Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-10-26
TENNESSEE POLITICS.


Democrats Afraid of the Peoples Party
Nearly 100000 Voters DisfranchIsed by
the DOrch Law.
The independent or peoples party
candidate for governor is John p I'uch-
anan, the present incumbent Q the
Office, who has a sort of double-h lded
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 a 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 unpardona able sin, and
the democrats, who had been in control
as dispensers of patronage for years,
began to abuse him about a 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
abused governor in the country. Be-
fore the date of the democra tic conven-
ton the governor withdrew his name
and declined to allow 1t 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.
nounced himself as an independent
candidate for governor. His plat
form was so modelled as to bear a strik.
ing resemblance to the alliance demo
Gratis, and the peoples party convention
indorsed 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 a combination
of free trade democracy and alliance
money demands, so that 1t 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 1885,
was 1, 763, 1913, which would give vot-
ing population of about $50, 900. In
1883 the total vote for president
amounted to $685. 7s4, giving 15s,779 tc
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
Dcrch election law has the form of the
Australian ballot law, but it is severe1
educational test than that of Mississip
pl. 1t has all the tickets mixed up OF
the same ballot and in such way tina
the voter must not only be able to read
but to know good deal of law as well
to have the ballot counted. This Law
prohibits the judges of election from il
any manner assisting the vote
in preparing his ticket, excep
ON the condition of physical disability
such as being unable to use pei
or pencil For them to assist vote,
who is unable to read is a criminal of
tense If this law applied to the Who'll,
state it would cut down the total vot
about one-half, but the democrats hat
an eye to their own majorities In enact
ing such law and they made it apply
only to counties of more than Sc, O0
population 1t therefore applies onl,
to the four counties of Knox, Hamilton
Davidson and Shelby, or to the cities o
Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville ant
Memphis. The first three cities are re
publican and Memphis is very event,
divided between the two parties, auC
was before this Law. went into effect
Knoxville, Chattanooga and NashviIl,
have had wonderful prosperity since
the war and all are manufacturing
cities with large laboring populations
These are republican, and this new Law
was passed to make voting for them a
difficult as possible and next to impos
sible. By means of it the democrat
were able to count out the republican
in South Chattanooga and Nashvill,
and to swell their majOrities in tn,
country.
With all this machinery applying
only to republican cities, the democrat
do not feel entirely safe in Tennessee
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