Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1899-08-29
TAYL0R'S FIGURES ON CHRIS
TIAN.


to Senator Goebel's charges that
there were Republican frauds and
violations of the election laws in the
mountains and in Christian county in
1896. In discussing this county he
said:
"As to Christian county, the rec
ord shows that in 1895 the republi-
can ticket received 1867 votes, the
democratic ticket received 2,5l5; in
1896 the republican ticket received
4.525, the Democratic ticket 3, Jas; a
Republican gain of "a per cent, and
Democratic gain of 80 per cent.
These figures refute the libelous in
dictment against the people OF
Christian county.
The facts in Christian county can
not be disposed of by this little
problem in "percentare.
The KENTUcKIAN pointed out at
the time and re-iterates now that
the election boards of 1896 were
packed against Bryan wherever 1t
could be done. OF the 112 election
officers, only 46 were Democrats,
and many of those were of
doubtful standing or submissive
characters. The Democrats had on
| ly p judges in % precincts. Five
gold men against Bryan and one
Populist were judges in 6 other dis
tricts, with a straight Republican
in every district. This left Bryan
without a Judge in FIVE of the larg-
est precincts in the county, count
ing the Populist Bryan man.
OF the 2S clerks, 19 were Demo-
Gratis, some very Weakened ones,
six were Republicans, three gold
men for Mckinley and one Popu-
list for Bryan. This gave McKin-
ley the clerks in nine precincts.
OF the % Sheriffs, the Republi-
cans had % and the Demo.
Gratis FIVE, and of that few some
were not strict party men.
The officers were so divided that
the Democrats were absolutely
without a voice in passing upon
doubtful votes.
Now for the figures. In the lS9;
vote when Bradley carried the
county by more than 1900 plural
ity, the total vote was about 5000
The Democrats had about q
500 and the Populists 200. In 1896
these forces were united and the
Bryan total vote was increased
from 2,70O to BIAS, a very natural
and easily explained increase.
How about the Republicans!
Bradleys vote of $500 in 1895 was
swelled in 1896 to 4,525, an increase
OF nearly 1000 votes. The total vote
in the county was 1900, or from SOC
to 700 more than there were voters
on the assessors books and more
than !, 200 more than were ever be-
fore cast in the county.
The increase was almost entirely
in the negro precincts, where
strange negroes were voted II
gangs, all taught to give in the
same story that they had been il
the "deestrict sense the fust weel
in September.
Many of these negroes have nevei
been seen here since.
They were fioaters dumped int
this county from other countiet
and from over the Tennessee lin,
aud permitted to vote over the VIC
lent protests of the challengers anC
other representatives of the Demo
: cratic party powerless to preven
: these frauds.
/ These facts are so we'll known ii
this county that they cannot b
: truthfully denied.
In 1897 the county election was a
, stake and the division of officers wa
still worse. Only 40 Democrats on
of 112 officeas were appointed tha
year and many of them were bolt
, ers of at least part of the Demo
cratic ticket. In one of the cit
precincts every officer voted agains
the council ticket, and in other pre-
/ cincts il was almost as bad.
But that year the foaters wer
not here in such large numbers am
Bailey only carried the county b
600 or 700 and a part of the count