This is one of the recollections written by Wallace A. McKay and published in The Pioneer-News. Follow the "Recollections" link above to find others of his writings.
The Pioneer-News, December 30, 1932, pages 1-2
In former articles the writer has sketched the Congressional Representatives of the old fourth district, which included Bullitt County, from the days of Proctor Knott to the time of Ben Johnson. Of all these representatives, Ben Johnson served longer continuously than any Congressman the district ever had ten successive terms, and during all this period he was signally fortunate in not having any serious Democratic opposition for the nomination and was never defeated in a general election.
After he retired about seven years ago, his old friends and supporters lined up for Henry De Haven Moorman of Breckinridge Co., a very clean, upright high class man, as his successor and Moorman secured his first nomination with little difficulty. Before the end of his first term, however, he had a disagreement with the Johnson supporters who immediately withdrew their support and encouraged Judge Clay Porter of Bullitt County to oppose him for re-nomination. There was a custom of long standing in the district however, to give at least one endorsement to a new Congressman who had given reasonable satisfaction to the people of the district and Mr. Moorman successfully appealed to this sentiment in the district and was nominated again for re-election.
This was the year of the Hoover landslide which swept nearly the entire Kentucky delegation from their seats in Congress.
Smith's candidacy for President excited a great deal of resentment among the Democrats of the district and in striking at Smith the voters failed to scratch for Mooreman, as many intended to do and although Moorman ran considerably ahead of the National Ticket he went down in the Hoover landslide of 1928. Two years afterwards in 1930, Moorman could have again secured the nomination if he had become a candidate and prosecuted an aggressive campaign. But in the meantime he and his family had suffered severe financial reverses and he declined to make the hard fight that would have been required to secure the nomination; the Johnson organization being still opposed to him and having a candidate against him.
The candidate who defeated Moorman in the 1928 landslide was a Republican from Hart Co. by the name of John D. Craddock, who served one term and was defeated for re-election by another Hart Countian, Cap R. Carden, who served in Congress from 1930 to 1932, and was re-elected from the State-at-large in the election of 1932, on the ticket with Roosevelt and Garner. Craddock was the second Republican ever elected in the fourth district, the first being Hon. John W. Lewis of Washington County, who served only one term in 1894 after defeating Judge A. B. Montgomery.
The following men have served the fourth district in the Halls of Congress during the last sixty years: J. Proctor Knott, Thomas A. Robertson, A B. Montgomery, David H. Smith, Ben Johnson, Henry De Haven Moorman, John A. Craddock and Cap R. Carden.
Congressman Carden is a man of independent means and it is reported throughout the district that he does not intend to become a candidate for a third term. If this report proves true then the fourth district is in for another spectacular race in 1934 for the Democratic nomination. Most of the counties in the district will have candidates, including Bullitt. The members of the Bullitt Co. Bar are all available candidates. There is not one of them who would not make a good candidate of the Democratic Party and a good Congressman, if elected. Bullitt County's prominent Democrats have never shown very much real ambition for District offices The time is ripe for Bullitt County to capture this prize She has not had a Congressman since the days of General Henry Crist, some one hundred years ago. Let the Democrats get together and decide on a man to run and all factions get back of him. All the members of the Bar should not run as this would crowd the field too much in 1934. But the Democrats of the county should get busy and begin grooming the most available one of them as a candidate next year and when the race opens up in the early part of 1934 he would be ready to enter the fight with the united support of the Democrats of his home County and a good chance for success.
W. A. M.
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