Woodrow Wilson, Democrat,
had been elected in 1912 and served two terms. The term limits law was not
passed until after Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office after being elected
for a fourth term.
Wilson was not popular now by end of 2nd term. Had
promised to keep nation out of war but didnt; in negotiations of peace
settlement at the end of the war he did not involve congressional opinions;
would not compromise with Republicans about joining the League of Nations
which Republicans opposed
1. Republican candidate
Warren Harding, Senator from Ohio, selected on the 10th ballot at the
Republican Party convention. Massachusetts governor
Calvin Coolidge selected as VP candidate 2. Democratic
candidate James Cox, Governor of Ohio, selected on the 44th ballot
at the Democratic National convention. Franklin D.
Roosevelt was selected as VP candidate 3. Other
candidates Eugene V. Debs Socialist (in
prison at the time) Parlay Christensen Farmer-Labor
Aaron Watkins Prohibition James Ferguson American;
William Cox Socialist Labor
These candidates did not get any electoral votes.
Harding won by 60% to 34%, 404 to 127 electoral votes, the widest margin in
history
B. National Issues
1.
Harding supported lower taxes, limited immigration, rejecting
League of Nations
2. Cox
supported joining the League of Nations. Internally
the party was in disarray and divided on the issue of prohibition.
Late in campaign Cox tried to show Harding as being corrupt
C. Presidential candidates in Kearney
1. Harding - did not campaign in the state of Nebraska
Ran a front porch campaign from his home in Marion, Ohio.
2. Cox - Both Cox and Roosevelt
toured the country Cox made a
whistle stop trip through the state in late September.
Announcment in early Sept - Cox was scheduled to
arrive in Kearney Sept. 27 and make a 10 minute rear platform speech.
Sept 8, 1920 news Short Stop Here
W. H. Thompson, national democratic committeeman, announced the itinerary of
Governor James Cox while in Nebraska. He was scheduled to arrive in Kearney
on Sept. 27 and will make a ten minute rear platform speech.
Announcement a week before his arrival Due in at
11 a.m. Cox would be met be local
democrats and would give a 10-minute speech. Some
local democrats would meet the train in North Platte and ride with him on to
Grand Island or Omaha.
Sept. 22, 1920 news No
Change in Plan Likely Cox was due
to arrive from the west by special train in Kearney at 11 a.m.
He would be met be local democrats and would give a 10-minute speech.
Some local democrats would meet the train in North Platte and ride with him
on to Grand Island or Omaha.
The day he arrived
Cox was met by a crowd of over 500 people.
His speech was centered on the League of Nations which he favored joining.
Sept. 27, 1920 news Democratic Nominee Talks on
League at Brief Kearney Stop Cox
was met by a crowd of over 500 people. His speech was
centered on the League of Nations which he favored joining.
II. State of Nebraska
Candidates
for Governor
1. Samuel McKelvie (Republican)
[McKelvie was running for a second term] 2. John Moorehead (Democrat) 3. J. D. Graves (Prohibition)
4. Arthur Wray by petition (Non-partisan League; also called the
farmer-labor party)
III. Womens Vote Politicians were uneasy This was the first national
election in which women could vote Politicians could
not predict how they would vote.
Many women had registered as independents rather
than Republican, Democrat, Prohibitionist, Socialist or whatever. A
figure is given of 29 million Americans registered to vote, 9 million of
them women.
However, that was not an accurate figure because each state determined its
own voting requirements. Some states required
registration Some states set residency requirements.
Nebraska was one of the latter. If
a woman 21 and older had lived in the state, county, and township the
required amount of time, she could vote.
IV. Voting in Buffao County
A. Polling
places in the City of Kearney
Kearney had four wards with a polling station for
each:
Ward 1 old fire station [in
1907 a south side fire station was established on Ave A a block or so south
of the tracks at the request of First
Ward city councilman Knaggs] Ward 2 Opera House Ward 3
Midway Hotel
Ward 4 City Hall B. County issue The Poor farm
Vote For the sale of
County Poor Farm or vote Against the sale of County Poor Farm
The Poor Farm had been
closed early in the year and the remaining residents taken to the WCTU
hospital where the county paid $6 per day per individual for their keep. The
land rented out.
The vote went for sale of the Poor Farm.
There was talk of
using the proceeds of the sale of the land to build a facility in Kearney or
some other town in the county for the care of the indigent for whom the
county was responsible but that did not happen.
The land continued to be
rented or leased and was not actually sold until 1958 when money was needed
to help pay for the new jail.
By the end of 1926 the WTCU hospital had become
Mother Hull Home which served as a haven of refuge for those in need.
Most were elderly although some younger people in need of care were also
accepted. Some paid their own way, some were paid for
by the county. The amount paid by the county depended
on how well they could take care of themselves.