The Freedom Skool Blog

Judge Robert Jefferson Breckinridge and Colonel John Kerr Hendrick of Paducah were the “opponents” of JCW Beckham in 1903. Kentucky's Democratic Party switched from a Convention and Delegate style way of electing nominees, to an at-large ballot box primary in 1903, for the first time in Kentucky history. JCW Beckham was the “boy Governor”, and the change happened under his administration. Judge Breckinridge and Colonel Hendrick did everything they could in order to prevent Beckham's name from appearing on the ballot. The Kentucky courts ruled that KDP was allowed to change their way of nominating their nominees (by changing the Convention and delegate style to the primary voting at large style) without interference by the courts. Young v Beckham, Meacham v Beckham. May 9, 1903 was the date of the first Kentucky Democratic primary. On April 26, 1903, John Kerr Hendricks drops out of the race, for unknown reasons. Judge Breckinridge had already dropped out by then. James Gro...

Political parties are voluntary associations for political purposes. They are governed by their own usages, and establish their own rules. Members of such parties may form them, reorganize them, and dissolve them at their will. The voters constituting such party are, indeed, the only body who can finally determine between contending factions or contending organizations. The question is one essentially political, and not judicial, in its character. It would be alike dangerous to the freedom and liberty of the voters, and to the dignity and respect which should be entertained for judicial tribunals, for the courts to undertake in any case to investigate either the government, usages, rules, or doctrines of a political party, or to determine between conflicting claimants' rights growing out of its government. Davis v Hambrick 58 S.W. 779, 780, 109 Ky. 276. Court of Appeals of Kentucky in Davis v. Hambrick, 109 Ky. 276, 58 S. W. 779: Section 6 of Ky Constitution: All election...