The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-17

We have been assured with all the
strenuous devotion to truth which is a
characteristic of the imperialistic breth-
rem that. no matter what the returns
might show in the state Of Kentucky, the
election board, under the malign influence
of the wicked Goebel, would bring out
results entirely satisfactory to the Demo-
cratic nominee.
The assurance may have something Of
fact on Which to base it, since 1t requires
very wide and diversified knowledge on
the part of those who do not live in Ken
lucky to understand the progress of polit-
icaI movements therein. But, If 1t be
well founded, the conduct Of the Repub-
Iican officials of the state seems little
difficult of understanding. The illustra-
ton in this direction which Is afforded
through the Seventh precinct of the First
ward of the city of Louisville Is rather
an instructive one.
When the election was over and the
ballots counted after fashion, and while
the Democratic officials were insisting
that the count was false, the Republican
brethren proceeded to strew the floor of
the polling booth with the counted bal
lots. The informally Of this proceeding
not striking the Democrats as entirely
worthy of legal recognition, their Repub-
lican associates proceeded industriously
to pick up the scattered evidences Of the
rights of American freemen. and, hav
ing recounted them, found that they did
not at all correspond with or sustain the
result as originally reached. Indeed, they
made that result much more pleasing to
the adherents of the party Of moral ideas.
Then, IN the red heat of their indigna-
ton, the Democratic adherents refused to
certify to the result as made out by the
Republican officials.
According to the ordinary understand
ing of official duty, the action of these
Democratic election officials seems clearly
warranted by morals as well as by law.
But no ordinary understanding suffices to
compass the possibilities in a Kentucky
election. Hence it is that, these venture
some Democrats found themselves forth
with in the clutches of the law Judge
Toney, doughty Republican partisan,
who thought there was an emergency
which warranted the calling out of the
state troops before the election, and so
ordered, directed that these recaIcitrant
Democrats should proceed to certify the
results which they proclaimed false and
illegal. Not being wholly an autocrat,
Judge Toney proceeded by that familiar
process known as an injunction. There is
a notion prevailing, mostly among old
fashioned folk, that you may take horse
to water, but you cannot make him drink.
Having gotten his horses to water in this
case, Judge Toney showed how they could
be made to partake of the fluid itself by
ordering that they "be and hereby are
enjoined and restrained from refusing to
certify to the results as the Republican
brethren had announced them. That set
tied it. The Democratic officials strained
in the leash, but they did just as they
were told. They restrained themselves
from further refusing, having the pains
and penalties of a lack of restraint thus
placed plainly before them.
Considering the certainty which has ex
listed throughout, according to the i'm
perialistic brethren, that the election
board would produce results emlnently
satisfactory in every event to Democrats.
1t must be said that Judge Toney and
his anything but tony Republican asso-
ciates among the election officials of
Louisville showed remarkable zeal in fix
ing things, so far as in their power, be-
fore the election board could inject itself
into the controversy.