Interior journal (Stanford, Ky. : 1905). (Stanford, KY...
1
GOV BECKHAM GOES INTO THE ENEMYS COUNTRY AND COMPARES DEMOCRATIC PERFORMANCES AND REPUB ¬ LICAN FAILURES A SPLEN trDID STATEMENT OF THE RE OF THE PRESENT AD MINISTRATION COLUMBIA Ky Sept 9ln tho presence of a largo audience compos ed of ladles Democrats and Republi cans Gov Beckhain delivered the fat lowing very strong speech today which was irecelved wljh enthusiastic manlfestatlow of approval I como to the good people of this county and of this section of tho State to begin my part In this Im portant campaign not to speak to Democrats alone but to all of those of whatever political affiliations who unlto with me In common love of this grand old Commonweal and who will Join me In the sentiments which look forward to Its righteous and successful government- I bring to you the assurance that In my heart and In the principles which I represent there Is no un klpd or ungenerous feeling toward anyone who may differ with me and to those of an opposite political faith who have honored me by their pres ¬ ence hero today I wren to express my gratitude and to say that I shall speak upon these Issues in no bitter spirit r of partisan declamation but as one Kentuckian to another all alike calmly awl dispassionately seeking to secure that which In the end will be beet for our generoushearted and no ¬ bleminded people From these foothills I shall go on Into the very heart of the Kentucky mountains bearing to their people a message of peace and good will preaching no doctrines of relentless party warfare but fairly and fear ¬ lessly advocating the cause in whose Justice and sincerity I so profoundly believe With malice toward no one with toleration and respect for the opinion of every patriotic citizen who may dlsagree with me I come into the Republican stronghold of Kentucky to lift up the standard of Democracy and to point to the crowning inscrip ¬ tion upon its white banner which says Peace Prosperity and Happl ¬ ness to all of our People When I speak to tho people of the mountains I shall tell them that In Central and Western Kentucky there is a worthy and splendid citizenship and when l speak to the people of Central and Western Kentucky I shall tell them that In the mountains the people are Just as good as generous and as hospitable as can be found anywhere on earth It always griev ed me to see any sectional anlmosl ties In the Nation even more so does It grieve me to see any in my own State My humble but earnest mis eton In this campaign shall Ke to bring all of our people to a better understanding of each other and to a broader of what the hon ored name Kentuckian implies There is no part of the State In which the typical Kentuckian God noblest creation cay not be found He may bo seen digging In the mines of tho Cumberland mountains he may be seen tending the flocks In the pro ¬ lific pastures of tho Blue Grass be >gay be seen tilling the fertile fields la the valley of the Mississippi or tie may be seen vigorously struggling in tihe active commercial life of one of our beautiful cities Wherever he Is found ho Is the same generous Ira pulslve high minded citizen often too quick to anger but yet always Quicker to forgive Before such a people any man or party may go having his cause Just and confidently expect a favorable Judgment As one of the accredited representatives of my par ¬ ty I therefore come to lay our case c before you and to ask your patient and impartial consideration of It Let us be frank and candid In dealing with It Let us lay aside our preju dices and misunderstandings Let us I reason one with the other and do- t u w t + h termino honestly and patriotically what is tho best for Kentucky Tho plain proposition before you I- sthlsDo you want tho Democratic party or the Republican party to con ¬ trol the affairs of this Commonwealth for the next four years and do you want a Democrat or a Republican sent to tho Federal Senate by the next General Assembly Mark you wo have agreed to get at the solution of this question without prejudice or passion Wo are agreed too that nil of us want to secure the best results for tho people Democrats and Itu publicans both say that Now let at get at the subject in a plain com- monsense way JustI as Intelligent men would discuss any business prop ¬ osition I shall state the case as I under ¬ stand It nndI want you to carefully watch me and stop me It you think I misstate a fact or overlook a point I shall state It In such a way that every fairminded Republican as well as every enthusiastic Democrat will admit that I have stated It truthfully Each party has placed before you n ticket composed of a candidate for Governor and candidates for other State offices to be voted for In Novem ¬ ber Each party too hag through Its convention or Its candidates announc ¬ ed a platform of principles or prom ises by which It says It will bo guided It placed In power Each of these two parties has been in power In Kentucky at dlffersnl times In the last twelve years or within the memory of all voters who will participate In this election From December 1S95 to February 1900 over four years the Republican party was In power From February 11 0 until now nearly eight years th Democratic party has been In control You have therefore had a good op portunity to observe what each one would do when Invested with the pow ¬ ers and responsibilities of office In s crate You will readily agree with me that it Is better to Judge of what a man will do by what he has done in the past than by what ho says he will do and that you can better fore- cast what a party will do In the fu ¬ ture by its record In the past than by the promises of its platforms and ofI Its candidates If a man convicted ot perjury or false swearlns makes a statement or a promise we may well dlsI ¬ party which has come before you in the past matting fair promises ant uttering serious charges against Its opponents and when glv < n power by you has violated thoso promises andI signally failed to make good those charges comes again making the same promises and charges It Is well to look upon It with doubt and fear before again giving it a chance to betray you Let us then see In what attitude each of these two political parties stands before you in this campaign in the light of ltsl ast record promises and its performances By that test alone it is fair to Judge be tyeen tho two and by that test speaking for my party I ask that the people of Kentucky pass Judgment In the November election Now lot us look at the record made by each party during Its ascendan- cy ¬ In Kentucky and I will ask your patient attention while I Impartially state some historical