Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1899-11-28
The warIir<e Election.

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back 10 memories of the civil war
when bayouets ruled the people and
the elections Republican rule in
Kentucky has brought the bayonets
to the Legislature to direct its acts,
and to the polls TO direct or ter
rorize, the voters. In Louisville
the voters were terrorized 10y the
militia, the election officers we're de-
nounced as thieves and threatened
with death if they failed to report
the result of the election against
their wishes; and the election com
lssioners were denounced as
| thieves and threatened with death.
The same character of lawlcssness
was exhibited in Lexington, IN Bar
louisville, and in many other
mountain counties in control OF Re
publicans where frauds were COM
mitted extensively and where the
laws have been openly defed. These
frauds were backed up by the march
of the militia to the polls or pre-
cincts making inquiry at each of the
condition of affairs. This military
force was in charge of the Chief EX-
ecutive, Republican, who welded
all the power at his command to
continue Republicanism in Ken
lucky another four years.
The assistance of the Federal
authority was also secured to ter
rorize the voters and the election
officers in the discharge of their
rights in exercising the highest pri-
vilege of citizenship. Colored ex-
convicts and periured negroes were
protected as legal voters, ald the
challengers ofsuch voters have since
been arrested and carried before a
United States Commissioner who
sent them to the Federal Court for
trial White men have backed up
these negroes in their acts, without
inquiring into the character or
qualification of the negroes. The
election was peaceful and quiet in
this city, and it was the duty of the
election officers to do all in their
power to prevent every illegal voter
from casting his ballot in the cleo
tion. If in doing this the election
officers and citizens are to be pun
ished by Federal authority, then
tree and fair elections are a farce
in Kentucky.
Nothing has been omitted to de-
feat Senator Goebel and the Demo-
cratic ticket. The voters have been
debauched by the purchase of their
votes, and fraud and rascallty has
been exercised in every conceivable
shape. In Lexington the Republi-
can press have demanded the or
ganization of a mob to compel the
election commissioners to act as re-
quired, and the leaders notified the
Commissioners what they might eX-
pect if they refused. Thus illegal
ballots and fraudulent returns have
been counted as honest votes through
this reign of terrorism.
Not county or precinct where
such fraud has been committed
should be counted for any candi-
date. The count should not be
tainted with fraud. The people of
Kentucky are against fraud, and
are Democratic as of old. They are
not Dispatch, or Post, or Brown
Democrats; but honest and tried
Democrats. Let no county be ad-
mitted into the count that has been
terrorized by militarism, or the fear
of the mob or the Gatling gun. The
voters are entitled to the right of
protection against any mob,
whether under the guard of a des-
pot or a military ruler, and in |
this they are entitled to count only |
such precincts and counties whose |
ballots were freely and fairly eX-
pressed Frankfort Argus.
SITUATION MICH CIEApED |