The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-03-25
GOV. BECKHAM
ON LOBBY rule
Former Governor Condemns
Leaders of His Party.
Declares Third House to Blame
For Failure Of Legislature to
Accomplish Any More.

Frankfort, KY, March 20.-"The
three houses of the late legislature"
Is the subject of an editorial by forme
Governor Beckham in which he rakes
the members of the Third House"
especially, fore and aft. This editori-
al Is probably a forerunner of more
bitter denunciations of the Senate
rules. and an open warfare on their
makers.
Former Governor Beckham has been
on a fishing trip in Florida, and
came home on the date the Legis-
lature adjourned. He is we'll acquaint-
de, however, with the proceedings OF
the General Assembly, and appears
ready to begin fight on the pro-
cedure in the recent Legislature. His
editorial follows:
THE General Assembly which ad-
journed last Tuesday did no good for
the State and left a record OF which
no citizen can be proud. 1t may be
trrwthfully said that the State would
be better off if the session had never
been held.
ut did nothing to improve the laws,
to develope the industries, OF no ad-
vance the moral and educational well
fare of the people Of the State.
1.-The House was better tnan the
Senate, and it showed a desire TO ac-
complish better things, but the Sen
ate with its infamous rules and the
small oligarchy controlling it's work,
blocked the progress Of any wise and
useful action.
There were many excellent men in
both houses, who made heroic, but
Intellectual, efforts to bring about
better results, but they were in
conspicuous minority ard could not
overcome the baneful influence that
controlled the situation.
The Third House." or the lobby,
was supreme, and its serpent trail
was seen everywhere. Never before in
a session of the General Assembly
was the lobby holder, more arrogant
or more powerful. Its hold upon the
Senate seemed to be complete.
"The liquor lobby, bent upon the
defeat Of the County Unit bill, or
any other temperance measure, had
absolute sway and was powerful en-
ough to prevent such a measure from
ever reaching a vote in the Senate.
Members who had in writing
or orally pledged themselves to
their people, to vote for the bill,were
induced to violate their plighted faith
and to prevent such a measure from
ever reaching a vote in the Senate.
THAT lobby the first day of the
session until it's close, and the rami-
fications of It's power and malign in
fluence could be seen everywhere.
"A game of football was played
with the Income Tax amendment, and
its treatment gives rise TO the
gravest suspicious Easily four-fif-hs
of the people of Kenrucky favor 1t.
"The emccratic party In its con-
vemtions has time and again indors-
ed 1t, and Republican President and
Congress favored it.
Evidently some insidlous power
was on hand to kill 1t through tech
nlcal errors, FOR it was impossible
to do so upon a straight vote. We
hope, however, that its enemies will
find that they overplayed their game
and that it really passed in proper
form.
The State Journal from the very
beginning of the session warned the
General Assembly and the people
about the danger.
"And so we might go on In many
instances to show the evil inspira-
tions which controlled-but enough
for the present.
"The General Assembly made bad
start so far as the Senate was con-
cerned. The rules whcih 1t adopted
and the manner in which they were
adopted, showed to careful observers
the purpose back 70 1t all.
"The State Juornal promptly called
attention to 1t. The Courier-Journars
representative, Col John Whallen;
their candidates for Governor, Con-
gnsssman Ben johnson. and Chairman
Prewitt, to say nothing 70 the les