facts which you may easily recall In 1895 the Republican party plac ¬ ed at tho head of Its ticket as can ¬ didate for Governor Hon W O Brad ley then as now the dominant and controlling force In his party in this State In their platform and in the sptfc11es ot their candidate they made thomost extensive and fulsome promises of what they would do If elected to the offices They promised tho moral political and Industrial re- generation of Kentucky They prom ¬ ised a new era In the States progress and development that the laws would be strictly enforced and that peace and contentment would everywhere prevail They made tho gravest pos Bible charges against the Democratic party and its conduct of the States affairs They charged extravagance and corruption and with the battle cry give us a look at the books they made their campaign Democrat ¬ ic leaders refuted these charges and warned the people that it would be disastrous to place tho Republican party In control In this State or In any southern State that it believed In force and fraud and In the subor donation of the civil to tho military power But In vain were the charges denied and these warnings uttered Many people were deceived and mis- led Suspicions were created in tho minds of many good people that pos sibly there had been mismanagement and corruption In the Democratic ad- ministration ¬ Unfortunate dlssen tlons arose In tho Democratic party and tho Republican ticket with a Re ¬ publican Legislature was elected the first time In the history of the State In December of 1895 and Jan ¬ nary 189G Jhey came Into possession tho State government and for four years held it In that dark and fateful period what u record was madtil For Inca ¬ parity mismanagement and disaster It has never been equalled In this State Their campaign cry for a look at the books was answered and for over four years they had ample tlmo to look at them But never were they able to find a single cent of tho peoples money not properly ac ¬ counted for Not a vestige of fraud or corruption upon the part ot tho previous Democratic administrations could they discover Their campaign charges were shown to be false and insincere just as they aro now What did they do towards upbuild tag and ndvancnlg the welfare ot tho State Nothing whatever but to turn back for at least a generation the dial that marked Its progress and devel ¬ opment Every fairminded Repub ¬ lican will admit that It was the most turbulent period In tho Common ¬ wealths history with the possible ex ¬ ception of tho time of th9 Civil War In place ot the bread they promised you they gave you a stone Instead of the now era of peace and pros- perity ¬ about which they prated so much In the campaign they establish ¬ usurvnltlons three months when tho Republican I Governor called Into active sorvf e the State Militia and placed It In control of the General Assembly of the State then In session There was absolutely no necessity for such an arbitrary anti unwarranted exercise of power It was an unconstitutional ef ¬ fort upon the part of one branch of the government to Intimidate and con ¬ trol the action of a coordinate branch A member of the General Assembly could not enter tho Capitol without the permission of a military officer The whole purpose of it was to force tho election of a Republican to tho U S Senate In numerous other instances was the santo flagrant use made of the militia and in the State election of 1899 when W S Taylor was the Re ¬ publican nominee for Governor this same Republican Governor In his desperate desire to aid in Taylors election called into active service State troops In the City ot Loins vllle on election day in order to In Umidato and Influence the voters During that entire administration law- lessness and crime were rampart Republican leaders now try to ref- lect upon the Democratic adminis tration by referring to the Breathitt county troubles and reports about the Night Riders Let them go back to the unto when they were In control and refresh their memories about the toll gate raiders and feudal wars in some of the counties Let them read the messages of their Gov- ernor to the General Assembly to see his lurid pictures of lawlessness and crime at that time If It was not fate to hold him responsible for the toll gate raiders the Clay county feud and other similar outbreaks it car aD4nocraticGovernor itt coimv and other such troubles Or 3 of the chief reasons for which the Republican Governor In 1897 call ¬ ed an extra session of tho General Assembly was to get more power to stop lawlessness In the State ThcT In December 1S9D with the use of the military at the polls fraud- ulent tissue ballots in many counties corruption and force in the ilectlon there came Into temporary power Taylor and his blcody cohorts Con ¬ fronted by his Democratic opponent with a constitutional contest before tho General Assembly he filled the State Capital with an armed and des- perate mob Realizing the hopeless ¬ ness ot his case he became reckless and murderous From a window In the Executive building not forty feet from where he sat nervously await ¬ ing the fatal sound there was fired a shot which struck down In mortal agony the man whom ho could not defeat in a legal or constitutional way Almost instantly armed troops kept ia concealment ready for this awful event swarmed into the Capitol grounds took possession of the build- ings under orders from tho Republi ¬ can Governor guarded all the en ¬ trances and drove back the civil offi ¬ cers who sought to enter and arreai the murderers Awl yet they tell us that It Is per ¬ secution to attempt to bring to trial tho man who directed all these move mont who admits that he was only forty feet from where the fatal shot was fired and prohibited the civil offi cers frpm coming in to make a search ire suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus Ho Issued his proclamation adjourning the Legislature to Lon ¬ don without the slightest authority of law He had his lawless soldiery us ¬ lug their bayonets to drive tho Sena ¬ tors and Representatives from their halls and chase them through the streets of Frankfort like a lot of felons forcibly preventing them from ot J meeting anywhere until for tho sate ty of their lives they wero compelled to secretly leave the Capital and go to tho city ot Louisville where they might hold their sessions lie sent his Adjutant General with n lawless mob to the Capital Hotel where Wm Goobel lay suffering with the agonies ot his cruel wound that by their bois- terous laughter and the grounding ot their arms upon the brick pavements they might disturb the last hours of the dying man Ho made It necessary for the Court