Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1900-11-20

the cooperation Of all citizens who
favor justice and honesty at the
Bllot box. Pembroke Journal.
1t is to be hoped that the Journal
does not represent the feeling of all
of the people of Pembroke, which
seems to be the only community
in the county very much dissatisfied
with the success of the turnpike
propositions. We do not believe
any frauds we're perpetrated Of
much Importance. Certainly in
Hopkinsville, where the votes were
registered a month before, there
was no attempt at even unfairness.
No charges of fraud Of any kind
were laid before the election board,
upon which both sides of the bond
proposition were represented at
every meeting. If any commits
sioner knew of fraud he did not men,
tion it. 1t was found early in the
count that many precincts had
failed to certify to the turnpike
questions in the stub books, a sep
arate certificate having been furn-
ished for that purpose on the Off
cial certificate blanks of the officers
and inspectors. Some election Off
GERS returned both certificates,
some wrote the turnpike vote on
the stub-book's certificate and
some sent the detached certificates
to the county clerk aside from
the official returns. The turnpike
advocates were represented by at
torney at the count and the other
side might have been if an attorney
had presented himself. The miss
ing precincts were reported and
wherever the officers duplicate
certificates could be obtained they
were accepted as amended returns.
After being in session two days, it
was found that seven precincts
were still out Saturday afternoon
All other business was completed
and yet the two turnpike advocates
On the board insisted upon adjourn
ment until Monday to give two days
longer for the missing returns to be
brought in. On Monday, FIVE pre-
cincts were still unreported. Two
Of these were turnpike precincts,
but nobody seemed to be trying to
facilitate the business of the elec-
ion board and the certificates were
made out with no returns from five
precincts. There was no fraud or
lnfairness in the count, nor can the
blame be placed anywhere except |
Ipon the election officers in the
precincts and as they were
nearly all anti-turnpike men their
failure to send in complete returns
was clearly an overnight, since
nearly half of the precincts made
he same mistake.
There is no need of any bad feel
ng between Hopkinsville and Penn
broke over this matter The two
owns have been connected by
'ailroad for 80 years and both have
orospered. They are now con-
lected by highway part toll pike
and part mud road and it will bene-
1T both towns to'have the additional
OF free turnpike as a
bond of unity twelve months in the
year. The people by a majority of
1900 votes have decided that the
-urnpikes must be free and pixies
must take the places of mud roads,
and 1t is fortunate for all that
both propositions passed together,
since the tax was voted anyhow
and the constitution protects the
people from an onerous bonded
debt. We earnestly hope the good
people of Pembroke, the progress
I'VE young business men who are
the town what it is, will
1ot make 1t necessary to vote agani
IN this question next year. The
people are determined to have good |
'oads and the sooner we get them
he better