The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-05-23
FERGUSON WINS
DENOMINATION
Herman w. SOuthall to be
Rate Clerk of Board
How First Congressional District
Carried Things At Convention
At Henderson.
MCRACKEN COUNTY FIGURED

Nc d. Ferguson was nominated by
the Democrats Of the First railroad
district to succeed himself as railroad
commissioner. Herman w. Southall,
representative from Christian county,
will be rate clerk to the board at a
salary of $500. This was the price
of the GA votes Southall commanded
in the convention at Henderson yes
terday. The election of Ferguson
came shortly after the night session
convened at 6 o'clock, and his vic
tory was presaged in the cheer that
went up as Ferguson entered the
hall. the Christian county delegation
leading,
1t was the First congressional dis
trict all the way through and Me-
Cracker county politicians were in
the thickest Of 1t.
The counties voted on the break
as follows:
For erguson-Ballard s; Breck-
inrideg, 10; Galloway. -; Carlisle,
Z; Christian. 10; Crittenden, Co
Graves, %; Grayson. s; Hardin. IA;
Henderson (split). 10; Hickman, 8;
Hopkins (split), 4 LaRue. Z; Liv-
Iingston, G; Lyon, 4 Marshall, 81
Meade, 6 Mclean, Z; McCracken,
Ia; Muhlenberg. 10; Todd. 8: Trigg.
6; Union, 10; Webster (split), 8. To-
tai. 226.
For Finn-Allen. 7; Barren. 15:
Butler, 8; Caldwell. G; Daviess, "a;
Edmonson. 4; Hart, s; Henderson
'(spliD. Z; Hopkins (split), 8; Lo-
gan, 1S; Metcalfe. s; Monroe, A.;
Ohio. 10; Simpson, s: Warren, III;
Webster (spliD, 2. Total. $50.
The Inside History.
Here's the inside history of the
Henderson convention that nominate
ed Ferguson for railroad commission
err, as told by one who was there
with McCracken county's delegation
and who played a conspicuous part
throughout:
Before the convention was even
organized, two clearly defined forces
were at work, of which the first
district was one, and the Finn forces
the other. Every other candidate re-
allied that he stood no chance and
fortunately for us they unhesltating-
ly fell in behind Ferguson on one
point. That was, that Finn must be
beaten. This was seen in the organi-
cation of the convention, which
though apparently harmonious, was
acquiesced in by the Finn forces only
because they knew that they would
be beaten on the start IL they OPP
posed. The convention started off
completely under control with Fer
guson at the head in opposition to
Finn, and 1t never wavered until the
end, as proven by the fact that not
single motion on any point was
lost by this end of the state. We
prepared our organization slate be-
fore the convention and from that on
up to appointments on committees,
motions to adjourn and appeals from
rulings by the chair, we never lost a
point.
''The problem In this situation
was, how to organize this opposition
to Finn. in favor of Ferguson. The
real heart of the people on the ques-
ton was evident from the expressions
of the delegates of every candidate
who said that In primary Fergu-
son would have beaten any field.
The fact that Ferguson. unlike the
other commissioners, did not get a
primary. probably accounts for his
nomination. The other commissioners
handed practically every appointive
position over to Ferguson and told
him to use them in securing his
election. They told him the rate
clerks Job. $1,000: the secretary's
job, $1,000, and even the stenogra-
piers Job. $1,000. we're at his dis
posal. That he used this strength Is
evident with the agreement to give
Southall the first position. The
other commissioners realized that