of Appeals to abandon their court room and seek safety In the city ot Louisville He made it dangerous for any man woman or child to walk upon the streets of the Capital City And yet this is the man now a fugitive from Justice who will return in triumph to Kentucky with a pardon before trial in his pocket It Mr Wlllson and the Republican ticket are elected in November This Is the man too whom a Re ¬ publican state convention only a few years ago after he had done all these things indorsed for his resolute and patriotic course This Is the man who Mr Willson says was resolute and patriotic whom Mr Willson sup ported in 1899 and supports now If he has over changed his opinion ho has not said so Is ho any better than Gov Bradley big mentor and chief advisor Is he any bettor than W S Taylor whoso resolute and patriotic course ho has Indorsed Can we expect more of him than wo could of Gov Bradley or of W S Taylor If so will ho please to explain to tho people in what respect ho differs from them or by what process of purification ho has been made better than they were Ho can not answer by retailing some ex ploded slander or baseless falsehood about the Democratic administration Ho must come to the point direct Tho people have no toleration for dodging or equivocation lie must either defend tho administrations of Gov Bradley anti Taylor or repudiate them And ho can not do either with ¬ out confessing tho futility of his can ¬ didacy and the absurdity of his claim- I will relieve him somewhat of his embarrassment and answer It for him He will not deny that my answer Is correct Ho does Indorse these two men and if elected Governor ho would show his indorsement by trying to send one to the U S Senate and bring the other a free man back to Kentucky Now let us look at the financial con- dition ot affairs when that party took charge in January 189C and the con ¬ dition when they went out In Februa ¬ ry 1900 Tho Republican Auditor stated that he found a debt ot 180000000 with cash In tho treasury amounting to 15373428 leaving a net debt of 1 C462C5C2 Taking their own figures about which tnero is much question and It Is probable that they over- stated ¬ the amount the fact remains that the debt which they found was not as great as the debt which they left In February 1900 for n state ment from tho Auditors office shows that on February 26 1900 when tho Pemrcratr tool charge of that de- partment the total liabilities amount ed to 206299187 with 3G333467 cash in the treasury leaving a net debt of 1C99G5730 a greater amount than tho debt which they say existed when they first took charge It therefore appears that notwithstanding their Increase of tne tax rate ten cents and Issuing bonds for which they received nearly 540 00000 all done for he avowed pur pose of paying off the State debt they left the State in heavier debt than they found It They charged this debt to what they called Demo- cratic extravagance no explaining to the people that the preceding Dem ¬ ocratic administration had been bur- l tten with extraordinary demands upon Its resources owing to the long session of the Constitutional Conven ¬ tion and the unusually long session of the General Assembly of 18919293 made necessary for the purpose of a revision of all our laws In accordance with the new constitution- In order to pay off tms debt as they claimed they called an extra session of the General Assembly in 1897 re secured the passage of acts to enable them to Issue bonds for J60000000j for which they received about 540 00000 and to Increase the tax rate from 4212 cents on the one hundred dollars to Democratic members voted for these measures because they placed patriotism above partisanship and did not want to em barmen the financial affairs of the Commonwealth merely to secure a party advantage What wns the result The bonded debt of the State was doubled mak ing it 100000000 the tax rate was raised to tho highest point in the States history nil doss they said to pay off debts and yet after their four years of power they left the State with a bigger debt than they found It In those four years and two months ot power they appropriated only 18700000 for public Improve ¬ ments while tho Democratic adminis ¬ tration slice It came into power with a reduced tax rate has paid oft all tho debt It inherited from the Republican administration made Ken ¬ tacky one of tho four or five States In tho Union which have no debt and appropriated over 260000000 for public improvements and In the esI tablishment and development of our InstitutionsIn by which the Republican administration raised the tax rate to 5212 cents they provided that at tho end ot their term the talrate should fall 5 cents or bo 4712 cents under which rate wp lived for twoI years when In 1902 the General As- sembly ¬ raised it to 50 cents tho pres ¬ ent rate Consequently when wo came into control In February 1900 wo found a reduced tax rato seriously cutting down our revenues at a crltl ¬ cal time and a debt ot about 1100 00000 facing us What have we done under such dlsI astrous conditions With tho 11010I State in disorder nod chaos wo calmly went to worthwhile our enemies bit- terly ¬ assailed and obstructed us nndI wo tried to faring order out of an- archy ¬ solvency out of bankruptcy Whether or not wo succeeded let the records speak In the place of mob rule we re- established the authority of tho courts of Justice Instead of pJunglng the State into a bloody civil warfare WO calmly nod patiently awaited tho con ¬ stitutional determination of our cause btifornf tho Judicial tribunals Wo suffered much and wo bore much Havjn won out In over court from the Circuit Court of Kentucky to the Supremo Court ot the United States wo started out In an honest and bus Inossllko way to deserve tho confi ¬ deuce placed in us and to uplift Ken- tucky from tho fearful condition In which Republican ralsnilo had left her Wo wiped out tho State debt Wo bought up and burned before they were due tho million dollars ot bonds Wo enlarged and Improved every public Institution In tho State all of which were ina most dcplora oio condition when wo took charge Wo placed them upon the best bails ever before known and equal to those In the roost progressive States In America Wo established tho ConfedcrAto Home and yet Mr Wlilion says ho will get eighty per cent of tho Con ¬ federate vote Tho war has been over more than forty years and this is tho first and only administration that Boldlerlot thooo gallant old veterans when he charges thorn with such ingratitude Wo havo fostered and helped the Childrens Homo Society and made It a State Institution that It might continuo Its noble and splendid work among