Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-20
Important Results Involved in the
Election.
THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
A Judge on the Court Of Appeals
to Be Chosen.
BITTER PARTS AN FIGHT
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

FRANKFORT. KY, October Is. 1900
On Tuesday. November g. the people of
Kentucky, in common with the people of
all other states in the Union. will enjoy the
privilege Of casting a ballot according to
their political convictions. Some of the COL
ored citizens Of Kentucky may be denied
this privilege and be kept away from the
polls upon one excuse or another or even
by open threats. This Is common to other
southern states as well as Kentucky, and so
will not occasion much remark. Whether
the ballots cast on the 9Th of November by
the people of Kentucky will be counted as
they were cast is another matter, for there
ar great local issues at stake in the out
come of the vote, and there are desperate
men who are willing to take desperate
CHARGES to prevent the overthrow of their
power.
The election Of a President of the United
States eXcites only a mid interest among
the voters of Kentucky this year. The cleo
ton of governor, however. is of keen and
vivid interest to every man who has a right
to go to the polls, and it is upon this state
.ssue that the campaign is now being con-
Quoted.
The Seventh Judicial District.
Even more important, however than the
outcome of the gubernatorial election is the
possible result of the voting, or rather the
counting of the vote. In the seventh judicial
district. The judges of the court of appeals
in the state of Kentucky serve for eight
years The judge whose term expires first
is always the chief justice of the court. The
court as now composed consists of four dem
ocrats and three republicans. During the
past year to this court have come al of the
political questions over which there has
been so much bloodshed and disorder within
this state during the past year or so. In all
cases Of contested elections the court has
voted according to the political predictions
of it's members four voting in favor of DEM
ocrats and three voting in favor of repub-
lioans, with the natural result that the dem
ocrats have won in all contests. The re-
mark able consistency with which the court
has followed this course leads to only one
ccrclusion, and that is that the members
of the court have been guided by their po-
litical sympathies in viewing the testimony
in the cases cited. There may be nothing
wrong or unusual in this and each judge
may have conscientiously believed that he
was doing his duty when he sustained the
claims of this or that man for othcce.
Unfortunately for the republicans, now
ever, the democratic conscience was in the
ascendancy in the court. with the result
that democrats won every contest Inc
judge, whose term of office expires TINS
year, is democrat, Chief Justice HaZelrigS,
who will leave the bench January l, 1901.
This vacancy occurs in the seventh appel
late district, in the southeastern. or noun
famous part of the state. This was
democratic district some years ago, but Is
now considered normally republican by
quite a liberal majority. The republican
candidate for governor in 1899, Mr.. Taylor.
received in the twenty-four counties which
comprised this seventh appellate district
majority of 3.400.
The Two Candidates
Judge w F. Hail. formerly of the circuit
court. is the democratic nominee for the
~ ~
the republican nominee. Judge Hall claims
that he will carry this District by ma
jority of from 200 to 400. The secret of
Judge Halls strength is considered by the
democrats to be his personal popularity
and the support he is receiving from certain
well-kEown republicans given him by virtue
of family relationship. This republican sup
port is claimed by the democrats to origi-
nate in the counties from which the repub-
lean nominee must receive his principal
support to carry the district.
There is not very much talk throughout
the state in regard to this judicial election
This is due more to fun realization of the
seriousness of the situation than to any
lack of interest. 1t is in these mountains
that the republican party finds It's strongest
support. 1t is from these mountains came
the men who sustained the republican side
of the controversy of last spring by armed
force. These men are very bitter as to the
results Of the political contests brought be-
fore the courts and are determined that no
efforts shall be spared to reverse the order
of things which has resulted in their politi-
cal defeat The democrats acknowledge
that this judicial district is republican un-
der ordinary circumstance The republic
cans claim that it is republican under all
circumstan and that if the count is fair
~ conducted this year the appellate court
of Kentucky will have four republican in
stead of four democratic Judges
The democrats remark in significant Way
that they cannot afford to lose this dis
trlct. The republicans assert with equal
vehemence that they will matcrlalize the
usual republican majority, If .cessary ny
force of arms. 1t is openly asserted BY the
republicans that If their candidate is sue
cessful in this district. they will immedi-
ately appeal all of the election cases which
were decided adversely to them by a court
in which the democrats were in TIL. ma ior-
ity. Under the law Of Kentucky such an
peals can be taken within a year of the
original decision.
Deep Concern for the ReHuIt
With court conducted on political lines.
stump speaker in this campaign, the re-
suits of change in the politics of this
court under these circumstances can onlv
be viewed with the deepest concern nv
those jealous Of the institutions of a re-
publican form of government. 1t can easilv
be realized that in the face of this Judi
cial contest. upon which so much depends
the contest for the presidential electors or
even for the control of the state govern
ment becomes insignificant.
The campaigners Of both parties are ap-
pealing to the worst passions of the voters
with all the subtle oratorical art of the
southern public speakers. By the time
election day arrives both sides will be
aroused to white heat. If the republicans
have apparently won on the face of the
returns the democrats. driven to despera-
ton by the enormous issues at stake. will
rot hesitate to reverse the decision of the
people if possible. If the republicans find
they are beaten by small majority or
that they are to be deprived of results to
which they are entitled, they will be equally
desperate IN their struggle for political SUI
premacy in the state, which depends un-
fortunately more -or less upon the COM
plexion Of the court of appeals Under
such circumstances there is always a great
deal of talk which does not materialize in
trouble, put there has been sufficient real
trouble in Kentucky over public affairs to
make it easy to precipitate more, If the
situation is such as to once again arouse
the passions of the men who struggled over
the state offices to the death a year ago.
Further Election Troubles Probable.
The present Indications are that the cleo
tcral vote Of Kentucky will make little OF