Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-04
TO DECIDE EENTUCGY'S VOTE
0anvassing Board Begins Its Work a
Frankfort Today,
NO ANNOUNCEMENT FOR A DAY OR TWO
Goebel Centers His Hopes on the De-
cision on the Louisville Ballots
-Both sides Seem
Confident.

morrow the State Board of Election Com
missioners of Kentucky Will meet TO can
vass the returns from the last state elec-
tion and to decide whether Goebel or Taylor
is entitled to the certificate of election.
There is not much probability that the mat
ter will be settled tomorrow and 1t may be
Wednesday or later before a certlfi ate is
issued. Both sides express confidence, but
no one can predict with accuracy the de-
cisiou which will be arrived at by the beard
The certified returns from the county boards,
now on file, give Taylor plurality OF 2,435,
but the democrats declare that enough of
these votes will be thrown out and that
Goebel will be awarded the certificate.
The Kentucky election law Is capable of
divers constructions and the definite con-
clusion of the board will rest very large y
upon how its members decide to construe
certain portions of the statute. There is
loophole in the very sections upon which the
republicans rely which may work against
them It is this: 1.-The said state b ard
shall be board for examining and canvass
ing the returns" How the board will CON
strue 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
votes which they believed were illegally
cast II 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 passage
of the law defining its powers in identical
language? With the certificates of the COM
missoners of jefferson county giving Taylor
plurality of 3,442 votes was filed mass
Of evidence that many OF these votes were
illegal and it is not among the impossihill-
ties 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. II it does Mr.. Goebel gets the GER
tificate.
GoebeI Depends on Louisville Vote.
The main reliance of Goebel is upon con-
testing Jefferson county, which means the
city of Louisville This vote, according to
the returns, showed plurality for Taylor
of 3,422 and If the democrats succeed in
having 1t thrown out it means the defeat
of Taylor and every other candidate upon
the republican ticket. The democrats are
contestng the Louisville vote chiefly be-
cause of Governor Bradleys action in order
ing the militia under arms and the alleged
presence at the polls of deputy United
States marshals. They also base their con-
lest on Tue ldcI lnaI inspectors lOr tne
Brown party forced their way into the poll
ing booths and usurped the function of Off
GERS OF election.
The rey~Iblicans win assert before the cleo
ton commissioners that the claims OF in
limidation by the militia and of interfer-
encc by the United States marshals are
wholly inadmissible for the reason that
the militia was held at the armory fully
three bours after the close of the polls and
that they were at no time until after the
polls had been closed present at polling
booths. AS to the marshals it is averred
that not only were they too few in number,
there being but fourteen in Kentucky all
told, to be capable of any interference, but
they actually did not in any manner interfere
with the casting Of any vote, either in the
city of Louisville or elsewhere throughout
the state. They visited the polls as private
citizens only.
To offset the claim of intrusion by the in
spectors of the Brown party the republicans
say that If the claims of the democrats are
and no positive denial is offered by
the republicans the fault lies with the DEM
ocratc officials who admitted them. If they
did not want them in they should have kept
them out. They assert that the democrats
cannot allege their own neglect of duty as
reason for throwing out republican votes.
1t is admitted by both sides that the dem
ocrats have a stronger case in Jefferson
county than anywhere else throughout the
state. If they win there other contests may
be dropped, and If they lose success in all
the other contests will not make Goebel
governor OF Kentucky.
Use of Tissue Paper Ballots.
Next to the jefferson county contest in i'm !
portance comes that in Knox county, which |
returned a plurality for Taylor OF 1856 The I!
contest there is based on the allegation that !
the republicans used tissue paper ballots by !
which the secrecy of the ballot was de- |
stroyed. In Johnson county, which returned !
plurality for Taylor of 1856, a similar claim |
IS made; also in Lewis county, which gave
$50 more for Taylor than for Goebel. The /
republicans assert that tissue ballots were
Used by the democrats in the counties of
Graves. Ballard and Bath, in which the
aggregate plurality for Goebel was far in
EXCESS of the total Taylor plurality in the .
counties OF Knox johnson and Lewis.
At one time the democrats announced
heir intention OF contesting the votes Of
Nelson county which gave a plurality OF
,19S fer Taylor. In making the returns
he county election commissioners certified
he vote for w. p Taylor. There was no
uch candidate and the democratic contest
vas generally considered weak. The mat
er has been adjusted. the vote OF Nelson
county counted for w. s. Taylor and this
contest has been abandoned by the demo-
rats. In Pulaski, Mercer, Robertson and
me or two other counties claims of gem
raj Irregularities are made by the demo-
rats, but the aggregate number OF votes
involved in these contests Is small and can
lot affect the general result when the vote
# jefferson county has been counted for
ther Goebel or Taylor.
No ForeteIIinE Boards Action.
All OF this is, however, merely conjecture
Neither democrats nor republicans know
What the board will do and all of them de-
line to discuss the matter in advance Of
he meeting OF the board Mr.. Goebel de-
lined to say anything at all and Mr. Taylor
himself with the assertion: II
m confident the board will do its duty"
md that ends his preliminary survey of
he situation.
Governor Bradley would express no opinion
egarding the outcome Of the work OF the
oard, II don't think there will be any
rouble," he said. There is no need of
-oking ahead for trouble we will cross
ridges when We come TO them"
Quite a number Of republicans from Clay
nd Laurel counties arrived today and re-
orted that there would be others in in the ,
lorning. Men of both parties are very