the helpless little orphans of tho State Today the Childrens Horne Society of Kentucky under its able management In recognized Ill tho best Institution of its kind In tho countryWe have reestablished the flee logical Survey that it might continue its excellent work In the development of our wonderful mineral wealth We have enacted we legislation for the betterment of our laboring people a child labor law a factory Inspection law and other laws for their welfare and advancement Wo have Increas ¬ ed tho term in our common schools from five rapnths to sJx months cost Ing nearly 40000000 more per year Wo have established two Stato Nor ¬ mal schools for the better training and perparatlon of our school teach- ers ¬ liberally providing for their main tonnnce and conduct We have given generously of our means to tho State College and the Colored Normal School Increasing their annual appro ¬ priation as well as giving them spe ¬ cial appropriations for their enlarge ment and improvement We have in creased the school per capita to the highest point ever known in the Stats In 1900 It was 245 this year Uis 340 Notwithstanding tho unit- ed opposition of the Republican lend- ers ¬ we passed the School Book law which gives to the children of the State their school books at onethird pleas than they formerly paid Th was one of tho platform pledges of Wm Goebel Kentucky is tho most generous State of all In the proportion of her revenues which she gives to the cause of education Out of her 50 cent tax rate she gives 26 12 cents to the pub ¬ tic schools anti normal schools 12 cent to the State College and 2 cents to tho sinking fund to pay the inter ¬ est on school bonds making 29 cents to that cause leaving only 21 cents for all the general expenses of tho Commonwealth in all of Its branches and its public institutions Many of the counties of the State have a high ¬ er rate than that for their county ex pongee In a few years with itho pres¬ cat progress If the Democratic party Is continued in power we will have a school system equal to tho best In the country Can anyone point to a Ct single thing dODO by the Republican < administration for the benefit of ed ¬ ucation Tho only thing it did was In 1899 when tho State campaign was on and it padded tho figures and created a largo deficit In tho fund the following year In order < o show aa largo a per capUa as possible for tho campaign t- Wo have nearly finished a now Cap- itol ¬ building costing for the couplet II structure one million and n quar ter of dollars In beauty and magnifi ¬ cence It Is unquestionably tho hand- somest ¬ Capitol to bo found in any of tho Southern States It will bo ex- celled ¬ by tow If any of tho other Capitol buildings in tho country It will not bo Inferior In architecture and beauty to the now Pennsylvania Capitol built by a Republican admin- istration ¬ as a coat of 1300000000 When compared to thq cost per cublo foot of even Capitol jityMt in the past generation in any Strve the Kentucky 0 Capitol has coat lostkan any In fact only about half of what tho low ¬ est In other States have cost It Is pronounced by all who have scat It as n superb structure and splendidly + built To tho criticisms of our ono a mica wo need only answer Go and look at It Tho ninrvol is that so much could have been done and done so well for tho money used When completed in n few months it will bo n building worthy of tho prideof our people and of tho admiration of all who behold It Tho Republican candidate In their scarcity of campaign material havo trim to revive a miserable old slan ¬ der about tho employment of an arch ¬ itect That question has been thor oughly met and answered before tho people The building costs 1250n 00000 and the li fM l WIOOO mnklnp 129000000 cox of o and structure Wo shall pay tho archi- tect ¬ who designed and planned whok constantly superintends and its contraction 5100000 for his ser vices or barely 4 per cent of the cost Every other Stale paid its are chitect 5 per cent That Is what tho government and every other concern pays a first class architect Mr Will Son borrows an old falsehood for UteI i In his campaign which has long since been exposed about a certain man who offered to furnish plans for ft Cnplol at 1600000 and that our board turned down his proposition Wo did nnd wo would do it again ItIf itman record ID Texas and elsewhere shows that be wns dishonest and corrupt TtuI report of the Texas Capitol Commit thfState Mr Wlllson knows tho record ot the man and I am surprised to learn that ho thinks Myers ought to have been chosen If ho was Governor and My era is his kind of architect and ho Is Myers kind of Governor thIn wo might have hid in Kentucky a similar tcoxporlonco r Capitol of Pennsylvania Tho records of the Capitol Commission are open to tho Inspection of tho publiC and they present n comnMo refutation to ovrty attack made upon thnt board Wo art proud of Ntho record And If the Republican candidates will Just pause for n few days in their wild and reckless campaign and como to Frankfort wo will courteously show them the records and give them a perfect opportunity to look ftt the books In every ment of the Slate Wo Invite and urRo 11epartj every department of the ernmont Wo nvtn and urgo do so Wo will afford them every ni slstnnco they irny need Mir Wlllson lives only a short distance from Frankfort less than two hours rider why Is It then he has not been up and made n portion a 1 Inspection of this Captol and the records before going out to tho people and repeating 1heno alnndern aiJd calumnies widen i ho knows to be false If he was honest In there charges ho would have made a personal Investigation and not relied upon tho false rumors coming from some vicious malcon ¬ tents It Is strange in tho light ot experience that a Republican ticket In i this Stato con not learn that honesty is tho best policy and that In itho end truth is tho most powerful cam ¬ paign argument The people of Ken- tucky ¬ I are never going to elect a can ¬ didate or a party whoso campaign Is based upon falsehood and calumny In every campaign where I havo met them the Republican candidates have seemed to bo actuated by tho overwhelming conviction thnt a falsehood toll to hundredI people was tho best campaign argument If only fifty of them should over hoar the correction of it Do feated every time when they hap made such a light It is surprising therefore that they have not profited by experience and pitched this cam palgn upon a higher plane Ho and his associates have been far back in tho mountains trying to Impose those i well known slanders upon tho good- Y Y
Transcript of Interior journal (Stanford, Ky. : 1905). (Stanford, KY...
