Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-27
FEST VOTE WILL Be TAKEN
Preliminary skirmish to Show Strength in
Kentucky Gubematorial Fight
VOTE WILL Be ON VAN METER CONTEST
Both sides Claim to Have Majority
on the Impending Note-No
sign of Trouble in
Frankfort.

Sign of Trouble in
Frankfort.
FRANKFORT, Ky. Jan. 26.-Tomorrow a
! vote will be taken in the house Of repre-
! sentatives that is expected to foreshadow
with some accuracy the strength that both
sides will be able to muster when the guber-
material contest comes UP. The vote will
| be on the contest brought by Van Meter.
democrat. for the seat now held by Berry,
both being from Fayette county.
| Both the democrats and republicans claim
to have majority on the impending vote
! and while it will not, of course, be in any
way decisive, 1t will put every man upon
record and the party managers will know
| just who is for them and who is against
! them.
! There are 100 members OF the house and
the democrats claim with confidence that Of
| these they will have at least ffty-two votes
against forty seven for the republicans,
Berry, the republican c5ntestee, not being
! able to vote, as the question is one in
which he is personally interested. The re-
publicans assert that they are absolutely
/ certain that the vote will be az least fftyone
TO forty eight in their favor and are CON
! hdent OF receiving several votes in addi-
tion to that estimate.
vote was taken in the house today which
| forms a slight indication of the result of
| tomorrow's vote, though the leaders on both
sides admit that they expect several men
| to change sides when the Van Meter Berry
| contest comes up. The vote came this morn
ing Immediately after the opening of the
session. Representative Grider presented a
motion that, in hearing contests, the house
| go into committee of the whole. listen to
both sides when majority and minority re-
ports are presented, and give to each side
forty minutes for argument.
Test Vote Taken.
| After some debate Representative Finn
moved to table the Grider resolution and the
| yeas and nays being called cn the motion to
| table, it was lost by a vote of 40 to Az Two
| republicans and one democrat we're absent
and Speaker Trimble, democrat did not vote
! OF the forty-nine votes received by the re-
! publicans ten were from democrats, the
ten democrats being Representatives Lar
ferty Rawlins, Bagby, Hinton. Cochran, Orr,
Willingham, Weatherford Grider and Lyon
| Rawlins presented the minority report In
! the Van Meter Berry case today and OF
course will vote accordingly tomorrow.
| The city has been very quiet all day,
there not being the slightest sign of trouble
! There are still quite a number of visiting
mountaineers in the city, but they are
making no noise.
! In case Goebel wins in the legislature. the
! republicans will make an effort to carry the
/ matter to the supreme court of the United
States. The Goebel men are anxious 10 have
/ the matter settled by joint ballot, and in
! case Of their being successful in this method
OF election, the claim win be made by the
{ republicans that Goebel was chosen lle
gally because he did not have a majority OF
both houses independently.
This possible plan of procedure was an
| nouuced tonight by an anti-Goebel democrat
The straight republicans would not dis
! cuss it.
/ e. G. Sebree, the republican manager, said
tonight, in regard to tomorrows vote on the
! Van Meter Berry contest a crucial test
of strength between the two parties:
II feel very confident of the result and
think the republicans will have fifty votes
without any question After we win this
contest look for an increased republican
vote in every subsequent contest
Prominent Witnesses Testify.
| Witnesses OF unusual prominence testified
! before the gubernatorial contest boards to-
! day The number included Judge Sterling
I B. Toney of Louisville, for whom ex-Gov-
/ ernor Bradley, one of the contestees attor-
reys, asked a warrant of arrest yesterday,
United States Marshal a. d. James, Major
! A. T. Wood, former republican candidate
! for governor Colonel Thomas Laudrum OF
Governor Bradleys staff, DR.. David Smith If
! Louisville.
! Judge Toney retold the story of the grant
! ing of mandatory injunctons on election
| day requiring the admittance of inspectors
! for the Brown ticket to the voting places.
/ He also explained his delay in responding
! to the summons of the contest boards He
! stated that he doubted whether the dignity
! OF a judge of a circuit court should be
/ subjected to a summons OF a party or par
ties whose purpose it was to question him
respecting his official acts, when those acts
/ were matters OF public record. In defense
| of his position toward the contest board,
/ be cited a Virginia case, wherein Judge
/ Shackleford had been summoned before an
/ impromptu tribunal The judge, the wit
ness said, refused to respond and was noti-
fed ne would be arrested until he did so,
whereupon Judge Shackeford replied that
/ he would incarcerate the man sent to arrest
| him and issue rule against members of the
| tribunal for contempt and then the matter
rested.
Judge Toney stated that he did not feel In
/ this case as did Judge Shackeford, bIt he
! felt he was entitled to a protest.
! In the course OF his testimony Judge Toney
said that he believed that judge who
] took his politics upon the bench should he
disrobed. He had done what he believed
! was right and would have done as he did
I had his action ruined either the democratic
| or the republican parties,
| Major Wood testified respecting the char
acter OF the speeches made by Ex-Governor
] Bradley during the campaign. The evidence
was in rebuttal of the newspaper reports
/ before the board TO the effect that the gov
ernor's speeches were inhammatory and
were attacks upon Goebel. The witness said
! that Governor Bradley had not attacked Goe-
bel. that his speeches were chiefly a de-
! Tense Of his own administration.
The testimony OF DR.. Smith, Marshal
/ James and Colonel Laudrum related 10 the
military at Louisville.
| At the night session the board overruled
! the motion Of Ex-Governor Bradley that the
contestees be allowed until Wednesday night
to conclude their testimony. Messrs. Var
/ berry and Reed republican members of the