Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1900 — “The Dark and Bloody Ground.” [ARTICLE]

“The Dark and Bloody Ground.”

Northern people generally are under the impression that the back-woods districts and fend counties of Kentucky are inhabited principally by blood-drinkers who vole the democratic ticket upon any and all occasions, and that the Kentucky “bad men” are all democrats, an impression which republican newspapers of the north have almost unanimously helped’to create and keep before the public. Occasionally there is a paper, however, that will “speak out in meetin” and tell the truth about these matters. Following is a clipping from a prominent daily of the republican persuasion which we would ask the reader to carefully ponder over, and, after reading, hand to his benighted republican brother who believes as above:

"The men who stood guard over the Republican State officers of Kentucky prior to the calling out of the militia are known as "determined" men by Republicans and as "bad” men by Democrats. They are all from the mountainous regions of southeast Kentucky, and, strangely enough, the politics of the mountain men and those who live in the moonshine whiskey localities is Republican. It is supposed, naturally enough, by outsiders that the men who are constantly beset by Government officers would be against the national administration, but they are not. How they came to be Republicans no one knows, since they came from the Virginias, unless they started that wav during reconstruction days in order to get the public offices, fur political workers are asdihgentand aggressive in these bad counties as elsewhere. There are two Republican Congressmen from Kentucky now, and both are from the way-back I districts. Vincent Boreing of London reprei sents the Eleventh District, composed of eighteen mountain counties, and Samuel J. Pugh represents the Ninth District of thirteen counties. Both districts are in feud territory. Great feuds have at times existed in the following counties, all of which are Republican by large majorities: Bell. Clay, Harlan. Laurel. Leslie, Lee,. Letcher. Pike. Rowan. Taylor and Whiteley. Laurel County, wich is designated as legislative headquarters,cast 1.849 votes for Taylor and 919 for Goebel. Leslie County gave Taylor l,oS2>nd Goeliel 8t votes."

Now, in proof of the above, we have before us the last official census figures of Kentucky, and also the election returns of the state for some years back, and we find that the statements made in the above clipping are absolutely correct. Nearly every one of the more populous counties of the state, where civilization is supposed to have reached the highest standard, are democratic, or republican by very small pluralities, while the sparcely settled, tough, moonshine and feud counties wre nearly all largely republican. Take day county, for example, a county thinly populated and

more wiiddly imoswnn bfoirxjy feud'eoraity iliiaa ;auiw otibdr part of Keaitiurtky.. ranid vmt- tthndl Ln. iKItG the (coiunaiiw fgaw* Me-KimJley 1725 wsftefi ;auid Enyaim b®tt 7J07.. It gaw T*jU®r att it- Hartle efedtiisHii 1557 ;anid (Gtwelaeß Hurtt -47 - Hasflam eonnty MtrKiindiew IBteywa 2M. TayW (iwW 22* Martin Me-Knaitey 73k)l 1 I Bryan 227. ;amd TayS/Mr OOL CJewfcsd!' ' 167. Oiimtfcom .ccortty ugaw- Me-Kio- 1 j ley 3'OVML Bryam 31801 amid Tayß&<r? (Goebell 3*22. litsioe aoaadty gawe McKnmley W3L Bursa #l r and Taylon- WS2 KiiwWl ’♦ML. Jarfc- ; son 'county 'game MifKiinlkey 1517-J | Bryan send Tayßi-sr 1541- (Jcw*i be! 224. And «o >w.e imiidLtt gy<»> anil cnn'HHtatanrg burtwoois «o«*use» , which wbtw tlfce smne <cten><Bdffionoi. < j Few ne’wefjiqw-Ts asm? in I , these ccaimitaes .uwd #H«e iiia;&&Bctsmte< ; are siott off tfee HHFuffintsr sort. i ;tbey wfte tfibe atejywHiSeMn ttidksHt i .npusi aill 'OecasiKaijs. "8 w£uU shuts-, be seen that .uilil t&e bud ioxmb of 'i IK ririiueiky.rw'ttjofl iteßSTicffr-atbs. mowfe j ' as our MqtuH lifum faihadh- ia tLe north w>oniid straw jh-atMefe' iie-