The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-09-19
OWENS HAS A MAJORITY.
Breokinridge, However, Hopes to Win by
Contest.

| LEXINGTON, KY, Sept. l6.-The result
of the Neutrality-suspicious. contest for the
congressional nomination at the primaries
yesterday is somewhat III doubt, al
though Owens appears to have a small
majority. The friends of Breckenridge
will not acknowledge that their mar il
defeated, bat still stick To il that he viii
come cut ahead. While they conc de
Owens maiarity of la2, they say a contest
will be made and that Breckinridge will
/ win.
The Owens men, on the other hand,
say their candidate has won, and that
if any fraud is attempted 10y the other
side there will be bloodshed in Ken
lucky.
Several of ofBreckinridge's closest friends
have been busy all day figuring on the
returns. They have come to the con-
clusion that Owens only has l.2 majority.
Statements TO this effect are being sent to
the Breckenridge committeeman in each
county in the district, with instructions to
thoroughly investigate the vote in their
counties, so that before next Saturday,
the day sci for canvassing the vote and
declaring the nominee, they will be asked
| to furnish sufficient facts to warrant a
contest being made. According To the
rules, wherever a contest il sustained in a
precinct the entire vote of that precinct is
thrown out. Six of the 10 district COM
mitteemen are friends of Brcci1inridge.
should the committee declare him the
nominee protest would go M from the
entire district and a Republican would
| have better chance of being elected to
Congress.
While there were a number of fights in
the various voting precincts throughout
the district, not more than one will result
in murder.
| WOMEN HIS BITTEREsT FOES.
The w. c. p. Breckenridge campaign
of vindicationr practically began soon
after the verdict in the Madeline Pollard
case was rendered in April, although
Colonel Breckinridge did not obtain
leave of absence from Congress to devote
most of his attention To his campaign
until early in July. Ii was during his
finst visits to the district after the Pollard
suit that he realized something of the
nature and extent of the opposition he
would have 10 meet.
lie found two tremendous forces or
ganizing against him, the women and
the churches. One of the first of those
organizations WAS the Lexington ''Wom-
EMS Anti-Breckinridge Club" which
raised thousands of dollars To spend in
any manner which promised TO help
defeat Breckenridge and elect Owens.
Breckinridge went into the actual bat
tie in July, backed by the Federal Office
holders of the district, by the county and
State organization of his party, and 10
some extent by the National Congress
sional Committee in Washington. IL was
not very formidable array, but the
leader was a force in himself, through
his keen knowledge Of ofpractical politics,
his undoubted, eloquence, and capacity
for continuous hard work which is moth
ing less than marvellous.
At the beginning of the campaign
Breckenridge assumed the role of a meek
and lowly repentent. He confessed, de-
clared himself sanctified by repentance,
and sought forgiveness and sympathy.
| nut iiiiH ~ bt
The opposition gave him no quarter. W.
c. owens, his youthful opponent, was
ont for fight, not palaver. Most of all,
the women hooted the repentance dodge.
Then the campaign grew hotter. Breck-
inridge talked less of repentance and for
| giveness, leaving that To the few church
friends who had rallied To his support,
and devoted his own energies To repelling
the fresh charges made against him, and
making charges in return.
Rapidly the whole population of the
district became involved in the contro-
versies of the. campaign. But always
the women were in the lead. Their
clubs adopted rules calculated to prevent
any of the gallant young men of the
district enlisting under Breckinridge.