Smyrna times., 1926-11-10
LEVY COURT COMMISSIONERS
IN KENT COUNTY DEMOCRATS
PROPAGANDA AGAINST ONE OF
CANDIDATES LOST DISTRICT
Democratic Party Makes Slight Gains
-"Wet" and DRY" Sentiment
Figured in the Election

Kent county, in keeping with the
rest of the state, had its share of cut
ballots incident to last weeks election
resulting, in some instances, in late
returns being made The cut or mark
ed ballots ranged anywhere from $50
to 400 causing slow, tedious process
ii tallying them with the regular
vote. In some sections Of the county
where the cutting was unusually
heavy, it had its effect on the county
ticket as well as the legislative
branch, but, notwithstanding the
heavy cutting in some Of the districts,
the Democrats lost but one Of the
county candidates and two legislative
candidates.
The greatest surprise of the county
was in the election of all three Of the
Democratic members Of the Levy
Court, r. Harry Wilson Of the First
district; George H. Brown Of the Sec
ond district and Harry NJ Case Of the
Third district.
Two of the state senators were
elected out Of the three, Hervey P.
Hall Of Smyrna, Of the First Senator
ial district and J. Harry Latchum Of
Milford. Of the Fifth Senatorial dis
trict Mr.. Hall has served two terms
III the lower House, while Mr.. Latch
um was a member of the last House
of Representatives
The Democrats also elected repre-
sentatives in the First, Third, Sixth,
Eighth, Ninth and Tenth districts,
while the Republicans elected repre-
sentatives from the Second, Fourth,
and Fifth and Seventh districts.
That the "wet" and dry" issue fig
ured largely in some of the districts
was manifest by the heavy cutting in
some Of these districts, notwithstand-
ing the fact that in some Of these
districts the candidates on both tick
ets were looked upon as dry, reports
had been widely circulated in the Sec
ond district especially, that one Of the
candidates would look after the in
tereSts of the wet advocates and on
the other hand this Self-same candi-
date was pictured as dry to the dryS"
In this same district, the Second Of
Kent county, Infamous reports had
been in circulation for weeks that one
of the legislative candidates, the Dem
ocrat, if elected to the Legislature,
would revolutionize the fishing and
oyster laws, as well as stop all service
stations on Sunday. That the story,
although contradicted many times, fell
il fertile soil, was manifest when the
returns were read, this candidate be-
ing cut 1876 votes in one end of the
district and % in the other end Of the
district.
BY the defeat of the Democratic
candidate in the Second district, which
il normally Democratic, the Demo-
Gratis have evidently lost control of
the lower branch of the Legislature
The full county ticket was elected
BY substantial majorities with the eX-
ception Of the sheriff, Edgar w.
Frazier, (R), who Won out by "a ma
jority. The other county officers are
az follows: Clerk of peace, Henry
Williams of West Dover; recorder of
deeds, John w. Tarburton, Leipsic;
clerk Of Orphons' Court and register
in chancery, Harry B. Clark, Kenton;
coroner, Grier Minner.
The state candidates won out by
large majorities, with the exception
Of Candidate Merrill Tilghman for
Congress, who was defeated by over
400 majority. Roy f. Pettyjohn, can
didate for state auditor ran exceed
ingly heavy throughout the county.
The election of James Harry Latch
UNI, state senator, and Ora W. Davis
as representative from the Milford
end Of the county was a decided vic
tory inasmuch as Milford has always
been a Republican stronghold.