[2] Known to friends as "P. Wat," "Watt," "P. W.," "Parker," and sometimes "Polly Wolly", the younger Hardin was educated in the schools of Adair County, then studied law with his father.

[7] Hardin was re-nominated in 1883 on a Democratic slate that included J. Proctor Knott for governor against Republican Thomas Z.

[8] Morrow's brother-in-law, William O. Bradley, was one of the Republican Party's strongest speakers, and he vigorously attacked the record of previous Democratic administrations, particularly that of Governor Blackburn.

[9] Hardin defended Blackburn's administration in a speech that drew heavy praise from Louisville Courier-Journal editor Henry Watterson.

Brown, Cassius Clay Jr. (nephew of the noted abolitionist), and Dr. John Daniel Clardy, a member of Kentucky's Farmers' Alliance.

[11] In the Democratic nominating convention, Brown led the field with 275 votes to Clay's 264, Clardy's 190, and Hardin's 186.

[14] Party leaders John G. Carlisle, Henry Watterson, and William Lindsay were all advocates of sound money principles.

[14] Historian James C. Klotter attributes the choice of Hardin to the candidate's overwhelming personal popularity.

[14] Seeing the split in the Democratic ranks over the money question, Republicans, having never won the governorship of Kentucky before, put forth their strongest candidate, William O. Bradley, to oppose Hardin.

[16] Hardin opened the debate with an attack on the Republican Party for its "carpetbagger despotism" during Reconstruction.

[16] Though pro-Southern oratory had long been a campaign tactic of Democratic candidates, Hardin was shocked by a heckler who cried out "The war is over; give us something else.

Republican Bradley also gained some Democratic votes from the American Protective Association, a secret fraternal group opposed to Catholics and immigrants.

[21] Just prior to the nominating convention, representatives for Goebel and Stone met to negotiate a deal whereby they could overcome the front-runner, Hardin.

[23] The following day, the credentials committee issued its report, which shifted 1591⁄3 votes from Hardin to Goebel and Stone.

[25] The hall was packed with delegates and non-delegates; angered by Goebel's tactics and Redwine's biased rulings, both groups sang, shouted, and blew horns to disrupt the proceedings.

[26] When the delegates gathered on June 25, both Stone and Hardin called for the convention to adjourn sine die, but Redwine ruled the motion out of order.

[26] The raucous delegates promised not to disrupt the proceedings and accept the result of the day's voting.

[27] Finally, the delegates adopted a resolution to drop the candidate with the fewest votes after the twenty-fifth ballot.

[29] Neither Hardin nor Stone gave Goebel much active support in the governor's race, and the election was won by Republican William S.