Evening star., 1926-10-16
Support of Jockey Club and
Blue Grass Liberals Gives
Edge to Ernst.
DEMOCRATS SAY UNITED
PARTY WILL AID BARKLEY
Situation So Close That Slight
Detection May Give Victory to
Either of Two Candidates.
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN,
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

BY g. GOULD LINCOLN.
Staff Correspondent of The Star.
LOUISVILLE, Ky, October 16.-
kentucky, where horse racing Is both
On industry and a pastime, is staging
real horse race" in the senatorial
campaign. And the affection of the
people Of the Blue Grass country for
the sport of kings is likely to be a de-
Gliding factor in the senatorial elec.
tion.
Three years ago the Blue Grass
Country, which lies between the noun
gains Of the eastern part Of the State
Ind the western tier Of counties. rose
En arms against Representative Alben
w. Barkley, the Democratic senatorial
candidate this year, who then was
cunning for the gubernatorial nomina-
E1on against the late Representative
Campbell Cantrill. Judge Barkley
ras campaigning for governor on a
$erorm ticket, platform that prom
tsed to run pari-mutuel betting at the
face tracks out of the State. The
Friends Of racing saw in him a threat
20 all horse racing in Kentucky. The
result was the nomination Of Mr..
Cantr1l after campaign that lacked
nothing In bitterness. The Blue Grass
country is strongly Democratic, and If
an appreciable number of the Demo
Gratis Of that section support Senator
Richard P. Ernst, the Republican can
didate to succeed himself, or stay
away from the polls, 1t will go hard
with Judge Barkley.
blue Grass" UnfriendIy.
IIoro g., o,,;o,,;,Io .., A., ~
tucky Jockey Club has it's headquar-
ters, there are plenty of its adherents
who insist that the liberal element in
the Democratic party is going to think
twice before 1t casts it's ballot for
Judge Barkley. Indeed, the reports
privately brought from the racing
country, where horse raising and
horse racing are dear to the hearts of
the people, are not favorable to Bark
ley.
The Democrats supporting Judge
Barkley, however, discount these re-
ports. They say that the discordant
elements of the party are really to-
Gether again, that the race this year
Is vastly different from what 1t was
three years ago. when a governor
was to be elected who might have
been able to carry out his threats
against the race tracks. The election
tivities Will be centralized in Wash
ington and not in Kentucky is an.
other thing than the election of q
governor. Furthermore, they point
to the statements issued by Mrs. J. c.
Cantrill, the widow Of the late Repre-
sentative Cantrill. indorsing the can
didacy of Judge Barkley. They point,
too, to the support of James f.
Cantrill. son of Campbell Cantrill,
ey{N {o1
didate. Former Senator Stanley. a
leader Of the liberal element of the
party, likewise is campaigning vigor-
ously for Judge Barkley.
G. o. p. Growing Along Border.
For the last 80 years the balance
between the Republicans and the
Democrats of Kentucky has been
growing more and more even. It has
been the history of the border States
generally. AS industries have grown,
Republicanism has grown. 1t Is Gus.
tomary to think and speak Of Ken
tucky as a Democratic State, but the
election Of Republican governors, of
Republican Senators and the close
vote in presidential elections during
the last score of years has indicated
that Kentucky cannot rightly be
reckoned as strongly Democratic
even though a hundred per cent vote
Of the entire State might show the
Democrats slightly in the lead.
The situation is such that a slight
disaffection among the Democrats
turns the scales in favor of the Re
publicans. President Coolidge two
years ago carried Kentucky by a little
less than $4,000 over John w. Davis.
It is true that $4,000 votes were cast
here for La Toilette, the Progressive
candidate, but while probably a large
number Of the La Toilette votes were
drawn from the Democratic ranks as
was the La Toilette vote in other
States, 1t Is equally true that some
Republicans supported the Progress
sive candidate.
At the same time President Coolidge
was carrying Kentucky for the Re.
publican national ticket. the second
time since 1892 that such a result has
been obtained. Senator Sackett. Re-
publican, was defeating Senator STAN
ley by $4,000. with no Progressive
senatorial candidate in the field.
Four years earlier Senator Ernst,
the present Republican candidate. de-
feated his Democratic opponent by
5000 votes. while President Harding
lost the State by 1000 votes.
Wet Issue Fades.
The wet and dry issue that Is tear
ing some of the States apart this Fall
is not in evidence here. Both Senator
Ernst and Judge Barkley are rated
satisfactory by the drys. Ernst's record
has been 100 per cent dry. the Re-
publicans point out, while Judge Bark
lev has been one of the strongest sup
porters of prohibition in Congress.
He was one of the members Of Con-
eress who had received honorariums
from the Anti-Saloon League for de-
Ever1ng dry speeches for the league. 1t
WAS developed at the senatorial hear
ings in Washington last Spring.
TAe AntfSaloon League In Ken
tucky is as Democratic as the Anti
halASn Leaxue in Ohio and Indiana,
for exansaie, Is Republican. The
league has tied into the more domi.
nant party in the various parts OF
the country where It was striving for
hontrol. This fact may be of assist
knoe to Barkley now.
Senator Ernst is making President
Coolidge and prosperity under Re-
publican rule his main issue In the
bampeign. He is urging the voters
70 send him back to Washington to
uphold the hands Of the Republican
President. Right here it may be well
to state that President Coolidge u
highly regarded in this State and
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