GOV BECKHAM
GOES INTO THE ENEMYS
COUNTRY
AND COMPARES DEMOCRATIC
PERFORMANCES AND REPUB ¬
LICAN FAILURES A SPLEN
trDID STATEMENT OF THE REOF THE PRESENT AD
MINISTRATION
COLUMBIA Ky Sept 9ln thopresence of a largo audience compos
ed of ladles Democrats and Republi
cans Gov Beckhain delivered the fatlowing very strong speech todaywhich was irecelved wljh enthusiasticmanlfestatlow of approval
I como to the good people of thiscounty and of this section of thoState to begin my part In this Im
portant campaign not to speak to
Democrats alone but to all of thoseof whatever political affiliations whounlto with me In common love of
this grand old Commonweal andwho will Join me In the sentimentswhich look forward to Its righteousand successful government-
I bring to you the assurance thatIn my heart and In the principleswhich I represent there Is no unklpd or ungenerous feeling towardanyone who may differ with me andto those of an opposite political faithwho have honored me by their pres ¬
ence hero today I wren to express my
gratitude and to say that I shall speakupon these Issues in no bitter spirit
r of partisan declamation but as one
Kentuckian to another all alikecalmly awl dispassionately seeking tosecure that which In the end will be
beet for our generoushearted and no¬
bleminded peopleFrom these foothills I shall go on
Into the very heart of the Kentucky
mountains bearing to their people amessage of peace and good willpreaching no doctrines of relentlessparty warfare but fairly and fear¬
lessly advocating the cause in whose
Justice and sincerity I so profoundlybelieve With malice toward no onewith toleration and respect for theopinion of every patriotic citizen whomay dlsagree with me I come into theRepublican stronghold of Kentucky
to lift up the standard of Democracy
and to point to the crowning inscrip¬
tion upon its white banner whichsays Peace Prosperity and Happl ¬
ness to all of our PeopleWhen I speak to tho people of the
mountains I shall tell them that In
Central and Western Kentucky thereis a worthy and splendid citizenship
and when l speak to the people of
Central and Western Kentucky I shalltell them that In the mountains thepeople are Just as good as generous
and as hospitable as can be foundanywhere on earth It always grieved me to see any sectional anlmosl
ties In the Nation even more so does
It grieve me to see any in my own
State My humble but earnest miseton In this campaign shall Ke to
bring all of our people to a betterunderstanding of each other and to abroader of what the honored name Kentuckian implies
There is no part of the State In
which the typical Kentuckian Godnoblest creation cay not be found
He may bo seen digging In the mines
of tho Cumberland mountains he may
be seen tending the flocks In the pro ¬
lific pastures of tho Blue Grass be>gay be seen tilling the fertile fields
la the valley of the Mississippi ortie may be seen vigorously strugglingin tihe active commercial life of one of
our beautiful cities Wherever he Is
found ho Is the same generous Ira
pulslve high minded citizen often tooquick to anger but yet always Quicker
to forgive Before such a people anyman or party may go having hiscause Just and confidently expect afavorable Judgment As one of theaccredited representatives of my par¬
ty I therefore come to lay our casec before you and to ask your patient
and impartial consideration of It Letus be frank and candid In dealing
with It Let us lay aside our preju
dices and misunderstandings Let usI reason one with the other and do-
t
u w t + h
termino honestly and patrioticallywhat is tho best for Kentucky
Tho plain proposition before you I-
sthlsDo you want tho Democraticparty or the Republican party to con ¬
trol the affairs of this Commonwealthfor the next four years and do youwant a Democrat or a Republican sentto tho Federal Senate by the nextGeneral Assembly Mark you wo
have agreed to get at the solution of
this question without prejudice orpassion Wo are agreed too that nilof us want to secure the best resultsfor tho people Democrats and Itupublicans both say that Now let atget at the subject in a plain com-
monsense way JustI as Intelligentmen would discuss any business prop ¬
ositionI shall state the case as I under¬
stand It nndI want you to carefullywatch me and stop me It you think I
misstate a fact or overlook a pointI shall state It In such a way thatevery fairminded Republican as wellas every enthusiastic Democrat willadmit that I have stated It truthfullyEach party has placed before you nticket composed of a candidate forGovernor and candidates for otherState offices to be voted for In Novem ¬
ber Each party too hag through Itsconvention or Its candidates announc ¬
ed a platform of principles or promises by which It says It will bo guidedIt placed In power
Each of these two parties has beenin power In Kentucky at dlffersnltimes In the last twelve years orwithin the memory of all voters whowill participate In this election FromDecember 1S95 to February 1900
over four years the Republican partywas In power From February 11 0
until now nearly eight years thDemocratic party has been In controlYou have therefore had a good opportunity to observe what each onewould do when Invested with the pow ¬
ers and responsibilities of office Ins crate
You will readily agree with methat it Is better to Judge of what aman will do by what he has done inthe past than by what ho says hewill do and that you can better fore-cast what a party will do In the fu ¬
ture by its record In the past than bythe promises of its platforms and ofIIts candidates If a man convictedot perjury or false swearlns makes astatement or a promise we may welldlsI ¬
party which has come before you inthe past matting fair promises antuttering serious charges against Itsopponents and when glv<n power byyou has violated thoso promises andIsignally failed to make good thosecharges comes again making thesame promises and charges It Is wellto look upon It with doubt and fearbefore again giving it a chance tobetray you
Let us then see In what attitudeeach of these two political partiesstands before you in this campaignin the light of ltslast recordpromises and its performances By
that test alone it is fair to Judge betyeen tho two and by that testspeaking for my party I ask thatthe people of Kentucky pass JudgmentIn the November election
Now lot us look at the record madeby each party during Its ascendan-cy
¬
In Kentucky and I will ask yourpatient attention while I Impartiallystate some historical facts which youmay easily recall
