The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1905-09-14

the corrupt voter can close a deal
with great ease. and the politician
can see that the goods are delivered.
The argument of Democrats about
fraud is all twaddle. The Democrats
i'm Kentucky are not afraid of fraud.
Not only have they committed about
all the fraud that was ever commit
ted in Kentucky, but theirs is today
the only party in the state that Is
able to commit fraud. In every Dem.
ocratic county in the state--and
they far outnumher Republican
counties-there are two Democrats
on the election board, one Democrat
appointed by the Democratic cleo
tion board of the state, and the 9th
er the Democratic sheriff. This vir-
tually gives the state Democratic
election board control of the state,
particularly as the Democrats have "a
majority on the election boards of
all doubtful counties. The state
board names the county boards, and
a majority of the county boards have
two Democrats to one Republican.
The Democrats are not the ones to
fear fraud in Kentucky. The Re-
publicans could commit fraud only
in Republican counties, which are few
and far between, and 1t would be no
disadvantage TO the Democrats If
they did, as the Democrats have
nothing to lose by fraud committed
in a Republican county. II might as
truthfully be said that the Republi-
cans could lose nothing by fraud
committed by Democrats in Demo-
cratic counties. The trouble is that
the Democrats have majority not
only in all Democratic counties. but
in all the doubtful counties as well
and II is their cinch in the doubtful
counties that gives them their OPP
portunity.
The fact is that the Democrats
want to return to this old system of
voting because they know that many
who used to vote with them have be-
come disguised and no longer cast
their ballots under the rooster. They
want to force them to let people see
how they vote, so they can no long
err vote as they want to, but as 9TH
ers want them to.
The Louisville Herald recently
put it this way to the people of Ken
lucky:
There is no strong feeling for the
proposed amendment in the masses
of the Democratic party. That rep
resentative Democratic paper. the
Danville Advocate. expresses the gen.
eral Indifference of the party to the
proposal:
"At the next November election
the citizens of Kentucky will vote on
an amendment to the constitution TO
return TO the viva voce system of
voting, and the consequent abolition
of the secret ballot. There is little
doubt in the minds of many people
that there has been more corruption
in our elections since the secret bal
lot was adopted than under the old
system. 1t is a matter of conjecture
as to whether the corruption is due
to the system of voting or to the ten
dency of the times. The matter is
worthy of the most serious consider
alton and the question will be one of
live interest and importance in this
falls campaign"
Every Republican and every indie
pendent Democrat should vote
against the proposition. The secret
ballot is not to blame for corruption
and fraud occurring under present
of existing laws. II is the fraud bra
zenly practiced by men In high pla-
ces. Give the secret ballot the same
fair trial it gets elsewhere and 1t
will be found all right in Kentucky.
If majority of the people vote this
fall for the proposed amendment it
shall become part of the state con-
stitution. Ii will mean the exclusion
of Republican votes in thousands
from the polls in more than half the
counties of the state. 1t will mean
the unbridled violence, bloodshed
and disorder. 1t will mean warning
in murderous characters to capital
lists, men of enterprise and immi-
grants, to keep out of Kentucky.
/ ---tt----
Ii was just as might have been ex-