The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-10-21
TENNESSEE POLITICS.

Democrats Afraid of the Peoples Party
Nearly 100, 900 Voters Disfranchised BY
the Dorch Law.
The independent or peoples party
candidate for governor is John P. Buch-
anan, the present incumbent of the
office, who has sort of double-handed
campaign. and one that gives the demo-
Gratis no end of worry and trouble.
Two years ago Gov. Buchanan was at
the head of the Farmers Alliance in
Tennessee, and made campaign for
the democratic nomination for the office
he now holds. The alliance was large
ly composed of democrats, and they had
control of the convention. He was
nominated and elected by the biggest
majority given to any governor in re-
cent years in this state. He failed as
governor in one particular which was
essential He did not hand over the
patronage to the old democratic bosses.
AS he owed his nomination and cleo
ton to the farmers, he gave the offices
at his disposal to democrats who were
farmers and alliancemen.
That was the objectionable sin, and
the democrats, who had been in control
as dispensers of patronage for years,
began to abuse him about year ago.
They wanted to return to Simon-pure
democracy for officers of the state gov
eminent, and last winter they selected
"Old Pete" as the best man to defeat
Buchanan for denomination. A vigor-
GUS preliminary campaign was made,
and Buchanan is possibly the best
fore the date of the democra tic conven-
ton the governor withdrew his name
and declined to allow it to go before
the convention. Then the democrats
began to suspect that he might follow
the example Of Capt Kolb in Alabama
their suspicious were correct Very
soon after the convention Gov. Buchanan
drew up platform of his own and an
ncunced himself as an independent
candidate for governor. His plat
form was so modelled as to bear strilz-
Gratis, and the peoples party convention
Endorsed him as the candidate of that
party. He is, therefore, the peoples
party candidate and not bound to the
peoples party platform, but to one of
his own making. 1t is combination
of free trade democracy and alliance
money demands, so that it may reach
out into both parties and draw to him
many followers who find no good cause
for DESERVING him simply to please the
democratic bosses. That is why the
democrats regard his candidacy as
double barreled and dangerous, for both
barrels may go off at once, and the shot
has been so rammed with abuse that
they may scatter and do most disas-
trous damage to the democratic party.
The population of Tennessee in 1890
was 1,763, 723, which would give a. vot-
ing population of about $4,000. In
1883 the total vote for president
amounted to 303, 1874, giving 15S,779 to
Cleveland and 1873, 9SS to Harrison. But
since then the democratic legislature
has passed registration and election
laws which cut down the total vote very
materially, and In 1890 the vote for gov
ernor amounted to only 200, 712. The
Dorch election law has the form of the
Australian ballot law, but it is a severer
educational test than that of Mississip.
pi It has all the tickets mixed up on
the same ballot and in such a way that
the voter must not only be able to read,
but to know a good deal of law as well.
to have the ballot counted. This law