In 1895 the Republican party plac ¬
ed at tho head of Its ticket as can¬
didate for Governor Hon W O Bradley then as now the dominant andcontrolling force In his party in thisState In their platform and in thesptfc11es ot their candidate theymade thomost extensive and fulsomepromises of what they would do If
elected to the offices They promisedtho moral political and Industrial re-generation of Kentucky They prom ¬
ised a new era In the States progressand development that the laws wouldbe strictly enforced and that peace
and contentment would everywhereprevail They made tho gravest posBible charges against the Democraticparty and its conduct of the Statesaffairs They charged extravaganceand corruption and with the battlecry give us a look at the booksthey made their campaign Democrat ¬
ic leaders refuted these charges andwarned the people that it would bedisastrous to place tho Republicanparty In control In this State or Inany southern State that it believedIn force and fraud and In the subor
donation of the civil to tho militarypower But In vain were the chargesdenied and these warnings utteredMany people were deceived and mis-led Suspicions were created in thominds of many good people that possibly there had been mismanagement
and corruption In the Democratic ad-
ministration
¬
Unfortunate dlssentlons arose In tho Democratic partyand tho Republican ticket with a Re ¬
publican Legislature was elected
the first time In the history of theState In December of 1895 and Jan ¬
nary 189G Jhey came Into possession
tho State government and for fouryears held it
In that dark and fateful periodwhat u record was madtil For Inca ¬
parity mismanagement and disasterIt has never been equalled In thisState Their campaign cry for a lookat the books was answered and forover four years they had ample tlmoto look at them But never werethey able to find a single cent oftho peoples money not properly ac¬
counted for Not a vestige of fraudor corruption upon the part ot thoprevious Democratic administrationscould they discover Their campaigncharges were shown to be false andinsincere just as they aro nowWhat did they do towards upbuildtag and ndvancnlg the welfare ot thoState Nothing whatever but to turnback for at least a generation the dialthat marked Its progress and devel ¬
opment Every fairminded Repub ¬
lican will admit that It was the mostturbulent period In tho Common ¬
wealths history with the possible ex ¬
ception of tho time of th9 Civil WarIn place ot the bread they promisedyou they gave you a stone Insteadof the now era of peace and pros-perity
¬
about which they prated somuch In the campaign they establish ¬
usurvnltlonsthree months when tho Republican I
Governor called Into active sorvf e
the State Militia and placed It Incontrol of the General Assembly of
the State then In session There wasabsolutely no necessity for such anarbitrary anti unwarranted exercise ofpower It was an unconstitutional ef¬
fort upon the part of one branch ofthe government to Intimidate and con ¬
trol the action of a coordinate branchA member of the General Assemblycould not enter tho Capitol withoutthe permission of a military officerThe whole purpose of it was to forcetho election of a Republican to thoU S Senate
In numerous other instances wasthe santo flagrant use made of themilitia and in the State election of1899 when W S Taylor was the Re¬
publican nominee for Governor thissame Republican Governor In hisdesperate desire to aid in Taylorselection called into active serviceState troops In the City ot Loinsvllle on election day in order to InUmidato and Influence the votersDuring that entire administration law-
lessness and crime were rampartRepublican leaders now try to ref-
lect upon the Democratic administration by referring to the Breathittcounty troubles and reports aboutthe Night Riders Let them goback to the unto when they were Incontrol and refresh their memoriesabout the toll gate raiders and feudalwars in some of the counties Letthem read the messages of their Gov-ernor to the General Assembly to seehis lurid pictures of lawlessness andcrime at that time If It was not fateto hold him responsible for the tollgate raiders the Clay county feudand other similar outbreaks it car
aD4nocraticGovernoritt coimv and other such troublesOr 3 of the chief reasons for whichthe Republican Governor In 1897 call ¬
ed an extra session of tho GeneralAssembly was to get more power tostop lawlessness In the State
ThcT In December 1S9D with theuse of the military at the polls fraud-ulent tissue ballots in many countiescorruption and force in the ilectlonthere came Into temporary powerTaylor and his blcody cohorts Con ¬
fronted by his Democratic opponentwith a constitutional contest beforetho General Assembly he filled theState Capital with an armed and des-perate mob Realizing the hopeless ¬
ness ot his case he became recklessand murderous From a window Inthe Executive building not forty feetfrom where he sat nervously await ¬
ing the fatal sound there was fired ashot which struck down In mortalagony the man whom ho could notdefeat in a legal or constitutional wayAlmost instantly armed troops keptia concealment ready for this awfulevent swarmed into the Capitolgrounds took possession of the build-ings under orders from tho Republi ¬
can Governor guarded all the en ¬
trances and drove back the civil offi ¬
cers who sought to enter and arreaithe murderers
Awl yet they tell us that It Is per ¬
secution to attempt to bring to trialtho man who directed all these movemont who admits that he was only
forty feet from where the fatal shotwas fired and prohibited the civil offi
cers frpm coming in to make asearch
ire suspended the writ of HabeasCorpus Ho Issued his proclamationadjourning the Legislature to Lon ¬
don without the slightest authority oflaw He had his lawless soldiery us ¬
lug their bayonets to drive tho Sena ¬
tors and Representatives from theirhalls and chase them through thestreets of Frankfort like a lot offelons forcibly preventing them from
ot
J
meeting anywhere until for tho satety of their lives they wero compelledto secretly leave the Capital and go
to tho city ot Louisville where theymight hold their sessions lie senthis Adjutant General with n lawlessmob to the Capital Hotel where Wm
Goobel lay suffering with the agoniesot his cruel wound that by their bois-terous laughter and the grounding ottheir arms upon the brick pavementsthey might disturb the last hours ofthe dying man Ho made It necessaryfor the Court of Appeals to abandontheir court room and seek safety In
