The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-16

ticularly important year for
elections down here. President
ial politics are not matters of
real contentioD-nObOdy cares
who ticks Hoover.
Few state and local offices
are decided until next year. Of
those few the election of sher-
iff Of Bell County is probably
the most important. The rea-
son for that is that the sheriff
has unlimited power to build
an armed force of deputies
very useful in tabor trouble"
The coal companies have so far
always kept this power on their
side, and all their hired thugs
are sworn in as deputy sher-
ifs.
Historical HangOvers
Kentucky politics are pecu-
liarly subject to historical in
heritance. The western and
central counties are democrat
ic; first, these were the slave
holding plantations which fought on
the side Of the South in the Civil
War and are Jim Crow now. Their
votes put through the Kentucky Jim
Grow law, applying especially to
trains and restaurants.
The Eastern "Hill counties" land
they are the chief coal fields now)
are normally republican. Spell bind
ers like to rave about "the rock-ribbed
republican hills" The hill populs-
ton fought for the North in the
Civil War. There is discrimination
and Jim Grow sentiment against the
Negroes, but it has not the quality of
the real Southern prejudice. In fact.
1t is not quite as strong as that in
Western Pennsylvania or Ohio-and
is similar to the Northern variety.
The hill people regard the state Jim
Grow law as rather nuisance. Some
coal companies enfor e it for their
own purposes. For example, the
Black Mountain Coal Co. boasts that
there Is not one Negro among their
l,i00 miners at Alva, Harlan County.
State and National Politics
This balance of republican, demo-
cratic territories make Kentucky
election test of the popularity Of the
national administration, and the basis
OF the test is delivering the goods"
When there was Coolidge prosperity
and Hoover prosperity" enough dem
ocratS voted republican to pile big
vote for Hoover, and Elem Sampson,
republican, was elected governor.
Today Hoover's name is household
curse, and in the last election last
year Ruby Laffoon, democrat, was
elected governor.
SO FAR, the voters reaction has been
primitive and unthinking and merely
a swift hing back mad forth from one
capitalist party to another-like the
rest Of the country but in a simpler,
more archaic way.
Until this year there was no Com
munist Party here, and the capital
lists did not even find it necessary to
build social fascist movement. There
is no socialist party either.
Political Lynastics
Another curiosity Of Kentucky poll
iticS must be noted. The hereditary
principle is quite strong In the east
ern hill counties, certain prominent
families have dominated In the past.
They fought with each other for po-
iitical power-also fought direct arm
ed feuds with ca h other. When big
business, the coal business, came in,
II often made use of these feuds, fin
ancing one or another native chief
tain, in order to subiugate them all.
One such family is that of the
B-oughtons in Bell County. They have
held important county office for the
last rs years.
Inheriting Offices
This same family illustrates also a
concession by the whole state to the
hereditary principle. When the head
sheriff, recently, his nearest of kin, %
Of the family died in the office OF
in this case his vie, was appointed
to his place.
Now she is running for the office
in the election this November. Her
chief deputy is her son, Floyd, who
SniaShes meetings, arrests leaders,
does the actual work of sheriff, and
drives ba X truck loads OF food, and
does whatever he can to break the
miners strike.
Walter Smith is county attorney
Of Bel County, and his brother. Saw
yer A. Smith, is prosecutor in the
Federal Court at London, Kentucky.
The county court jsilS the strikers
and the federal court evicts them and
issues injunctions against them.
Modernizing Kentucky Politics
OF course, big business is not feud-
alisrn, and the inheritance of office
is not essential to it. Baby Face"
Jones, notorious circuit court Judge
and mortal foe OF the miners, Is not
a Kentu khan at all; he came in from
Louisiana. But his family is all tied
up with the coal interests.
Elections are as corrupt and I'M