The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1908-01-15
GOSSIP OF
STATE CAPITOL.
Entertaining Comment on Affairs
Political as Noted by Our
Special Correspondent.
A KENTUCKY WONDER
OF WONDERS

Frankfort, KY, Jan. 15-It is an
,absolute fact that two KentuckiRns in
the same week have done the unheard-
of thing of declining an Office with a
salary of so 500 per year and travelling
expenses attached to 1t. Whether this
is a sign of a long, cold winter, ar
earthquake, or some other dreadful
happening, is not known, Of course,
but something else unusual is bound
to happen, for such strange events
never come singly. G. M. Barrett Of
Ohio county and Stanley Milward Of
Lexington both claimed the state fire
marshals job, but Barrett was APP
pointed. Before he went to work, how
ever, he found he might be unjustly
criticised in his work because he is
the president of the National Society
of Equity, and that society has a to-
bacco branch and the fire marshal
would have to investigate the burning
OF tobacco barns and warehouses by
the might riders" some of whom are
supposed to be members of the Society
of Equity. Then the place was offered
to Mr.. Milward. who had been turned
down at first, and, wonder Of wonders,
Mr.. Milward declined 1t. Just think of
q Kentuckian declining q good Office
like that. 1t is dollars to doughnuts,
though, that the third man to whom II
n offered will take it and freeze to
that twenty-five hundred per, like
duck to a dough-pile.
The first bill introduced in the pres
ent legislature was one to repeal the
dog-tax law passed two years ago. 1t
was introduced by Senator Smith of
Knott county, and the present senti-
ment of the legislature indicates its
passage. The dog-law proved both I'M
popular and ineffective. Nearly every
man that owned dog has blasted the
law, and the assessors almost made It
ineffective by falling to list the dogs
for taxation. For instance, in one
county with a population of 10000,
probably $500 dogs would be listed,
and in an adjoining county with the
same population and apparently as
many dogs, only 700 would be listed.
|. A legislative committee will proba-
4 by investigate every phase of the to-
bacco troubles in Kentucky, as Sena-
tor Newman of Woodford has intro
duced a resolution providing for a
committee of three senators and four
representatives to do the investigating.
The resolution, which will undoubted-
~ h. o1 o.
shall report the conditions prevailing
in this commonwealth before the or
ssnizstion of the Tobacco Trust the
conditions prevailing after its organi-
sation aud before the organization of
the various tobacco societies, the con-
ditions since, and in every way try to
reach q knowledge Of the situation,
sembly to enact such laws as will pro-
tect the rights Of our people IL our
present laws are insufficient. The |
commit shall also ascertain wheth- |
Or the LOCALIZED tobacco trust has
ne right 70 do business In this state
when pursuing the methods II has fol- |
lowed for several years. Il shall also
are not enforced by tho various on
asrs Of the commonwealth II
AAali make Investigation Of whether II
a legal and practical to employ con-
victs IN the manufacture Of plug and
twist tobacco"
This 10 Q sweeping resolution, and
ne committee win have an enormous
~ - IN AsS
plishss anything. Governor Wilson is
working assiduously 10 suppress the
might riders" but they keep bobbing
I'D here and there In various parts of
ne state and burning tobacco ware
houses. Soldiers are being stationed
IN suspected towns and Calling guns
are being placed In readiness to repel
expected attacks by the night riders"
There must be some cause for all this
treuble-somebody has been doing
wrong somewhere, and as a result the
night riders" are doing wrong now.
The tobacco growers feel that crisis
has arrived with them and that II is
OF as much moment to them as throw
mig the tea overheard In Boston harbor
ever a hundred years ago. was to the
American colonists.
Maybe this legislative committee
may find the seat OF the trouble. If
cyer-production has caused the low
prices of tobacco. the remedy is to
plant no crop this year. II the tobac-
co trust has forced the low prices to
fatten its dividends. then the trust
should be fined. as Chief Justice
oReas said. "till the Judge Lands
Continued on Eighth Page. y