the city ot Louisville He made itdangerous for any man woman orchild to walk upon the streets of theCapital City And yet this is the mannow a fugitive from Justice who willreturn in triumph to Kentucky witha pardon before trial in his pocket ItMr Wlllson and the Republican ticketare elected in November
This Is the man too whom a Re ¬
publican state convention only a fewyears ago after he had done all thesethings indorsed for his resolute andpatriotic course This Is the manwho Mr Willson says was resoluteand patriotic whom Mr Willson supported in 1899 and supports now Ifhe has over changed his opinion hohas not said so
Is ho any better than Gov Bradleybig mentor and chief advisor Is heany bettor than W S Taylor whosoresolute and patriotic course ho has
Indorsed Can we expect more ofhim than wo could of Gov Bradleyor of W S Taylor If so will hoplease to explain to tho people inwhat respect ho differs from them orby what process of purification ho hasbeen made better than they were Hocan not answer by retailing some exploded slander or baseless falsehoodabout the Democratic administrationHo must come to the point directTho people have no toleration fordodging or equivocation lie musteither defend tho administrations ofGov Bradley anti Taylor or repudiatethem And ho can not do either with ¬
out confessing tho futility of his can ¬
didacy and the absurdity of his claim-I will relieve him somewhat of his
embarrassment and answer It for himHe will not deny that my answer Iscorrect Ho does Indorse these twomen and if elected Governor howould show his indorsement by tryingto send one to the U S Senate andbring the other a free man back toKentucky
Now let us look at the financial con-dition ot affairs when that party tookcharge in January 189C and the con ¬
dition when they went out In Februa¬
ry 1900Tho Republican Auditor stated that
he found a debt ot 180000000 withcash In tho treasury amounting to
15373428 leaving a net debt of 1
C462C5C2 Taking their own figuresabout which tnero is much questionand It Is probable that they over-stated
¬
the amount the fact remainsthat the debt which they found wasnot as great as the debt which theyleft In February 1900 for n statement from tho Auditors office showsthat on February 26 1900 when thoPemrcratr tool charge of that de-partment the total liabilities amounted to 206299187 with 3G333467cash in the treasury leaving a netdebt of 1C99G5730 a greateramount than tho debt which theysay existed when they first tookcharge It therefore appears thatnotwithstanding their Increase of tnetax rate ten cents and Issuing bondsfor which they received nearly 54000000 all done for he avowed purpose of paying off the State debtthey left the State in heavier debtthan they found It They chargedthis debt to what they called Demo-
cratic extravagance no explainingto the people that the preceding Dem ¬
ocratic administration had been bur-ltten with extraordinary demands
upon Its resources owing to the longsession of the Constitutional Conven ¬
tion and the unusually long session ofthe General Assembly of 18919293made necessary for the purpose of arevision of all our laws In accordancewith the new constitution-
In order to pay off tms debt as theyclaimed they called an extra sessionof the General Assembly in 1897 resecured the passage of acts to enablethem to Issue bonds for J60000000jfor which they received about 540
00000 and to Increase the tax ratefrom 4212 cents on the one hundreddollars to Democraticmembers voted for these measuresbecause they placed patriotism abovepartisanship and did not want to embarmen the financial affairs of theCommonwealth merely to secure aparty advantage
What wns the result The bondeddebt of the State was doubled making it 100000000 the tax rate wasraised to tho highest point in theStates history nil doss they saidto pay off debts and yet after theirfour years of power they left theState with a bigger debt than theyfound It In those four years and twomonths ot power they appropriatedonly 18700000 for public Improve ¬
ments while tho Democratic adminis ¬
tration slice It came into powerwith a reduced tax rate has paid oftall tho debt It inherited from theRepublican administration made Ken ¬
tacky one of tho four or five StatesIn tho Union which have no debt andappropriated over 260000000 forpublic improvements and In the esItablishment and development of our
InstitutionsIn by which the Republicanadministration raised the tax rateto 5212 cents they provided that attho end ot their term the talrateshould fall 5 cents or bo 4712 centsunder which rate wp lived for twoIyears when In 1902 the General As-
sembly¬
raised it to 50 cents tho pres ¬
ent rate Consequently when wo cameinto control In February 1900 wo
found a reduced tax rato seriouslycutting down our revenues at a crltl ¬
cal time and a debt ot about 110000000 facing us
What have we done under such dlsIastrous conditions With tho 11010I
State in disorder nod chaos wo calmlywent to worthwhile our enemies bit-
terly¬
assailed and obstructed us nndIwo tried to faring order out of an-
archy¬
solvency out of bankruptcyWhether or not wo succeeded let therecords speak
In the place of mob rule we re-
established the authority of tho courtsof Justice Instead of pJunglng theState into a bloody civil warfare WO
calmly nod patiently awaited tho con ¬
stitutional determination of our causebtifornf tho Judicial tribunals Wosuffered much and wo bore muchHavjn won out In over court fromthe Circuit Court of Kentucky to theSupremo Court ot the United Stateswo started out In an honest and busInossllko way to deserve tho confi ¬
deuce placed in us and to uplift Ken-tucky from tho fearful condition Inwhich Republican ralsnilo had lefther
Wo wiped out tho State debt Wobought up and burned before theywere due tho million dollars otbonds Wo enlarged and Improvedevery public Institution In tho Stateall of which were ina most dcploraoio condition when wo took chargeWo placed them upon the best bailsever before known and equal to thoseIn the roost progressive States InAmerica
Wo established tho ConfedcrAtoHome and yet Mr Wlilion says howill get eighty per cent of tho Con ¬
federate vote Tho war has been overmore than forty years and this istho first and only administration that
Boldlerlotthooo gallant old veterans when hecharges thorn with such ingratitude
