Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1900-01-02

" '' '|""N"""I a. |''' ~ ""'" ~ W''
people S to he elerhiuesNWilh th|
military arm oft The state dominiat
ing the citizen n The deposit Of hi
ballot, then elections have becom|
worse than farce aud made sin
Us The prelude 60 a tragedy %
whish the last semblance oFindivid
ual liberty and populargoyernmenl
is to be sacrificed.
There can be NO greater menace
to popular rights and the freedom
Of the citizen than the employment
of the military arm Of the Govern.
ment for the furtherance bipartisan
purposes, unless. it be the more ID
sidious and cowardly practices EN-.
ployed 10 the recent election by
both Federal apd State Judges al
the dictation Of one Of the parties
to the contest. Upon no conceive
able ground can a Federal Judge
either justify, excuse or palliate bis
interference in an election for state
officers only, whilst the action Of
Judge Toney, by decision Of the
Court Of Appeals, is stripped of
every semblance Of excuse and.
left in its native deforrnity, it is to
be condemned, retukeC aud de-
mounted by the people who were
its victims.
No more important question con-
fronts the people of the Common
wealth than the question whether a
great corporation owned not in
Kentucky, not 10 the United S.4tes,
but in Europe, can buy an ylection
and thus control the making, con-
struction and execution Of the laws
Even now the hirelings Of this cor
poration boast that it will buy con-
troll Of the General Assembly Of the
Commonwealth and thereby pre-
vent the enactment Of laws the peo-
pie desire, and prevent the Demo-
cratic candidates from obtaining
possession Of the Offices to which
they were duly elected.
Both before and since the cleo
ton on November s, 1899, the Re
publican party has continuously
employed threats Of violence and
practice of intimidation, nor have
they even desisted yet.
WIZ Stand Upon the Law.
To all this threatening the De-
mocracy has replied that it would
stand upon the law; that it would
carry it's contention to the tribunals
which the law has established for
their decision, and to the verdict Of
these tribunals alone it would bow
in submission.
If the Board of Election Com
missioners had no authority to
pass upon tire question at issue Gas
it declare it had not,) we simply
propose % go to those who have
this authority and abide by the
judgment that may be rendered.
What the law shall declare to be
ours, we claim. We ask no more;
we will take no less.
Should the practices herein com
planned of pass without protest, the
presidential election Of next year,
and all other elections hereafter
held within The limits of Kentucky,
would fail to afford an opportunity
to the people Of the State to express.
their sentiments at the polls. If the
most important rights ofthe citizens
are to survive in Kentucky the
laws governing elections must be
fairly enforced; judges must be
taught that their judicial powers
are not to be exercised upon theJ
demand and the interest of either
a political party or corporation
to which they may owe an ale
glance even superior to that which
they owe to the law. The great
corporate monopolies must be taught
that elections cannot be bought 10y
them, and the Governors must be
made to know that in times of pro-
found peace the law Of the Common
wealth is not to be pushed aside by
the bayonet.
Advised BY Joint Council.
Your committees are not una
ware Of the fact that the contests
now proposed to be inaugnrated
should not be entered upon for
light or trivial reasons, that con-