The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-30
THE LONG CONTEST ENDED.
THE KENTUCKY LEGISLATURE
AT LAST ELECTS A SENATOR.


The Contest Which Has Lasted Through
Two Legislatures Ended In the Election
of q Candidate of Only . Few Days.
Deboe Receives a Majority of the Votes
Amid a Ltorm of Excitement-BOth Sides
Working to the Last Moment.
Frankfort, KY, April Ex-Governor
Bradley has written out the certificate
of election for Hon. William J. Deboe,
of Crittenden county, as Junior senator
from Kentucky, to succeed Hon. ]. c.
Blackburn, whose term expired March
4th. Senator Deboe will be in his seat
in the senate Monday next.
Senator Deboe has suffered slight
strokes of political lightning before
! The end Of the famous struggle which
| has extended over two Legislative ses-
sions Will go into history as the most
memorable Kentucky has ever known.
DR.. Hunter came here six weeks ago
with a majority in the legislature, with
a clean majority of these republicans
staunchly for him and the additional
. y
organizations, but circumstances were
against him and the lightning today
struck Deboe on the 112th ballot
| Republican caucuses. informal, ir-
! regular and impromptu, were held from
o'clock yesterday afternoon till after
day light this morning. The Hunter
deVOtees worked like beavers for Deboe
! anu work was also done by Bradley
F; and his lieutenants. The arrival of
John w. Yerkes, national committee
, phasized the report that it was at last
a party fight. Last night the republi-
cans announced that there was not the
| faintest possibility Of Deboe's election
! being delayed longer than today; but
their appearance and the zeal with
! which they worked until the last min
ute before the joint session show that
; they were not as certain as they ap-
peared and were afraid of the schemes
Of the Blackburn people, who never
quit working. They watched every
train. They had kilograms announcing
that their four absent members would
! surely be here, but they were afraid OF
accidents. They were told that Lie
berth and two others had been in con-
ference with Governor Bradley and
Senator Deboe and had finally declared
themselves in line.
When the last train was in. the re-
publican leaders announced that all OF
the Seventy-One republicans were on
hand; that Deboe would be absent and
| that he was sure to be elected by sew
! enty-one votes. It looked this way tC
the nearly despairing Blackburn demo
yo1
only was Yerkes here, but State Chair
man Sam Roberts had come back and
was working hard to keep all in line
No such crowds as that which gathered
before the joint session was ever seer
in the old state house before.
All the republicans in the senate ex.
cept Deboe, answered present So die
all the gold democrats except Park
Smith. The gold democrats in the
house also answered present with bu
one exception. There were no miss
ing republicans in the house. The chair
announced eighty-one present and or
dered the roll call for the ballot. Colo
democrats voted for Martin with, bu
few exceptions. There were 135 presen
and sixty-eight would elect There wa:
applause when Lieberth voted for thu
nominee. Norman also voted for De
Doe. When the sixty-eighth vote wa:
the wild cheers. The Blackburn me1
asked for a call of the absentees an(
they voted solidly for their man. Henr,
Martin voted too. The ballot stood
Deboe Il, Blackburn so, Martin 13
Stone 1.
| Lykins was not present. nor wa
! Ogilvie. Governor Bradley was pres
ent. The wild scene that followed
could not be ouieted. There was NJ
chance to ask the victor to come for
ward and make speech. The cheerin,
and demonstrations were ended by tn
president putting a motion. and de
claring the assembly adjourned sin
die.
Deboe can never be charged will
using money in his brief, victcriou
race. He and his friends are too poo
! to give a banquet. He has receive,
hundreds of telegrams Of congratula
| tions this afternoon and tonight an,
is beseiged by men for federal position
in Kentucky.