The Hartford republican., 1913-09-12
WOULD ELIMINATE
FLOATING Vote
Clark County Grand Jury to
Probe Recent Primary.
Panel to Thoroughly Investigate
All Violations Of Election
Laws.

- Winchester, KY, Sept. 10-The his
toric Clark county courthouse was the
scene today 70 the first steps TO-
ward eliminating the Kentucky float
er" from elections for all time to
cAne. Judge James Benton. the pion-
eer clean-election Judge Of the State.
read an exhaustive charge to the
grand jury. which for thoroughness
and q keen knowledge Of what must
be done has never been equalled in
the old Commonwealth nor any 9TH
er State in the Union.
The courthouse was packed, many
coming for miles to hear 1t. In this
district are the counties Of Madison.
Jessamine and Powell. in addition to
Clark. and the charge will be de-
iivered to them In turn. as this is the
first court since the August primary.
Judge Benton said in part:
Gentlemen: come now to the most
important duty shall ask you to
perform, and In my judgment It Is
the most important duty ever impos-
ed upon a grand jury in this county.
That duty IL to vigorously, thoro-
nghly. courageously and impartially
investigate all matters in connection
with the primary election that was
held in this county on the I'd day Of
last August.
| will say to you candidly that I
. do not believe there has ever been
a thorough investigation of an elec-
tion by any grand jury In kenucky,
but ] have been for months and
months promising the people OF Clark
county and of the other counties of
Nhis judicial idstirct that the grand
juries impaneled in this district this
fall would be called upon to nvesti
gate this election, and that the in
vestigation would be complete and
thorough, and that the offenders, the
violators OF the law. would be in
dicted: and 1t is that duty that
want now to urge upon you with all
the power and earnestness possess.
II you wonder why emphasize this
matter. let me tell you and try to
burn it into your very being that II
means more for the moral uplift oil
the citizenship Of your county than
anything else you can possibly do.
Do you realize that 1t Is common
talk that one-third of the voting pop
ulation Of your county is purchase
able? truly hope that the percent
age is not that large, but many OF
your citizens who are better in form
ed on the question than l am in
sist that that estimate Is too low.
Regardless of what the actual fig
ures are, know. and you know. that
the percentage of purchasable votes
is already alarningly high, and that
~ is increasing with appalling rapid
ity. Every hotly contested primary
election breeds new crop and starts
a new strain.
Do you know that this pern.cious
traffic in votes has grown from moth
auS llo PiCocuI
the last seventy-five years?
doubt not that there are men
living in this county today who can
remember when there was not a
"floater" in their neighborhoods. and |
am sure that there are scores of
niddle-aged men In this county whose
fathers have told them that In their
early days such a thing as man
selling his vote was never heard of
In this county.
The men OF other countries, who
wrote histories OF the American peo-
pie seventy-five years ago. bore surs
prised testimony to the fact. that
such a thing as vote-buying or vote +,
selling was then unheard OF In Amer
lea.
Consider this question:: II the traf-
fic In votes In this county has grown
In seventy-five years ago, bore sur
prise testimony to the fact, that such
thing as vote-buying or vote-sell-
ing was then unheard of in America.
I. Consider this question: II the traf-
lei In votes In this county has grown
In seventy-fiye years from nothing
to eight hundred or one thousand men,
who now sell their votes, what will
the number be in another twenty
Rive, fifty or seventy-five years, un-
less something is done, not to check
1t only, but to stop II, TO actually
kill the beast? Do you not tremble