The Mena weekly star., 1907-10-31
DoNAdnEY TALKS PLAINLY

DWNAU1Ef tALN9 fLAiiNLI
 The Star is in receipt of copies of the opening address of George w. Donaghey. candidate for nomination at the hands of the Democratic party as governor of Arkansas. which ad- dress was made at Morrilton Octo- Der T.
 Regardless of party, it is speech that can be read with profit by every voter in the state, and The Star would gladly publish it all, but it's length makes it impractical.
 It can truly be said that Mr. Donaghey talks plain English and every word seems to indicate a sturdy honesty of purpose that en- titles the effort to earnest considera- tion. The remarks on the State Capitol Steal'' in part, follow:
 Tn these piping days of peace in the civic affairs of the nation and of our own state there is no peace. With every breeze that blows there comes to our ears the cry of poodle and of graft. By the solemn records of our courts, as evidence, these boodlers and grafters have infested our own glorious state. For years the slimy hand of graft has pressed the willing hand of our legislators, entered the pockets of the people and robbed them of their money, wrung by taxes from the toll of the masses. Among the most nefarious bills which large and unfaithful number of our representatives have attempted to pass through the legis- lature, no bill ever introduced into that body is more glaring in its opportunities given to rob the peo- pie than the New State Capitol bill of 1905, which earned with it an appropriation of Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars. All over this bill there was written plainly the fact that it was inspired by the very architect and contractors who were to receive it advantages. Not con- tent with the speed of this bill in it's natural course of passage, Caldwell & Drake boldly engaged themselves in bribing the legislature, and for that purpose they put up Twenty-one Thousand Dollars. Listen what your own Supreme court says about them in the Butt case, when referring to the boodling transactions of this very bill: "A certain firm of con- tractors were specially interested in the passage of this bill, and the evidence tended 10 show that they placed several thousand dollars in the hands of corrupt and unscrupu- lous agents to be used to bribe weak and venal members of the legisla- ture in.o voting for this bil.'
 ''It is easy to make charges, but if one cannot prove them exclusively by showing up the facts, his case must fall when the issue is reached. My charges have been sustained by the two past legislatures, and the enor- nous sums attempted to be appro- priated for this graft were defeated.
 ''It would be better to put dyna- mite under what has been done on the capitol building and blow it into the smallest atoms rather than con- tinue the graft which is now leech- ing the taxpayers of their money.
 But, fellow-citizens. these ex- tremes are not necessary. Then what is the remedy? Let the state take charge of the work. Discharge the commissioners, the architect and contractors. Place the work in charge of some one that will protect the state.
 Why discharge the contractors ? Because they have confessed to the crime of bribing the legislature, and have also robbed the state of thou sands of dollars.
 Why discharge the architect Because he is obviously in league with the contractors, or they could not have succeeded in changing the plans so that the state has been de- 1 frauded, and he has untruthfully certified to the state that more work had been done on the capitol by the contractors than has actually been performed, according to their con- tract with the state.
 Why discharge the commission CTS? Because they fathered the Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars that Caldwell & Drake, the contract ors. tried to bribe through the leg islature, and in all controversies | they have taken the side of Caldwell ! X Drake against the state, whose interests they were chosen and sworn | to protect.
 Now, these are strong charges. | If they are not facts, they are libels. ] If they are libels, ought to be | punished for both libel and islander. l here and now challenge those whom 1 accuse to show that I am guilty of either. am not pauper. l and it can be found that judgment | against me for any sum that it l would be probable for a court to ! render would have to be paid. 1 Then if l am not slandering these men am disclosing some facts that ought to be known, and if they are true the remedy ought to be applied |