The Breckenridge news., 1906-09-05
THF TEMPERANCE CUES
TION IN THE SEM
TORE.4L RICE.


The News took occasion to
warmly endorse the action of
Governor Beckham in putting the
Sunday lid on in Louisville and
gave him proper credit for passing
the County Unit Law. 1t took
courage and honest convictions to
do both of these things and we
cannot believe that they were done
for political effect as so able a
politician as Governor would un-
doubtfully have seen such action
on his part would turn from him
in his race for the Senatorship the
entire liquor interests of the State.
The News commends Governor
Beckham again for his bold cour-
ageous conduct in enforcing the
Sunday law against the saloon in
Louisville and in extending the
right to the several counties to
vote as a unit against the saloon.
But when Governor Beckhan
undertakes to make the temper
ance question an issue between
Senator McCreary and himself in
the Senatorial race we think he
has made serious mistake.
To make the temperance issue
between two candidates for office
one must be on one side and one
on the other side. Senator Nc
Creary is as much a temperance
man as Gov. Beckham. If not
total abstainer he has never been
patron of the bar rooms. He
has not only voted on the temper
ance side whenever he has had the
opportunity but he has lived as he
has voted. He is a Christian
gentleman and an active church
man. He has never received
dollar from the liquor interests to
aid him in any of his campaigns
and he has on the stump declared
that he has not and will not re-
ceive a dollar in this campaign
from these interests. He has not
condemned the action of Gov.
Beckham in his closing the saloons
in Louisville on Sunday nor in the
passage of the county unit law.
Against a man with such a record,
Gov. Beckham has no right to
raise the temperance issue, and in
the cause of temperance we pro-
test against it. We object to Gov.
Beckham injuring an issue by at
tempting to make the people be-
lieve that the nomination of Sena-
tor McCreary would be a victory
for the liquor and lawiess elements
of Kentucky There are some of
the very best and most earnest
Christian ministers in Kentucky
who will vote for Senator Nc
Creary, and thousands of as good
temperance and law abiding citi-
zens will support Senator Nc
Creary as Gov. Beckham can rally
to his support. The fact that
Gov. Beckham has tried to inject
this question into the campaign is
the only thing that he has done to
give coloring to the reports that
these things were done for politi-
cal effect and to recall the charges
that have been made that in former
campaigns. Gov. Beckham re-
ceived material aid from the liquor
interests and the charge made by
DIR. Kerfoot, a leading Baptist
minister over his own signature,
that Beckham, as Speaker of the
House had prevented the passage
of the County Unit Law. We are
not especially interested in this
campaign between Beckham and
McCreary. Personally we like
the Governor the best, but we are
interested in the great battle that
is being wedged against the saloon
and we protest in the interest of
this cause against it being dragged
into a political contest in the in
terest of a candidate and to the
detriment of a cause when his op-