Would you walk miles to vote? Years ago in Harlan county they did just that or rode horse back. the voting precincts were so few and far between that the voters left home early in the morning to go to the polls on election day. Of course that included only the men folk because women didn't vote than.

before 1890 there was no_____voting. You merely walked up to the poll and told the election officer who you wanted to vote for. The canidates names were written on a book. Your vote was marked by the canidates name.

A old timer remembered when he was a small boy he went with his father to vote at Cawood. Ewell Napier was the election officer and he ********* and marked the vote as the voters came.

Opened Avenues Of Fraud

The elections then were more fair but *********************

As late as 1909 women did not vote. some of them felt as if they should have a part in politics, so on election day they baked gingerbread cookies and other sweets and caarried baskets of them to the polls to sell along with re juicy apples.

sometimes the women folk threatened, "If you don't buy my gingerbread, my old man will vote against you." Many old time politicians recall buying many a basket of gingerbread and apples. He couldn't make enemies you know.

Years ago the primary elections were held the first Saturday in April but later changed to August. each canidate used a symbol or banner or his picture on the ballot. the ballot above shows pictures and symbols.

Animals Used As Symbols

J. B. Smith, who ran for the office of magistrate, used the anvil and hammer; William Roarke, the pig; M. H. Sergent, a black cat; E.M. Johnson, a dove and E.T. Huff, a string of Irish.

On one of the jaunts over the country Cam J. Lewis went along with another politician because he wasn't too familiar with the land. It was a cold wintery day in February and the snow was on the ground.

As it began to get late, the politicans looked for a place to spend the night. They rode up to Mr. Allgood's house on Cranks Creek and asked if they might "put up for the night."

'Yes sir get down and come right in," he said. Right behind the two men was Mo** Howard, another politician. Luckily they were not running for the dame office. He was welcome, too. It was a log house with just one bedroom but southern hospitatility prevailed.

Been Around Before

As Lewis and his host sat talking after supper, the other two men claimed to be sleepy and went to bed. they had probley been around before and knew that there were only two beds.

Allgood was a Holiness preacher and he talked and prayed with Lewis and for his success.

"I knew the two men over in the bed were laughing but I thought I was doing a pretty good job of electioneering," Mr. Lewis said. Next morning they washed their faces.

As Lewis recalled they had to break the ice. How did "I do"? he asked his laughing friends. "Man he can't vote, he is just out of the asylum." Lewis lost his race by two votes. Lewis learned that it is a good idea to know if the person is elgible to votebefore wasting so much time.

8 Precincts In County

During the primary election eight precincts wee spread over the county. Two were on Clover Fork; two on Martins Fork; two down the river and two in town. From Ages to Harlan and from Pine Mountain to Harlan, all voted in town. Everybody rode horse back to the polls or walked if they lived near enough.

Between 300 and 400 would have been considered a heavy vote for Harlan and surroundings in those days. It didn't take too long to count votes. The election officers tallied their precinct before bringing their box to the court house.

In the early days the politicians life was rugged. the usual round over the county took a week with most of the houses scattered out in the county. As the few politicians still living stated."we usually began at the head of Clover Fork on horse back and crossed Big Black Mountain and went into Poor Fork>"

Start At Daybreak

When night came they stayed with some family or friend. At break of dawn, the politicians started on their way taking the houses as they came down the river to Pucketts Creek. From Pucketts Creek they crossed into Brownies Creek and up the head of Martin's Fork to Cranks, Little Black Mountain and back to Harlan.

It was a long hard journey. Usually two politicians went along together but sometimes they went alone for fear of making enemies and losing votes.

The pictured official ballot on page one was signed by J. C. Brock, secretary of Harlan County Committee and J.F. Skidmore, clerk of the election.

Canidates and the office they were seeking are as follows. W.A. Brock and J.B. Carter, county attorney; W.C. Turner and L.S. Skidmore, county court clerk; Wiley M. Saylor and M.W. Howard, circuit cout clerk and John L. Howard, J.S. Kelly and J.C. Metcalfe, sheriff; Britt Howard, Harrison C. Cornett, John M. Middleton, John H. Nolan and W.A. Creech, jailer; Cam J. Lewis, W.L. Bailey and D. H. Howard, county superintendent; and Thomas C. Noe, J.K. Farley, William Roark, M. H. Sergent, E. T. Huff and Henery Hensley, assessor; J.C. napier, E.M. Johnson and J.B. Smith, magistrate.

Sunday October 26, 1952

Volume 51 Number 253

Pages 1 & 6