Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-25
A Mixed-Up Political Fight in Ken
lucky.
STATEISSUES DISAPPOINTMENT
Conservative View Gives the EIec-
toraI Vote to Bryan.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

cratic ticket, who ran ahead sufficiently to
obtain a seat in the electoral college. The
election Of this one Bryan eector was I'M
Questionably due to mistakes made by men
IN marking their ballots. The Kentucky
law requires that where ticket is scratch
ed each name on the ballot must be marked.
Many Of the voters marked the first elector
on the list and failed to mark the others.
The fact that the first-named democratic
elector ran ahead Of the republican ticket
Is sufficient to prove that had all the demo-
cratic ballots been correctly marked Bryan
would have carried the state by a very
small plurality.
In counting the forces opposed to democ-
racy, however, the 500 votes cast for Pal
mer and Buckner must be taken into con-
si6eration. They accomplished their pur-
pose in reducing the vote for Bryan, but
shown, If the democrats had marked
their ballots correctly the Independent dem
ocratic vote would not have been efectuaf
in carrying the state for the republican ma
tionai ticket.
In 1899 the face of the returns showed
that the republican candidate for governor
received plurality Of 2541. In addition to
this vote there was arrayed against the
democratic ticket the independent demo-
cratic, or Brown, vote for governor,
amounting to 40 In brief, the demo-
cratic state ticket was defeated in Ken
lucky in 1899 by plurality of nearly 1900
votes.
Local Issues Most Prominent.
Although a presidential campaign is In
progress in the United States this year
there Is very little said about 1t in the
state Of Kentucky. The voters of that
commonwealth are warning over local is
sues to the exclusion of those of ma tional
import. For this reason it is extremely
difficult to say just what the status of the
two national tickets Is in Kentucky today.
Many Of those who are bitterly opposed to
the present democratic state administration
and who will vote for John w. ferkes, the
republican nominee will at the same time
cast vote for Mr.. Bryan. On the other
hand, many Of the democrats clasSed as
| independent in the state fight will vote
straight republican ticket this year. There
Is no Independent democratic candidate for
gov ernor in this election hence those demo-
Gratis who are fighting their own party will
be forced to vote the republican ticket or
else return to the regular nominees Fac
tional feeling runs so high, however, that
it seems more than possible that large
percentage Of the so-called Brown demo-
Gratis will vote the republican state ticket.
TIL. element of doubt as to the fate Of the
national ticket lies in the problem as to
how many of these independents will al
low their feelings to carry them SO lar as
to vote the entire republican ticket.
Democrats Seem Confident.
The democrats seem very confident that
Bryan will carry Kentucky, placing their
faith in the natural political predictions
of a majority Of the voters for it may be
admitted that If no local issues were at
stake Kentucky would endorse Mr.. Bryan
by a plurality ranging anywhere from 1900
to 25, 600 All party lines have been broken
down, however, and the strong campaign
being made by the republican candidate Tor
governor the open support he is receiving
from many democrats and the general lack
of enthusiasm for Mr.. Bryan in the state
lead many republicans to believe that the
republican national ticket will have a plu-
rality November 6.
The Conservative View.
The general impression among the active
campaign workers Of both parties when ex
pressed conservatively is that Mr.. Bryan
will secure the electoral vote OF Kentucky.
While the democrats emphatically deny
that the dsaffection In their ranks is suf-
ficient to elect the republican candidate for
governor, many of them share the opinion
of the republicans that the election will re-
suit in defeat for the democratic state
ticket
Expressed in betting odds, the state may
be said in the opinion of the political ex-
perts to be ten to seven in favor of Bryan
and even money on the gubernatorial race.
These odds are based upon the popular be-
lief that Kentucky is normally democratic
state upon national issue, but that the de-
lection in democratic ranks is sufficient to
make 1t tie between Yerkes and Beck
ham in the race for the governorship.
The Congressional Fight.
In the congressional fight the republicans
will hold two out of the eleven districts Of
the state, although there may be some
change as to which districts are republi-
can The democrats cannot gain in this
state in the congressional field this year
and they stand very excellent chance of
losing two other districts, thus giving Ken
lucky four republican and seven demo-
yyn
can and nine democratic congressman as at
present.
The first and second districts are demo-
cratic. The third district, now represented
by Representative Rhea, a democrat, is in
doubt. The republican nominee is Nc
Kenzie Moss He is an Independent demo-
crat, or what is known in Kentucky as 4
civil liberty man. He was first nomi-
mated for Congress in the third district
by the independent democrats and subse-
quently Endorsed by the republican con-
vention.
The third district is normally democratic,
but Warren county, of which Bowling
Green is the county seat, is of the
headquarters of the anti-Goebel democrats,
and republican hopes for this district are
based upon the support Mr.. Moss will
Ceive from this faction. National issues
not discussed in the congressional
fight in this district If they were Mr..
Moss would find himself in rather an en-
barrassing position, and he could scarcely
expect to poll the full republican strength,
for he says himself that he is still demo-
crat, though he admits to being somewhat
wabbly upon the Kansas City platform. If
elected he will be sent to Washington by
the republicans, and In the natural order
of things he may be expected to observe
their wishes to certain extent. He sup
ported the free silver platform in 1896,
but expresses himself this year as in doubt
as to its wisdom. Imperialism apparently
has no terrors for him, and, in fact his
democracy possesses very strong repub-
lican tinge, which is natural under the
circumstances of his candidacy. His class
ification in Congress would probably be
independent" If Mr.. Moss receives the
undivided support Of his acknowledgements
in the independent faction he will be elect
ed. The measure of this support cannot
we'll be taken, owing to the large proper
ton of the independents who come under
the head of silent voters"
The fourth district is probably demo-
cratic. although the republicans are MAX
ing a strong fight. and assert that they
have some chance of victory. The fifth,
or Louisville district, now democratic, is
surely republican by at least 5000 plu-
rality. This district is conceded by the
democrats to the republicans. The repub-
lican nominee is H. S. Irwin. The sixth
and seventh districts are democratic. The
eighth district is probably democratic, al