The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-10-23
THE CITY ELECTION.

well as OF all McCracken county
must be alive to the situation at
the county court house, where one
official was allowed to steal for ~
years until a change of the state
administration secured a new audi
tors agent; charges of graft and
corruption are rampant; prisoners
are allowed to escape jail, and the
county books are in such shape that
an expert accountant declares $780,
600 may have been improperly APP
proprated for all he can tell; the
situation in the city is just as grave,
and the issues just as important.
There is a general council to elect,
school trustees to be selected and
the important position of police
judge to be filled. Mayor James p.
Smith has been in office less than
two years and has paid off floating
debt of $4,000, put the city finances
on a sound basis, and has under
taken reforms and enterprises for
the physical upbuilding of the city
IL is only within the last few weeks
that he has secured control of the
police department, which was under
a holdoyer board. He has promised
that there, as elsewhere under his
administration, he will redeem the
department from degrading political
domination; and those, who have pa
tiently held faith in the mayors de-
termination, believe he Will perform
ms promise to the letter as soon as
he can.
The mayor in his undertaking IS
entitled to a general council, heartily
in sympathy with him. One polit.-
cally antagonistic to him, especially
If led by mayoralty aspirants, might
be expected to do everything pos
sible to embarrass him in his efforts
to redeem his pledges, and the city
cannot afford TO run such a risk.
The delegation opposed to the
mayor is headed by Scottie Ferguson,
off the honors next to Dave Cross
in the Democratic primary, when but
half the registered vote participated.
Scottie is a good fellow. We would
not say but what he is superlatiyely
well qualified for councilman. The
city may, indeed, be losing a man
of unusual fitness to solve municipal
problems, in defeating him. He is
no doubt a patriot and an honest
citizen.
Now, let us see If Scottie is the
choice of his party for the place.
In a registration, showing de-
crease of more than 700, scarcely
more than half the registered Demo-
cratic vote was cast at the primary.
What does the other half of Padu-
cab Democracy thing of Scottie's can
didacy, and which half does he rep
resent?
He received 613 votes, within AZ
of being the total vote OF the pri-
mary. We will concede to Scottie
the honor of being the most popular
candidate for the general council be-
fore the predominant element of
Democracy which participated in the
primary.
Let us look little further. Scot
tie stood next to Dave Cross, candi-
date for police judge, in the number
of votes received in the primary
Dave Cross received $40 votes out of
1920, being more than half. Scottie
was just 2S6 behind Cross. Evident
ly the same people. almost to a man,
wanted Cross and wanted Scottie
Now, we are getting closer to the
solution. Dave Cross did not repre-
sent the good government league in
that ampaign-exactly. j. c..
Diuguid and Oscar Kahn appealed to
that element at the primary and
their vote may be considered to rep
resent about the proportion of good
government Democrats participating
They received between them 220
votes. So, when one considers the
number of candidates for the general
council and their locations with ref
erence to wards and precincts. Scot
tie Ferguson ran up mighty close to
Dave Cross. and there were not
enough votes cast to make II pos
slble for very many to vote for either
and not for the other.
So. those few good government
men, who took part in that primary,
found themselves swept away by the
supporters of Scottie Ferguson and
Dave Cross. The 1.O12 Democrats, |
who remained away from the polls.
were wise enough to reserve their