The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-12-04
THB VOTE OF KENTUCKY
Democrats Claim State Board Will
Give Goebel the Certificate.
TAYLoR's VOTE IN LOUISVILLE

TAYL0R's VOTE IN LOUISVILLE
According to County COnalnistoners'
Returns Jefferson County Gave the
Republics. Candidate g. 4a Piaral-
ity-This Thrown Out Elects Gsebel.
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 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 plurality Of 2.4S5. 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 it's members decide
to construe certain portions Of the
statute.
The Republicans assert that mas
much as. according to the law, a GER
ti1icate 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 2,435, 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: 1.-The
state board shall be a board for ex-
aiming and canvassing the returns"
How the board will construe the word
examining is 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 pas
sage of the law defining It's powers in
identical language.
With the certificates of the commits
sioners of Jefferson county giving
Taylor plurality Of 3.442 votes was
filed a mass of evidence that many
Of these votes were illegal. and it is
not among the impossibilities that
the state board may SO construe its
powers under the word examining"
as to declare that it has the power to
reject these votes. If it does Mr.
Goebel gets the certificate The main
hope of Goebel is upon contesting JEFF
ferson, which means the city of Louis
VILE. Should the Democrats succeed in
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 the
Louisville vote chiefly because Of Gov
ernor Bradley's action In ordering the
militia under arms and the alleged
presence at the polls of deputy United
States marshals. They also base their
contest on the fact that inspectors for
the Brown party forced their way into
the polling booth and usurped the
| function of officers of election. The
| Republicans will claim before the cleo
| ton commissioners that the claims IF
Intimidation by the militia and inter"
ference by the United States marshals
are wholly inadmissible for the reason
that the militia was held in the armony
until fully three hours after the close
of the polls and that they were at no
time until long after the polls had
| closed present at or near polling
booth.
AS to the marshals. It Is asserted
by the Republicans that not only were
they too few in number-there belnS
but IA in Kentucky all told--to he
capable Of any interference, but that
they actually did not in any manner
interfere with the casting of any vote
either in the city of Louisville or else
where throughout the state They
visited the polls as private citizens
| only. To offset the claims of intrusion
by the inspectors for the Brown party,
the Republicans claim that II the
| claims of the Democrats are correct
the fault lies with the Democratic Of
ficials who admitted them. They claim
that the Democrats cannot allege their
own negligence Of duty as reason for
throwing out Republican votes.
1t is admitted by both sides that
the Democrats have stronger case in
| Jefferson county than anywhere
| throughout the state. If they win
there the other contests may be drop
ped. and if they lose success in all the
other contests will not make Goebel
governor of Kentucky.
Next to the jefferson county contest
in importance comes that in Knox
county, which returned plurality for
Taylor of 1886. The contest there is
based upon the allegations that the
Republicans used tissue paper ballots,
by which the secrecy Of ballot was de-
| strOyed, In Johnson county. which
returned plurality for Taylor of $50.
similar claim is made, also in Lewis
county, which gave $50 more totes
for Taylor than for Goebel. The Re-
publicans assert that similar ballots
were used by the Democrats in the
coenties of Graves. Ballard and Bath,
in which the aggregate plurality for
Goebel was far IL excess Of the total
Taylor plurality in the counties Of
Knox, Johnson and Lewis.