Editing Alben W. Barkley (section)

===Gubernatorial election of 1923===
By the time of his 1922 re-election bid, Barkley was the ranking Democrat on the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee.<ref name=libbey34 /> In the election, he carried every First District county, including the Republican strongholds of [[Caldwell County, Kentucky|Caldwell]] and [[Crittenden County, Kentucky|Crittenden]] counties.<ref name=libbey34 /> Despite the victory he lacked the political organization needed for higher office.<ref name=libbey37>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 37</ref> According to Barkley biographer James K. Libbey, the establishment of such an organization, and not necessarily a desire to become governor, may have motivated him to announce his candidacy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination on November 11, 1922.<ref name=libbey37 /> Critics charged that this was his intent, and he did little to deny it.<ref name=libbey36>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 36</ref>

[[File:J. Campbell Cantrill - Harris Ewing2 cropped.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=A man with dark hair and a prominent mustache wearing a black jacket, patterned tie, and white shirt|J. Campbell Cantrill defeated Barkley in the 1923 Democratic gubernatorial primary.]]
Opposing Barkley in the primary was Congressman [[J. Campbell Cantrill]] who, along with Stanley, led the conservative wing of the party, opposing prohibition and [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage]].<ref name=libbey37 /><ref name=nhok352>Harrison and Klotter, p. 352</ref> Beckham, leader of the liberal wing, intended to run, and his surrogates, particularly ''[[Louisville Courier-Journal]]'' editor [[Robert Worth Bingham]], began a "Business Man for Governor" campaign in late 1922.<ref name=libbey38>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 38</ref> Beckham had served as governor from 1900 to 1907 and later in the U.S. Senate, but he was out of office (a "Business Man"), in contrast to Cantrill and Barkley.<ref name=libbey38 /> While Bingham's campaign forced Barkley to declare his candidacy earlier than planned, the tactic was not successful outside [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]; Beckham supporters backed Barkley, more to prevent Cantrill's nomination than because they desired Barkley's.<ref name=libbey38 /> Barkley's leadership team included his own supporters, influential members of the Beckham faction, and erstwhile Cantrill supporters.<ref name=klotter272>Klotter, p. 272</ref><ref name=libbey39>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 39</ref>

Recognizing the need to broaden his appeal beyond western Kentucky, Barkley opened his campaign in the central Kentucky town of [[Danville, Kentucky|Danville]] on February 19, 1923.<ref name=libbey39 /> He employed the slogan "Christianity, Morality, and Good Government", and he and Cantrill – colleagues in the House – agreed to refrain from personal attacks.<ref name=sexton53 /><ref name=libbey40>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 40</ref> Due to Percy Haly's influence on Barkley, and Barkley's own admiration for Woodrow Wilson, he denounced the influence of the coal, racing, and railroad [[trust (monopoly)|trusts]] in state politics.<ref name=sexton53 /> "Woodrow Wilson drove the crooks and corruptionists out of [[New Jersey]], [[Gifford Pinchot|Governor Pinchot]] is driving them out of [[Pennsylvania]], and if I am elected Governor of Kentucky I promise to drive them out of [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]]," he declared.<ref name=sexton53 /> In contrast to his usual preference for low taxes, he advocated a tax on coal deposits.<ref name=klotter272 /> In addition to reducing the coal trust's political influence, he believed the increased revenue, which would largely be generated by out-of-state coal buyers, would result in lower property taxes on farmers.<ref name=libbey41>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 41</ref> Friends in the Anti-Saloon League convinced him that banning [[parimutuel betting]] would cripple the racing trust.<ref name=sexton53 /><ref name=libbey41 /> Many [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholics]] and [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestants]] – notably those affiliated with the Louisville Churchmen's Federation – favored prohibition and opposed parimutuel betting on religious grounds, and endorsed Barkley's candidacy, but Bingham, typically a Beckham ally, was slow to endorse him.<ref name=klotter272 /><ref name=hill120>Hill, p. 120</ref> Like Bingham, ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader|Lexington Herald]]'' editor [[Desha Breckinridge]] had helped create the parimutuel betting system, and Barkley's positions were enough to convince him to back Cantrill, despite the fact that Breckinridge generally disliked Cantrill.<ref name=klotter272 />

Barkley campaigned across the state, earning the nickname "Iron Man" for making up to 16 speeches in a day.<ref name=hatfield2 /> His proposals for a statewide highway system and improvements in education were popular, but coal mining and horse racing interests, based mostly in eastern Kentucky, opposed him.<ref name=kye53 /><ref name=nhok352 /> Counties east of a line from Louisville to [[Middlesboro, Kentucky|Middlesboro]] generally supported Cantrill, while those west of the line mostly went for Barkley, who [[1923 Kentucky gubernatorial election|lost the primary]] by 9,000 votes (out of 241,000 cast), marking his only election loss.<ref name=nhok353>Harrison and Klotter, p. 353</ref><ref name=finch287>Finch, p. 287</ref> He supported Cantrill in the general election, gaining goodwill within the Democratic Party.<ref name=libbey42>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 42</ref> Cantrill died on September 2, and the Democratic State Committee had to name his replacement.<ref name=finch287 /> Barkley was not acceptable to many of the members of the committee, and he refused to accept nomination by party leaders instead of the voters.<ref name=libbey43>Libbey in ''Dear Alben'', p. 43</ref> On September 11, the committee nominated Congressman [[William J. Fields]], and Barkley supported him in the general election, which he won over Republican [[Charles I. Dawson]].<ref name=finch287 /><ref name=libbey43 />