The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1910-01-05
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
To Nominate Candidates For OFF,
CeS in the Legislature.
Chairman II. R. PrCWitt Calls
The Assembly Together.
Ladies and Gentlemen


committees to call this meeting to
order and to preside until yo,
shall have elected Il Chairman.
| am glad, indeed, that the first
General Assembly to meet in this
magnificent building is so largely
Democratic and the people of the
State are to be congratulated that
such is the case.
Kentucky is Democratic State;
the majority of our people want
to have their laws made by a Dem
ocratic Legislature. With such
majority as we have in this Legis-
lature, it naturally follows that
the party must accept the respon-
sibility of all laws enacted at this
session. l feel that we should &C
cept this responsibility cheerfully
and undertake TO do what is best
for all the people of the State.
l hope you will make such APP
preparations as may be deemed
necessary to beautify the capitol
grounds, in keeping with the
splendid building.
Some questions will come before
you that are purely political and
as this is a Democratic caucus /
shall take the liberty of talking
with you about them.
One of the first questions you
will have to deal with will be the
consideration of a resolution au-
thorizing Congress to amend the
Federal Constitution so that an
income tax can be levied by the
Federal Government. l hope be-
fore this caucus adjourns that YOU
will go upon record as favoring
this amendment. The Democratic
party was the pioneer favcring
the levying of an income tax; a
Democratic Congress passed an in
come tax law, but the Supreme
Court held it unconstitutional; our
platforms have always advocated
such tax and it was a Democrat
ic platform that first called for an
amendment of the Constitution
that such tax could be legally
levied under the Constitution.
We have an opportunity now to
crystalize into law, such Demo-
cratic doctrine-a doctrine for
which we have fought and for
which wealth has made us suffer.
Shall we now deny to the country
this opportunity to tax wealth as
we'll as poverty9
Another important question that
will confront you will be the ques-
ton of re-districting the State.
The laws of the Commonwealth
contemplate re-districting of the
State once in ten years. The last
re-districting laws were declared
illegal by our highest court. 1t is
therefore necessary that the State
be redistricted as soon as practical
bic, in just and proper manner.
The Federal Government, how
ever, is now taking a census of the
State, which will be completed
some time during the summer. |
would suggest that this General
Assembly appoint a committee to
hear evidence in vacation and
gather together such facts as are
obtainable, after the completion of
the census and report to the next
General Assembly. In this way
the State can be properly re-diS-
tricted, but to undertake to do so
at this time would be merely a
matter of guess at the population
of the various counties. 1t would
be unsatisfactory and in more
ways than one would be of no
benefit to the people of the State.
| believe it is necessary to re-dis-
trict the State, but think it should
be done in such manner and at
such a time as will be just and fair
to all. | might mention another
reason and this is that Congress
will re-apportion the number of
Congressman to which Kentucky
is entitled at its next session. Ken
lucky may gain Congressman. or