Omaha daily bee., 1907-07-20
OLD OFFICERS TURNED OUT
Sweeping Changes Made in Louisville,
KY, by Court.
NEW MUNICIPAL BOARDS NAMED
Governor Beckham Charged with
Duty of Naming Leading Men
Great Political Fight In
Prospect.
NEW MUNICIPAL BOARDS NAMED

LOUISVILLE, Ky, July ls.-with the
appointment by Governor Beckham of com
plete new boards of councrmen and alder
men in day or two, Louisville will have
will have reached the elimination Of a
political revolution which in extent and
effect has only been paralleled by one or
two other cities of the first class in the his
tory OF the United States.
The upheaval is the result OF the recent
decision of the Kentucky court OF appeals
overturnlng the municipal election Of 1875.
On the face of the returns as counted on
election day the democratic ticket for city
and county officers Jefferson county, had
been declared elected, but a contest in the
courts was instituted by representatives
the fusion ticket, the only one In the
against the democrats. ,SLSN
The court of appeals In the flna \'g
Of the case decided that gross fra in
the matter Of repeating. illegal voting, in
timldation of voters and classification of
the count had prevailed to such an extent
as to render the election invalid.
Sweeping Changes in Onices.
Under the terms of the courts mandate
! It became incumbent on Governor Beckham
| TO appoint boards of council and aldermen
and a mayor for the city of Louisville and
a county judge for jefferson county. The
mayor and county judge were under the
law empowered to fill all the remaining
county and city Offices made vacant by the
decision. All the sppointees under the de-
csion hold office until a special election is
held in November of this year to fill the
offices until 1909. Governor Beckham ap-
/ al
ter P. Lincoln was appointed county judge
The new mayor and county judge pro
ceeded forthwith to make practically G
clean sweep OF all the minor officers, sucf
as city treasurer, county sheriff, etc, tC
the number OF eighteen. Only two, or pos
sibly three, of those holding office under
the 1905 election have been or will be al
lowed TO hold until November. Contrarl
wise, none of the unsuccessful fusion can
didates has been appointed to any vacan
place, but one prominent fusion leader wa
appointed sheriff The mayor also ap
pointed new boards OF safety and publ
works. The Board of Works is reported t.
be contemplating a general cleanup o
those holding positions in that department
on the ground that in common with
number of members of the police and fir
departments, their chief work has been II
the nature of that organized intimidation
and conniving at election frauds whic
caused the overturning of the 1905 election
Chief of Police Resigns.
The Board of Safety has already made
start by securing the resignation of Chic
of Police Gunther and the reduction Of As
sistsnt Chief Ridge and six captains, a.
OF the officers of the police department t
the rank of patrolmen. Similar sweepin
changes are expected to be made in tn
personnel of the fire department, althoug
Mayor Bingham announced last night tha
he would retain the chief, Fillmore Tysor
one of the results thus far of the change
had the putting of the lid down tight o
saloons and gambling and the general exc
dus' of small gamblers and tenderloin hal
, itues and suspects of all kinds. Las
} Sunday Louisville was absolutely dry
from midnight Saturday until o'cloc
a. m. Monday,
The situation seems to be shaping itse
toward one Of the fercest- struggles eve
known in Louisville politics the comm
autumn, when the recently ousted officia
and their following hope. through the pr
maries and election, to regain control.