The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1905-1910, 1910-02-22
tON, HARVEY HELM,
THE EDITORS FRANKFORT LET
TER.

played BALI with the County Unit
bill since last report. While the friends
of the bill really accomplished little,
they had the opposition on the anxious
seat at several stages Of the game
Had it not been that two Senators-B.
M. Arnett, of Jessamine county, and
4. M. Salmon, Of Hopkins county con-
veniently left the chamber at crucial
point, and did not vote. the County Unit
bill would have been rescued from its
burying ground in the Religion and Nor
ais committee and been ready for a
vote on its passage Gov. Cox ruled,
upon the insistence of Senator Thomas,
of Bourbon, that when committee
had delayed action on bill for an un-
reasonable length of time. that any
member was given the right by the con-
stitution, to call the bill out of Com
mittee. Cox said that the committee
had delayed too long on the County
Unit bill, so ordered it out. Senator
Combs, of Lexington, appealed from
his ruling and by vote of Is to l6 tie
the Senate refused to sustain Cox, and
the opportunity was lost. Had Arnett
and Salmon remained in the chamber
and voted to sustain the chair, as they
said afterward they would have done,
the tie vote would have sustained it,
and the County Unit bill would proba-
bly, have been passed in the Senate by
now. Its friends are much more en-
couraged since they have found loop
hole. however, and say that before the
session is ended they will be able to get
it out.
JACK CBINN EXPLAINS 1T.
While the Senators were buffeting
about the badly battered bill, its friends
were trying to get it up as special or
der for vote in the House, but again
their effort was futile, through failure
to poll a two-thirds majority vote. Col
Jack Chinn, of Mercer. told a few
truths about the matter on this attempt,
declaring that the friends of the County
Unit bill had only their own leaders to
blame for its condition now. He re-
called how Collins and Young, the erst-
while anti-saloon leaders at Louisville,
had sent out kilograms just before the
1907 State election, advising the minis
tiers of the State to instruct their con-
gregations to vote the republican ticket
or stay at home, since the democrats
had sold out to the liquor interests. He
pointed out how this advice had been
accepted, and the republican State tick
ct and many prohibition republican rep
resentatives elected, who Immediately
came to Frankfort and voted for W. o.
Bradley, an attorney for the whisky in
terests, for United States Senator and
elected him. He said that this betrayal
by the Anti-Sal League leaders had
cost the election of j. c. S. Beckham,
a democrat, who would have been elect
ed Senator but for that, and have stood
at Washington for six years, voting for
every temperance measure that arose.
He said that to cap the climax, the an
ti-saoon leaders "Ared" Rev. M. B.
Adams as president of their league be-
cause he had denounced this betrayal.
Col Chinn was out for scalps with
blood in his eye" and he made the
temperance leaders admit that there
was much merit in what he had said
and many concede that the democrats
have strong reason for refusing to sup
port anything that the anti saloon league
leaders are now asking. This double
dealing of the anti saloon league lead
ers IS exactly what is the trouble now
in the Legislature, Rev. NJ. b. Adams
admitted to the l j. man, when Col.
Chinn had concluded his remarks.
ANOTHER MESSAGE FROM WILSON.
Governor Wilson sent in another
message to the Legislature Friday. in
which he urged the usual Of a half
million dollars in bonds and interest
bearing warrants to pay off the States
Indebtedness. The Governor thinks that
this double-barrel action is needed to
put the States credit on a firm foot
ing again. He would have the bond is
sue applied to payment of the sums due
State institutions, while the interest
bearing warrants can be used for liqui-
dating other debts that the bond issue
won't cover. Governor Wilson rs
nice old fellow; no doubt of it, but in
the OPT MON Of most of the members of
the General Assembly. and most of the
members of his own republican admin
istrstion. too. what he don't know about
practical statecraft would fill several
volumes. The Governor means well,
very well; but the practical men of the
administration generally won't accept
the gubernatorial dictum at the same
value as they do the personal equation
of the good old soul Gov. Wilson is
much worried over the financial straits