The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1908-03-18
TELLING SPEECH
OF MR.. BECKHAM
At Frankfort Banquet
Thursday Night.
POINTS ARE STRONGLY STATED
Reviews Political Situation
And States the Case
Very Plainly.

At a banquet rendered him and
the loyal Democrats of the Kentucky
Legislature by the Young Mems
Democratic Club of Franklin county,
/, at Frankfort, last Thursday night,
ex-Gov. Beckham delivered one of
the most powerful and telling speeches
of his life. 1t was replete with truth
and logic. 1t touched a responsive
chord in every true Democratic heart.
1t dealt strongly, nationally, with the
foremost questions presented in recent
party politics.
He scored in scathing terms, but
truthfully, the four traitors who
bolted the regularly and honestly
nominated candidate for the U. S.
Senate and, at the behest of the IL
quor interests betrayed their trusts
and cast their votes for the Republican
nominee. In this connection he very
truthfully said:
No one of them would be
a member of this General As
sembly If it had been known
before he was elected that he
would assist In the election of
a Republican to the United
States Senate.
He thanked the loyal Democrats for
their steadfast devotion in the face
of political treachery, and said that,
though defeated, he felt happy that
he had fought a clean fight, and re-
peated that he could not feel more
proud, IL he had been elected Sena-
tor than he was then, while looking
into the sturdy faces of those whose
strength grows stronger, and whose
flint-like courage flashes more bright
ly when struck with the blow at
adversely and defeat" He said he
enjoyed a peaceful satisfaction in hay
ing fought a good fight and having
kept the faith. He spoke not as
martyr, but as one who had gone
down honorably in defeat before an
INSCRIPTIONS enemy. He called atten-
ton to the fact that the rose in the
Republican boquet of victory is pois-
= oned at the stem by the manner In
which the victory was obtained
the treachery and perfidy of profess
ed Democrats--and that although
possessed of the prize, they are in
no wise proud Of the record leading up
to its acquisition.
Mr.. Beckham gave the facts in re-
gard to temperance legislation-how
he had valiantly fought the saloon
and its allies and been sacrificed upon
the altar Of. defeat, at whose base
burned the embers of money and
/, graft He said that the most pro-
life cause of Democratic defect in
the recent State election was the fact
that Kentucky has no real Democratic
newspaper of general circulation pub
lished at the metropolis Of the State,
but that the voters had been delud-
ed by false publications and accusa-
tions-both editorial utterances and
news colored to suit-and that DEM
ecrats had been too free to believe
these statements. He paid his re-
spects to the Courier-Journal, whose
! editor he said, became mortally Of
5fended at him (Beckham) because the
latter would not agree to withdraw In
the editors favor in the race for
Governor in 1903. This, Mr.. Beckham
said, was the matter in a nutshell.
He strongly urged the Democrats OF
Kentucky to establish an organ OF
the pure faith in Louisville, in whose
columns may be found the unadulter-
ated doctrine of unterrified Democra-
cy. unbiased and unprecedented by pet
ty personal spite.
Mr.. Beckham spoke glowingly, OPP
timistically, of the future for Democ-
racy In Kentucky and the Nation. Fol-
lowing this theme, of the party and
its mission he said:
It's principles are founded
upon justice and upon the
sovereignty of the people. It's
cardinal doctrine is that "all
just powers of government are
derived from the consent of
! the governed It stands to-day
as the refuge and protector
: y of the people in the tremen-
\ Z dops struggles between them
and corporate wealth. It be-
= 81 . III d. LII