The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1906-08-29

claims against Ine commonwealth. ana
its credit was dishonored in the eyes of
the business world. What he did then
to reduce the fax rate and what he now
uses as an argune III in Favor cf mis-
nomination as Senator. his successor as
Governor had 20 besee ch the General AS
sembly TO uri 10 IL order to uphold the
make possible the payment. IF It's lust
debts With surplus to start with and
with a i0-cent rate. in less than four
years he succeeded in bankruDtirg his
F. treasury. ana in beQueathiDg to his sue
cessOr an enormous and embarrassing de-
felt. If out Of this he can get rs much
State then bis chances Of success would
be materially frightened
Now, on the other hand let US lock at
his charges of eXtraHaga against my
administration, and let fair con-E3rl-
son be made. I became Governor On &C b.
ruary ), 1909. The Republican Admins
trauon which l succeeded had a tax ate
OF 30 cents which under operation ~
law fell 20 ~ cents the very year !
came into Office. For two years Ne had
TO run Oh that rate until the General ass
Sembly If 1852 placed II ut % ccltS, Z
cents less than the Republican rate
That il tle present rate, AND Il Is only
10 cents higher than the rate with which
my worthy predecessor, nearly thirty
years ago. sunk the credit II ne Com
monWealth 20 such low abb.
since he Wts Governor tle demands
upon the stare Government have praC-
ticaliy doubled Many new institutions
tiary built; hone for the aeI gnd
helpless Confederate veterans created.
and other worldly charities and Isrove-
ments made, great Increase IN amounts
paid for schools and education.
Ali II these Things. coo aul-leif'd rs 20
name now, naturally make far greater
demands upon our revenues. WlCn We
took charge in 1890. the retiring. Or Tath-
err necinS Republican regimc.>l r scarce
~ enough money in the treasury 10 rncet
the deoands then upon it. ana We were
also left Tiyh the scent re.iu" ION in the
tax rate. So for two years with 4Iia-
cent rate and since then with Il Jj-oent
ernment What has been the result?
Since We took charge the credit Of the
Commonwealth has never been I'M
reached. ana to-day its warrant or Cbli-
cation is as good as a bond 81 the Fed
eral Government in the markets of the
country.
preceding administrations a bonded debt
Of the State amounting 70 $l,Wtj.T0. We
have wiped that debt out, and made Ken.
lucky one Of the four or five. States of
the Union which have no debt.
When Gov. McCreary went into office
as Governor the school Der capita fey
in 1879 that per capita fell TO Sl.23 in e IS
than year, ana there was not single
event during his administration that ad-
vanced the cause Of education: In 1860
when we took charge it was -. 10. 1t has
steadily grown until this year it i
$3.50. the highest in the history of our
months Of the public schools. but IN 1901
we increased il 10 six months II free tut
ton. making IN additional cost upon our
revenues of three or four hundred thou
sand dollars per annu-n. In 1905 We made
provision for the esta blishm"nt Of two
normal schools. for the better training
and equipment of our school teachers.
We have appropriated much money for
our State Coleg and the ''cored Nor
NAL School. increasing. too. their annual
appropriations from the State. in the case
Cf the State College an additional Ij-
cC year has been given. To all of our
charitable institutions. IL me Deaf ana
Dumb Asylum. the Blind Asylum. to the
two penitentiaries and the House or X
form for Youthful Criminals. we have APP
propriated much money for their improve
mentS. enlargement and betterment
We have established and improved at
Pewee Valley. the most beautiful and the
best Home for the Confederate Soldiers
that can be found in any State. and TO
this Home can go the intirm and unpen-
stoned veterans of the Lost Cause to pass
his last days in peace and comfort
We give $4,000 annually to the Chill
dren's Home Society, whose worthy pur-
pose is to gather up from the. streets
and from poverty the helpless little waits
We gave $4,000 to the purpose of hav-
ing Kentucky properly represented at the
Worlds Fair in ST. Louis two years ago.
where all the States Of the Union and the
Nations of the earth made exhibits of
their progress and products. Kentucky
made a most creditable showing, and ev,
reason to be proud of his States display.
In his Georgetown speech Senator Nc
Creary boasted Of three things as the
accomplishments of his administration.
The first was his reduction of the tax
rate which brought about financial dis
aster to the States credit. His second
boast was the establishment of the Geo
logical Survey during his administration.
and his statement that the head of it had
written -four books on the subject" The
appropriation was small. and in the
course of a few years the Survey was
abolished by the General Assembly.
When L came into office there was no
such thing at all but in 1904 the Survey
was re-establiShed upon a better basis
by the General Assembly. and in 1856
its appropriation was increased to SO,
ono a year, and it is now doing under its
able management a most valuable serV-
ice towards the development Of the ma
tarial resources of the Commonwealth.
His other claim was that under his ad-
nlinstratiOn the Bureau of Agriculture
was established. That may be true, but
il has been under this administration that
its appropriation has been increased to
an extent that put it upon n useful foot
ing, and made it's work of some prac-
teal advantage to, the, farmer
We have also under this administration
provided for the appropriation of nearly
81. 800 600 with which to purchase site
and to erect upon it a new State Capitol
worthy of the people OF this common
wealth. IT will be "A magnificent build
ing of which every citizen may be justly
\ proud.
All Of these things have been done all
of this money expended. and all of these
improvements made without the increase
of one cent in the tax rate, but rather
at a reduced rate from that of the pre-
ceding Republican Administration And
vet Mr. McCreary and his allies charge
that it is "a machine which has done
All these things and that such "a ma
chine ought to be overthrown and driv-
en- from power. Possibly if he had pos
sessed such a "a machine while he was
Governor from 1878 to 1879 he might have
had some better results to show the peo-
pie then a bankrupt treasury, A worth
less bureau of Agriculture and a defunct
Geological Survey. Most likely, 200, If
ne had possessed such "a machine" his
long services in both houses of the Fed
eral Congress would have brought forth
more fruits Of patriotic usefulness upon
the broad plane of National Statesman
ship than it has done upon the smaller
level in the diplomatic and iudicious dis
tribution of garden seed and government
! pamphlets. There has not been a day in
recent years that if this sO-called ma
chine" had invited the versatile Senator
To come into its ranks and be its candi-
date for Senator he would not have done
So and would now be one Of 1.-THE ma
chimes" most eulogistic advocates.
In his speeches he says that a Wave
of Reform" has swept over the rest Of
the country and driven machines from
power He would have such a wave
sweep over Kentucky and wipe out all
unholy opposition to him. Strange it
Ii