Wo havo fostered and helped theChildrens Homo Society and made Ita State Institution that It mightcontinuo Its noble and splendid workamong the helpless little orphans oftho State Today the Childrens HorneSociety of Kentucky under its ablemanagement In recognized Ill thobest Institution of its kind In tho
countryWehave reestablished the flee
logical Survey that it might continueits excellent work In the developmentof our wonderful mineral wealth Wehave enacted we legislation for thebetterment of our laboring people achild labor law a factory Inspectionlaw and other laws for their welfareand advancement Wo have Increas ¬
ed tho term in our common schoolsfrom five rapnths to sJx months costIng nearly 40000000 more per yearWo have established two Stato Nor¬
mal schools for the better trainingand perparatlon of our school teach-ers
¬
liberally providing for their maintonnnce and conduct We have givengenerously of our means to tho StateCollege and the Colored NormalSchool Increasing their annual appro ¬
priation as well as giving them spe ¬
cial appropriations for their enlargement and improvement We have increased the school per capita to thehighest point ever known in theStats In 1900 It was 245 this yearUis 340 Notwithstanding tho unit-ed opposition of the Republican lend-
ers¬
we passed the School Book lawwhich gives to the children of theState their school books at onethird
pleas than they formerly paid Thwas one of tho platform pledges ofWm Goebel
Kentucky is tho most generousState of all In the proportion of herrevenues which she gives to the causeof education Out of her 50 cent taxrate she gives 26 12 cents to the pub ¬
tic schools anti normal schools 12cent to the State College and 2 centsto tho sinking fund to pay the inter ¬
est on school bonds making 29 centsto that cause leaving only 21 centsfor all the general expenses of thoCommonwealth in all of Its branchesand its public institutions Many ofthe counties of the State have a high ¬
er rate than that for their county expongee In a few years with itho pres¬
cat progress If the Democratic partyIs continued in power we will have aschool system equal to tho best Inthe country Can anyone point to a
Ct
single thing dODO by the Republican <administration for the benefit of ed¬
ucation Tho only thing it did wasIn 1899 when tho State campaignwas on and it padded tho figures andcreated a largo deficit In tho fund thefollowing year In order < o show aalargo a per capUa as possible for thocampaign t-
Wo have nearly finished a now Cap-
itol
¬
building costing for the coupletII structure one million and n quar
ter of dollars In beauty and magnifi ¬
cence It Is unquestionably tho hand-somest
¬
Capitol to bo found in any oftho Southern States It will bo ex-
celled¬
by tow If any of tho otherCapitol buildings in tho country Itwill not bo Inferior In architectureand beauty to the now PennsylvaniaCapitol built by a Republican admin-istration
¬
as a coat of 1300000000When compared to thq cost per cublofoot of even Capitol jityMt in the pastgeneration in any Strve the Kentucky
0Capitol has coat lostkan any Infact only about half of what tho low ¬
est In other States have cost It Ispronounced by all who have scat Itas n superb structure and splendidly +
built To tho criticisms of our ono amica wo need only answer Go andlook at It Tho ninrvol is that somuch could have been done and doneso well for tho money used Whencompleted in n few months it will bon building worthy of tho prideof ourpeople and of tho admiration of allwho behold It
Tho Republican candidate In theirscarcity of campaign material havotrim to revive a miserable old slan ¬
der about tho employment of an arch ¬
itect That question has been thoroughly met and answered before thopeople The building costs 1250n00000 and the li fM l WIOOOmnklnp 129000000 cox of o andstructure Wo shall pay tho archi-tect
¬
who designed and planned whokconstantly superintends andits contraction 5100000 for his services or barely 4 per cent of thecost Every other Stale paid its arechitect 5 per cent That Is what thogovernment and every other concernpays a first class architect Mr WillSon borrows an old falsehood for UteI i
In his campaign which has long sincebeen exposed about a certain manwho offered to furnish plans for ftCnplol at 1600000 and that ourboard turned down his propositionWo did nnd wo would do it again ItIfitmanrecord ID Texas and elsewhere showsthat be wns dishonest and corrupt TtuIreport of the Texas Capitol Commit
thfStateMr Wlllson knows tho record ot theman and I am surprised to learn thatho thinks Myers ought to have beenchosen If ho was Governor and Myera is his kind of architect and ho IsMyers kind of Governor thIn womight have hid in Kentucky a similartcoxporlonco r
Capitol of Pennsylvania Tho recordsof the Capitol Commission are opento tho Inspection of tho publiC andthey present n comnMo refutationto ovrty attack made upon thnt boardWo art proud of Ntho record And Ifthe Republican candidates will Justpause for n few days in their wildand reckless campaign and como toFrankfort wo will courteously showthem the records and give thema perfect opportunity to lookftt the books In everyment of the SlateWo Invite and urRo 11epartjevery department of theernmont Wo nvtn and urgodo so Wo will afford them every nislstnnco they irny need Mir Wlllsonlives only a short distance fromFrankfort less than two hours riderwhy Is It then he has not been upand made n portion a 1 Inspection ofthis Captol and the records beforegoing out to tho people and repeating1heno alnndern aiJd calumnies widen iho knows to be false If he washonest In there charges ho wouldhave made a personal Investigationand not relied upon tho false rumorscoming from some vicious malcon ¬
tents It Is strange in tho light otexperience that a Republican ticket In
i
this Stato con not learn that honestyis tho best policy and that In ithoend truth is tho most powerful cam ¬
paign argument The people of Ken-tucky
¬ I
are never going to elect a can ¬
didate or a party whoso campaign Isbased upon falsehood and calumnyIn every campaign where I havo metthem the Republican candidateshave seemed to bo actuated bytho overwhelming conviction thnta falsehood toll to hundredIpeople was tho best campaignargument If only fifty of them shouldover hoar the correction of it Dofeated every time when they hapmade such a light It is surprisingtherefore that they have not profitedby experience and pitched this campalgn upon a higher plane Ho andhis associates have been far back intho mountains trying to Impose those iwell known slanders upon tho good-
Y
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