Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1908-01-21
T here Have Been Money
fyspectacuIar Senator ial
Elections.
VOTES TAKEN TWICE
Longest Deadlock Was When
w. ]. Deboe Secured Sleep
ing Room in The Senate.

y Frankfort, KY, Jan. 20.-The pre-
sent deadlock in the Legislature re-
calls severalgmemorable senatorial
contests at frankfort, which stirred
the State and were fought out with
much bitterness.
In 1876 James B. Beck was elected
Z to the Senate by the Democrats a1ter
Va spirited struggle. The Legislature
was SO overwhelmingly Democratic
in those days that the necessity OF
caucus was not 50 necessary as at
present. 1t was the custom for the
members to put uP their Individual
choices, and after time drop the
hindmost candidates or their names
1 would be withdrawn. The race I'm
y ally narrowed down between Senator
BECK and Judge Wadsworth, Repub-
-blican, of Maysville.
SPECTACULAR CONTEST.
One of the most spectacular con-
tests for the United States Senator
shin in Kentucky was the race be-
tween 10. C. S. Blackburn and Cerro
Gordo Williams, of Mt. Sterling,
during the memorable session OF
1884 The Democratic caucus was
~deadlocked for nearly a month, and
before nomination was made the
Democrats in joint session voted for
a score or more of candidates. W.
M. Sweeney, the third candidate in
the caucus, who caused the tie-up
afterward withdrew from the race,
which left the.fght for the nomina-
ton between Blackburn and Will
Jams. Blackburn won the nominal
ton. the result depending on the
hchange of one vote.
observation-disclosures RACE.
The prolonged deadlock in the
Blackburn-Hunter race, which last
ed throughout the whole legislative
session OF 1896, attracted attention
all over the United States. Black
burn was the nominee of the Demo
cratic caucus, while Dr. w. Godfrey
Hunter was put up by the Repub-
licans. A unique feature of the
contest was that there were Demo-
Gratis who refused to vote for Black
burn. and Republican who withheld
support from Hunter. DR.. Hunter
was within one vote Of election on
< several occasions, but could never
land the prize. In 1897 Gov. Brad
ley called special session of the
Legislature, and the deadlock be-
tween Blackburn and Hunter was re-
sumed and continued until DR.. Hun
ter was forced to withdraw. The
b Republicans then rallied to the sup
port of DR.. w. j. Deboe. member
of the State Senate. and he was sent
. to the Federal Senate, where ne
served term of six years.
SENATORS ELECTED TWICE.
Owing to the ambiguity in the
present law governing the time of
balloting for United States Sena-
IN, theE.st four Senators elected in
Kentucky have been twice elected
that is, on the Tuesday following the
organization of the Legislature and
then again upon the following Tues
day. This procedure was followed
in the cases of William Lindsay, j.
C. S. Blackburn, James B. McCreary
and 7 H. Paynter. The Federal and
State statutes provide that on the
second Tuesday after the meeting OF
the Legislature it shall proceed to
take vote for United States Sena-
tor. The last Legislature undertoos
to remedy the matter by an amend
ment. inserting a parenthetical
clause providing that the Tuesday on
which the Legislature met and or
ganized should not he counted as the
the first Tuesday, but the Federal
statures not having been changed