The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-22
Grounds For Contest Of Democrats
In Kentucky.
ACTION OF THE GOVERNOR
PREVENTED CASTING AMI
COUNTING HONEST VOTES.
Tissue Ballots Used In Many Of the
Overwhelming Republican Pre-
cincts In Violation of the Law
Calling Out of the Troops to In
timidate Voters.

Frankfort, KY, Dec 21-The address
to the Democracy of the state, indorsing
the contest instituted by Goebel and
other candidates of the defeated Demo-
cratic ticket and giving the reasons
therefor, was issued tonight. 1t is
signed by former Senator Blackburn,
chairman of the state campaign COM
mittee, Chairman Young of the state
central and executive committees and
all of the members of those committees.
1t saws in part:
THE state board of election commits
sioners at its recent session issued GER
tificetes of election to all of the Repub-
lican candidates for state Offices out
the board expressly declared in the
opinion that it rendered that it acted
simply as a canvassing board, without
power or authority, as il construed the
law, to inquire into the legality or val
idity of any contested votes. The board
expressed the opinion that if clothed
with authority to go behind the re-
turns and determine the matters in
contention, the certificates of election
would not have been issued to the par
ties who received them. .s.g
Tissue Ballot Used
1--WE feel that in the light of the ac-
ton of this board the Democratic party
cannot do less than to carry its conten-
ton to the tribunals created by law for
its determination. The grounds upon
which this contest is based consist of
the protest against the use of tissue
ballots in many of the overwhelmingly
Republican counties of the state. The
use of these ballots is not only in vio-
lation OF the letter of the law but is
in utter and open defiance of the spirit
of the law, and the use of these bal
lots furnishes not only prima facie, but
also conclusive evidence Of purposed
fraud.
Another ground of the contest is be-
cause of the plain violation and de-
fiance of law by the late Republican
governor of the state, who whilst ac-
lively engaged in the making of stump
speeches and the prosecution of a par
tisan political canvass, ordered out the
military. and, in violation of both law
and precedent, assumed personal COM
mand of troops in the metropolis of
the state, parading the streets of Louis
vile on the day of the election with
his soldiers and Calling guns, invading
the voting booths and forcing into
them, against the protest of the law
fully appointed election officials, pre-
tended inspectors and challengers, who.
the highest court in the state has de-
cided, had no lawful right TO be pres
ent-
Charges Against Judges.
"The issuance of the certificates of
election to the Republican candidates
is contested upon the further ground
that a federal and also a state judge.
without warrant of law, and in de-
fiance of every prompting of fair deal
ing and decency. interfered with the
holding of the state election, the one
by menacing charges to a grand jury
and by the employment of deputy Unit
ed States marshals, and the other by
issuing every mandamus and injunction
asked for by the Republican party.
which latter judicial acts have been
declared by the supreme judicial trib-
unal of the state to have been unlaw-
full.
Another ground is the use in the in
terest of the Republican party of an
immense corruption fund, contributed
by the most powerful railroad corpora
ton of the commonwealth. whereby
many thousands of votes were bought
against the Democratic party and its
candidates, because that party. in the
platform adopted in its state conven-
ton dared to advocate measures of re-
lief demanded by the people of the
ealth.