The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1865-08-23
THE FARCE IN KENTUCKY,
How 1t was COnducted-Men
not Allowed TO Approach the
Polls.
Correspondence of the Cincinnati Com
mercial.
AFFAIRS IN KENTUCKY.


AFFAIRS IN KENTUCKY.
'..Vote as you please but if you vote
against Napoleon you'll be shot" And
the first consul was elected Emperor by a
large majority, not from the fact of his great
popularity, or the desire of the people of
France to see him on the throne, but from
a singular and unaccOuntable version to be-
ing shot Vote as you please" said, in
effect, few of the leaders Of the amend
Cc pa " ..-c yesterday morning, "but if
you vote against our friends we will have
you arrested. But the people Of Ken
tucky are not Frenchmcn, and, those who
attempted the Napoleonic method Of elec-
tionifound ere long that they had reckoned
without their host.
The first reminder had of its being elec-
tion-day, yesterday, was file of soldiers
passing along the street with several citizens
under arrest, and on their way to the guard
house. 1t called to mind scenes OF war and
conflict in the distant South, which | had
foolshly supposed were brought to con-
clusion with the surrender of the rebel ar
mics. went TO the vicinity OF this polls
and found a state of affairs existing for
which history furnishes no parallel but that
of France, which | have quoted. A citizen
approached the Court House just as | ar
rived, and as he was about to enter for the
purpose of depositing his ballot, he was ac-
costed by a captain of the State Guard, who
inquired of him what he was doing here?''
The natural reply was, Il came to vote?'
WELL sir, you can vote, and you d better
go home or I'll arrest you "By whose
authority am | prevented from voting?"
by the authority of General Wade. Your
name is on this list, and my instructions are
to prevent every man whose name is on this
list from voting, and to arrest them if they
come about here" 'Well, I'll go to the
judges and let them decide whether | shall
vote CT not" The citizen stepped forward
to go to the polls; the Captain beconed to
couple Of soldiers, and in five minutes Mr..
- was in the guard house.
Soon after another citizen came along
whats your name?" asked the Captain in
command.
My name is --."
well, let me sec if your name is on my
list"
Out came the list of "disloyal' ones from
the Captains pocket, aud down went the
Captain S eyes along the margin to see if
the individual before him had been disfran-
chised. The citizen waits with trembling
anxiety for the decision of his fate As
good men as he, and as loyal have been ar
rested already, and are now in duress, and
what is to save him from being condemned
to keep them company But he is soon re-
lieved by the commandment Of the polls (this
is a new military office, hitherto unknown
who, not finding his name on the in3cr cr-
purgatoyias, tells him 'all right, you can
WITT. - 81 \, an n,l,,, - eax,r N n,l
the file of soidiere fall back on either side,
While he, who has iu,t been weighed in the
balance and not found wanting uyoceeds to
cast his vote repeating to hinkelf, no doubt
the familiar lines of Picrpont:-
'.How light the ballots fall,
Like SnOwtlakes on the sod
And execute u freaman's WILL
AS lightning does the will of God
Before had been at the polls much lon
ger, another arrest was made. This time it
was done without questioning the prescribed
individual Some person had said to the
officer of the guard, "Arrest that man.
and as that was exactly what the officer was
there for, he obeyed the injunction, and for
the monstrous crime of approaching the
polls, Mr.. - was marched to the lookup.
And so it kept on until the following cores
pondence occurred, by telegraph, between
the Sheriff of Fayette County anc & overn-
or Bfanlette.
LEXINGTON, August 7.
TO Gorernor 7, Z. Brua,lette, Frankfort,
Kentucky:
A military force occupies both voting pla-
ces in this city, and have arrested three men
one for voting, and two for being in the
Court house, intending to vote. Thereup-
on the officers of the precinct declined to 60
on with the election under military dictation.
The Sheriff at one precinct was arrested,
and taken to headquarters, while in the dis
charge Of his duties The citizens stand in
front of the polls, and indicate to the sol
diers those who are not entitled to vote, and
all such SO pointed out are not allowed to
present themselves to the Judges. What
shall do?
[Signed] w. W. DOUDEN,
Sheriff of Fayette county.
FRANKFORT, August 7.
10 W. W. Douden
The officers of elections should be entirely
free from any militrry dictation or menace.
The military has no right to interfere unless
and decision of the officers of election. Any
Of election, by the military, is in violation of
law, and punishable by the law of the State
and by the act of Congress- With the ar
election nor myself have anything to do.
What the Constitution and laws of Ken
lucky lay down as a rule for elections, is the
observing these rules, would not proceed
tt,aa aIn : uh h.
according to law, or not at all.
[Signedl T. f. BRAMLETTE
Governor of Kentucky.
This, the Sheriff thought, ought to settle
the matter. He went to General Wade
Headquarters with copy Of Bramlette's
dispatch, told him the, situation, and asked
him if he would withdraw the soldiers from
the polls. Wade replied that he had moth
ing to do with Governor Bramlettes dis
patch that he was acting. under Gen: Pal
mers orders, and that he believed Mr..
Douden wanted to let disloyal men VOTE
Mr.: Douden said he did did n not but he wanted
Wade, 'the soldiers shall stay there until
the polls close. This was about P. NJ
Under Governor Bramlette's dispatch, the
Jacobinal leaders of the Radicals had al
ready wilted, very much as an uprooted cab
bage-plant Wits under hot sun, and altho'
General Wade refused to withdraw tho sol
dier's from the polls, he modified them
to such an extent as to allow tho judges of
the election TO decide upon the qualification
of voters, and thereatter until =. M,
there was something approximating to a /
free election.
And | am very far from saying that all
who approached the polls ought to have
been allowed to vote. But | believe the
PROCLAMATION of Gov. Rramlette ought to
have been enforced, and if there were doubts