The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-12-04
YHE VOTE OF KENTUCKY
Democrats Claim State Board viii
Give Goebel the Certificate.
rAYLoR's VOTE IN LOUISVILLE.


returns jefferson County Gave the
Republican Candidate 3,442 Plural
itv-ThisThroyvn out Elects GoebcI.
Frankfort. Ky, Dec. AT noon the
state board of election commissioners
of Kentucky meets to canvass the re-
turns from the last state election and
to decide whether Goebel or Taylor is
entitled to the certificate of election as
governor. There is not much proba-
bility that the matter will be settled
today, and it may be tomorrow or
later before a certificate is issued.
Both sides express themselves as con-
fident, but no one can predict with ac-
curacy the decision which will be ar
rived at by the board. The certified re-
turns from the county boards, now on
file with the secretary of state, give
Taylor a plurality of 2,435 but the
Democrats declare that enough of
these votes will be thrown out and
that Goebel will be awarded the GER
tificate. The Kentucky election law is
capable of diversions, and the definite
conclusion of the board will rest very
largely upon how its members decide
to construe certain portions of the
statute.
The Republicans assert that mas
much as. according to the law, a GER
tificate of election is due to the per-
son having the largest number of
votes according to the certificates of
the county boards, it will be impossible
for the board to do otherwise than re-
turn a certificate in favor of Taylor,
he having a majority of 2435, accord
ing to the certificate now on file with
the secretary of state. There is a
loophole in the very sections upon
which the Republicans rely which may
work against them. 1t is this: The
state board shall be a board for ex-
amining and canvassing the returns
How the board will construe the word
examining" is a matter of doubt
The same words exactly are used
in defining the powers of the various
county boards, and under this wording
they have claimed and used the power
of rejecting votes which they believed
were illegally cast If the county
boards have this power over precinct
returns why the Democrats ask, has
not the state board exactly similar
powers over county returns in a pas
sage of the law defining its powers in
| identical language.
With the certificates of the commits
sioners of Jefferson county giving
! Taylor a plurality of 3.442 votes was
| filed a mass of evidence that many
of these votes were illegal, and it il
not among the impossibilities tha
| the state board may so construe its
| powers under the word examining
as to declare that it has the power tC
reject these votes. If it does Mr.
| Goebel gets the certificate. The maiu
| hope of Goebel is upon contesting JEFF
ferson, which means the city of Louis
| vile. Should the Democrats succeed il
having it thrown out it means the de
feat of Taylor and of every other can
didate upon the Republican ticket.
The Democrats are contesting thu
| Louisville vote chiefly because of Gov
ernor Bradiey's action in ordering tn,
| militia under arms and the alleged
| presence at the polls of deputy Unite,
States marshals. They also base thei
contest on the fact that inspectors TO
| the Brown party forced their way int
the polling booth and usurped tht
function of officers of election. Tht
| Republicans will claim before the elec
| ton commissioners that the claims ,
| intimidation by the militia and inter
| ference by the United States marshali
are wholly inadmissible, for the reason
that the militia was held in the armonl
until fully three hours after the clost
of the polls and that they were at NJ
time until long after the polls haC
! closed present at or near a pollin;
! booth.
AS to the marshals, it is asserted
| by the Republicans that not only wer,
they too few in number-there beln:
but IA in Kentucky all told-to b,
capable of any interference, but tina
they actually did not in any name
interfere with the casting of any vot
either in the city of Louisville or else
where throughout the state. The.
visited the polls as private citizens
only To offset the claims of intrusion
by the inspectors for the Brown party
the Republicans claim that if tn
claims of the Democrats are correc
the fault lies with the Democratic OF
fcials who admitted them. They CLAIM
that the Democrats cannot allege thei
own negligence of duty as reason 70
throwing out Republican votes.
It is admitted by both sides tina
the Democrats have a stronger case II
Jefferson county than anywher
throughout the state. If they Wi
there the other contests may be drop
ped, and if they lose success in all. tn
other contests will not make Goebe
governor of Kentucky.
Next to the Jefferson county contes
in Importance comes that in Kno
county, which returned plurality 70
Taylor of 1885. The contest there
based upon the allegations that tn
Republicans used tissue paper ballots
by which the secrecy of ballot was dc
stroyed In Johnson county, whic
returned a plurality for Taylor of 3St
similar claim is made, also in Levi
county, which gave $50 more vote
for Taylor than for Goebel The Re
publicans assert that similar ballot
were used by the Democrats in tn
counties of Graves. Ballard and Batl
In which the aggregate plurality fo
Goebel was far In excess of the tott
Taylor plurality in the counties {
Knox, Johnson and Lewis.
Robbed the Grave
A startling incident of which Mr.. job
Oliver Of PhiladelDbia was the subject,