The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1898-03-01
The GOebel Force Bill.

House Saturday after bitter contest by
a vote of 81 to 40. 1t is not only the
most undemocratic but it is the very
worst and most unexcusable bill that
was ever enacted into a law in Ken
lucky. P. P. Johnston in telegram to
a member Of the House last week said il
the bill becomes law ''it will destroy
the Democratic party" A party that
would make itself responsible for such q
measure is not entitled to the confidence
of the people and deserves that they
should rise in their wrath and sweep it
from power and position and drive ii
into exile until new generation Of lead.
ers shall arise who will not dare invade
their rights or attempt to destroy their
liberties.
The bill is in the hands of the Cover
nor who will veto it and then there is
one desperate chance that it may fail to
pass the Senate over his veto as it had
on its first passage in that house a bare
constitutional majority. If it becomes
a law we have seen the last of free cleo
tons in Kentucky.
The purpose of this bill is to place the
control of all elections in the hands of a
State Board of Elections composed of
three men to be elected by the Legisla-
ture and this State Board shall appoint
County Board of three men, whose
duty it shall be to select all officers of
election in their county, and to receive
and count and certify the returns. In
this way the appointment of election
officers is taken out of the hands of the
County Judge who is elected by the
people and responsible to them and
places it in the hands of three men not
elected by the people and not responsible
to anybody. 1t is not sufficient to say
that this law will be always admins
tered by honest men who will see to it
that every qualified voter is permitted
to cast his vote as he pleases and to have
it counted as cast. If all the election
Boards were always the best men in the
counties even so b law as this might
work no wrong But who IT,. nas any
knowledge of politics in Kentucky has
the least doubt that in many counties
the election machinery will fall into the
hands of men who will have no other
conception of duty than to see to it that
their si6e wins? The gentlemen who
have forced this bill through he Legis-
ture, and who by the unusual method of
calling a caucus of the House Democrats
and making the bill party measure
succeeded in whipping into its support
a few weaklings who wonld like to have
opposed the bill if they had dared-these
gentlemen were loud in their protesta-
tions that the bill had no other object
than to secure fair elections in Ken
lucky. Is there any reasonable man
who believes for moment that this
was the purpose of the trainers and pro-
moters of this bill? Is it not perfectly
apparent that the intent of the bill is to
make fair election in Kentucky impos-
sible? We believe that no sane man
doubts that this would be its effect.
THE NEWS is far from believing that
anything it may say on this or any other
subject will have any weight with those
violent and extreme gentlemen at Frank
fort who seem to act on the idea that
their first duty to those who elected them
is to oppose whatever any sound money
paper may advocate, and advocate
whatever such paper may oppose. But
we do our duty by the public when we
call their attention to this ubiquitous bill
and denOunce 1t as unworthy the sup
port of any citizen who believes In
honest elections and in the right of the
people to govern themselves. We have
talked with many of our silver Demo
cratic friends, and to their credit be it
said we have not found one who favors
this bill-not one who does not believe
that the bill if passed would be the
greatest mistake ever made by the
party in Kentucky.
we Sove the Democratic party far too
well to sit quietly. by while it is CARROT
ted in its own house by reckless men for
selfish and ignoble purposes. We have
given to it the assent of our intellect
and the love Of our heart We have
believed that the great principles for
which it stands are the surest guarantee
OF the liberty of the citizen and the
maintenance of his rights as well as the
chief cornerstone of all good govern
ment under Republican form, and we
have faith that the Democrats of Ken
tuckv will avenge this ubiquitous law by
destroying the political existence of the
men who for selfish purposes have
thrust it upon the people in the name of
Democracy.