Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-11-10
The County Vote OmCial.

The County Canvassing Board,
composed of three of the Republican
county officers, began canvassing the
county returns Friday and finished
about noon Saturday.
Capt. G. D. Bell was in town Fri
day and announced his intention to
contest the election Of Mai. S. r.
Crumbaugh as State Senator and
made formal demand that one Of his
attorneys be allowed to witness the
official count, but this was refused by
the board, although Clerk Prowse
was in favor of the proposition. The
count was made in secret and nc
Democrat has any knowledge OF
what irregularities were discovered OF
what doubtful ballots were returned
The votes Of Palmyra, Beverly
and Hopkinsville No. 2, where many
illegal and fraudulent votes are
known to have been east
were all counted, the three
precincts showing a net loss of only |
vote for Mckinley. These precincts
were rendered irregular by the act of
the election officers who counted the
votes that should have been thrown
out and the County Board, whose du-
ties are purely ministerial did not go
behind the returns.
1t will be seen that the vote was
1920 for President not counting the
spoiled ballots, estimated at 100 in
the county. This is an increase of
1878 votes over the big vote Of last
year and larger vote than there are
adults in the county, as shown by the
Assessors books. 1t is reported that
in many country precincts negro
school boys under 20 years old were
permitted to vote, the Republicans
having the election machinery at
nearly all precincts. In such large
precincts as Hopkinsville No. 4, Hop
kinsville No. 2 and Beverly, the Dem
ocrats had but one Of the election Of
ficers. At the former precinct at
least one negro voter who was sent
for, who was registered in that pre-
cinct, appeared andsdeclined to vote,
on the grounds that he had already
voted at Palmyra. Two negro float
ers, illegally registered, were thrown
out on their own testimony, but
many just as bad who bad been in
the precinct since "de las of Angus"
were let in, 1t is believed that there
was a good deal of repeating. Ne,
groes who voted in one precinct could
easily vote under the same name or
some different name in other pre-.
cinct, as the officers permitted any
sort of Republican foater to vote
on his own perjured statement. 1t is
no exaggeration to say that enough
fraudulent votes were counted in
Christian county alone to have chang
ed the result in the State.
One Democrat who did not vote
says he told registration officer that
he came to the State Nov. IA and the
officer thinking he was opposed to
Bryan told him to register, "as that
would be all right" He registered
but when It became known that he
would vote the Democratic ticket he
was told that he was not legal
voter, and of course did not attempt
to vote.
The total here given shows the
changes made in the semi-othcial re-
port last weeks:
No changes were made in the city
precincts, except the loss of l vote
to Mckinley in No, 2.
At Concord Mckinley gained 2
votes.
At Palmyra Mckinley lost 2 and
Bryan /. In this precinct 2O7 bal
lots were put in the box stubs and all.
These were held legal and counted.
About three fourths of them were for
Mckinley and Crumbaugh.
At Longview Mckinley lost 2 votes.
At Beverly Mckinley gained 2 and