The Paducah evening sun., 1910-01-21

those who felt the IOrce OF MS
adverse rulings. The Paducah
senator has shown his effective
ness as a leader on the floor of
the upper chamber and perfect
ly capable of taking care of
himself in debate, on several
occasions during this session.
We might go further than that
without transcending the bounds
of conservative estimate. and say
that Senator Eaton possesses cour-
age above the ordinary. courage
that in some instances amounts al
most to audacious defiance of tradi-
ton; and yet, so far he has come out
of every scrimmage victorious.
Only two questions have been pre-
sented before the senate in such a
form as to constitute an issue, and
on both these issues Senator Eaton
has assumed a commanding and con-
spicuous position and won his fight
The first was his leadership of the
| insurgents forces against the report
of the rules committee. He defeated
the report, which was in accordance
with the plans of the Democratic
organization and forced a revision.
incidentally Senator Eaton intro
duced a resolution. which required
moral courage of an unusual degree
IA resolution to meet the demand
of the state fiscal officers for a bond
issue TO pay for the state capitol.
He recited the fact that county and
state assessments of property are too
low, and suggested that the way to
raise more revenue is to secure a
fair assessment for taxation, which
could mean nothing less than urge
a raise in the tax assessment OF rea
estate in the counties. The sugges
ton was pleasing to the majority
party in the legislature. whicl
found itself in a corner on the prop
osition; but down deep in theil
hearts, other members who were
thinking of the same thing. and, per
haps, slyly suggested the idea {,
Senator Eaton, must have admired
the superlative nerve he displayed il
talking into all the newspapers o
Kentucky about raising taxes.
The next issue was that of tn,
county unit local option bill On tn,
issue Senator Eaton was watche,
narrowly, because he had never ac
knowledged allegiance to either side
and declared he was going to Frank
fort untrammeled by pledges. Som,
men in the senate made themselye
unnecessarily obscure in regard t
the county unit question. but not 81
Senator Eaton. There is no likeli
hood of the issue ever coming to
direct vote, and the records were al
made in the fight over reference o
the bill to senate committee.
Here again we see the plum,
(nay, not the white plumelD of Sen
ator w. V. Eaton waving in tn
forefront of the melee, and whel
through a trick of the Lieutenan
Governor Cox, who left the state II
order that Senator Linn might b,
forced to leave the senate for tn,
governors chair, and thus cut dowI
the anti-cOunty unit vote by one
Senator Eaton was called upon tC
preside. In the chair, as the Time,
remarks, he displayed eminen
ability.
But it was on the floor, where h,
shone resplendent. He twitted tn,
county unit forces with delayin,
legislation; he argued points of par
liamentary practice with them; anC
when the show down came he wa
on hand with a point of order ant
vote with the anti-county unit forces
There are men in the senate now
whose sentiments regarding tn
county unit bill may never b.
known, but it was no part of Senate
w. V. Eaton's makeup to hide hi
light under a bushel. He was alignel
against the county unit men fron
the start even to voting. agains
, making Beckham's paper, the Ken
= lucky State Journal, one of the Off
cial papers. because it supports tn
r county unit bill.
The Times does not go far enough
his quickness of perception does nc
! in any particular over match hi
= courage in expressing his opinions