Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-26
DOWN TO HARD WORK
ALL PARTIES NOW ACTIVE IN
KENTUCKY.
Many Meetings and Much oratory-
Purging Registration Lists-Popu-
lists Angry--Doubtful Districts.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
LEXINGTON, KY, October %. 1904.
All apathy has now disappeared from the
campaign in Kentucky, the democrats anu
republicans having got down to hard WORK.
while the populists are displaying consio-
cradle activity for third party
The republicans are working hardest IN
the third ninth and fifth congressional DIS
tricts, where they hope to elect representa-
tives From the nature of the campaign
being waged it would appear that they
feel confident of these districts. as only IN
cidental attention is being given to the bal
ance of the state.
The democrats have been slow in getting
started owing to local complications out
they are good finishers. They seem now 10
be proceeding On the theory that hard Work
will be necessary to insure a democratic
victory this fall.
Orators of Both Parties.
The republicans are preparing to coun-
teract the effect of Bryan's recent large
meeting with a similar one to be held IN
Louisville on November l. at which Secre-
tary Shaw will be the principal speaker.
John w. Yerkes will arrive in Kentucky
from his tour of West Virginia and other
states the latter part of this week. he
will devote the remainder OF the campaign
to speaking in Kentucky. Ex-Governor
Bradley, A Z. Wilson and other local or
ators will be heard on the stump from now
until election day. Il is said that meetings
will be held in every school district In the
state in the next two weeks.
The democrats have Senators Blackburn
and McCreary, Governor Beckham and
other state leaders speaking daily. Ar
rangements are also being made for Dig
meeting in Louisville, at which 1t is eX-
pected ex-senator Lindsay will speak MI
Lindsay has not attempted to speak in Ken
lucky since his unfortunate experience al
Covngton when he was showered with pad
eggs while speaking for the Palmer ana
Buckner ticket.
The democrats seemingly have been able
to break the drouth existing in their cam
paign eXchequer, but whether the funds
were derived from local or national sources
is not stated. The democratic papers are
saying that the republicans have been able
to raise a fund of 100000 inside the state,
and that Chairman Richard Ernst is now in
New York endeavoring to secure addi-
tional funds from the national committee.
Purging the Registration Lists.
In the doubtful congressional districts
every inch of ground is being warmly con-
tested. In Louisville the democrats and
republicans have been busy purging the
registration lists. A great many Illegal
registrations have been Cancelled. the two
parties loosing about an equal number of
votes in these proceedings.
The federal grand jury has just returned
indictments against two democratic cleo
ton officers of of the Louisville pre-
cincts for alleged conspiracy TO prevent
colored voters from registering. 1t is
charged that they absented themselves
from the polls at frequent intervals during
the day. thus making it impossible to is
sue the certificate OF registration essential
to a vote. Several arrests have also been
made in Lexington for illegal registration
The populists having failed to certify to
the secretary of state within the thirty
day limit the names of their nominees for
Congress in the first, third and ninth dis
tricts, are now seeking to correct the over
sight. They have demanded of the secre
tary of state that he cause the names of
the nominees to be placed on the official
ballots. They citing to him the fact
that his predecessor in office ruled, when
the democrats were once caught in a similar
position, that the law was only directory
and not mandatory, the names of the
democratic nominees at that time being
received and placed on the official ballots
Between Two Fires.
The secretary of state is between two
fires, as the populists are getting angry and
threatening to start something if their
wishes are not respected. Should the pop
ulist nominees go on the ballots in the
third and ninth districts it almost insures
the defeat of the democratic nominees in
these districts IT, on the other hand, the
secretary of state adheres to his present
position and keeps the names off the bal
lots 1t Will so enrage the populiStS in all
parts of the state that they may be forced
to retaliate and vote the republican ma
tional ticket thus adding more uncertain
ty to an already doubtful situation.
me democrats are already charging
coalition between the populists and the
pubiicans. The former are charged with
using the franks of republican congressman
to send out populist campaign documents.
This charge however, is strongly denied
by J. A. Parker, the populist state chair
man.
The democrats have been badly embar-
raised this year by local divisions and scan
dals in the state eeemosynary institutions.
The entire board of directors of the Hop
kinsville Asylum for the Insane were re-
Gently indicted for malfeasance in office,
the specific charges covering wide range
of subjects. running all the way from in
competency to misappropriatiOn of funds
and grating. 1t is charged that the super
intendent of the institution padded the asy-
lum rolls by carrying the names of dead
men for months after their death.
Aside from all minor divisions and local
complications and despite the fact that the
national committee of neither party is de-
voting much time or attention to Kentucky,
the state is admitted to be close by the
DeSI-pOSleQ III UolH par ties, anu
it is not expected that either party will Sc
cure very large majority.
The attitude of the populiStS. the return
of the gold democrats to their former party
allegiance and the great influx of miners,
lumber men and other laboring people into
the strong republican mountain section,
where many new industries have been
established and mines opened, are conflict
ing factors not clearly defined by the polls
of either party and imparts a strong ele-
ment of doubt to the situation. 1t is pos
sible and probable that the result in Ken