golden Battle," a more recent work, is a result of his political views, and tells in the form of fiction something of the theories of its writer.

In 1892 Governor Donnelly was named by the People's party as their candidate for the Presidency. In 1900 he was nominated at Cincinnati as the candidate for the Vice-Presidency by the party popularly known as the "Middle-of-the-Road Populists," those objecting to fusion with the Democrats, Wharton Barker of Philadelphia being the nominee for the Presidency on the same ticket.