The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1911-05-18


policies. Strange, then, that no Demo
cratic candidate for Governor either
now on the track or withd rawn, men
toned any cf them in his announce.
ment, or In any speech made by him.
Also. strange that that party, having
full power to do so. has not during the
last ten years. enacted them. or at
least some OF them, into statutes in
Kentucky. Also strange that in no
platform adopted by that party in this
State has any Of these planks, unless
II be that of electing United States
Senators by popular vote, been incor'
porated
On the other hand. such distin-
guished Republicans as Roosevelt,
Beveridge, Dolliver. Cummins, La Fol-
lette, Bourne and others scarcely less
known have perslstently for years
been advocating them, and the great
Republican States of, Minnesota, Iowa,
Kansas. Washington, Oregon and Cali
fornia have adopted them In the main
In their constitutions or statutes.
But II matters not SO much where
they came from. The question is:
Are they safe policies to be adopted
IN this State. and do they promise the
best guaranty OF good government for
the people? | think they do. / pro-
pose them to my party as sound Re-
publican doctrine. IL Is not intended,
OF course. to dictate to II its platform.
| am telling the public what ] stand
for. II 1t suits them they will be safe
In nominating me. II II does not suit
them they will be spared the ordeal
Of having to choose between candi
date of unknown views Oh their ticket
and a candidate Of known views, per
haps, on some other ticket. IL what
| stand for does not suit my party
they can and should deny me the
nomination while 1t is yet in their con.
troll. and place It on one more in ac-
cord with their views.
Invites Inspection Of Public Career.
In submitting my candidacy to the
Republicans of the State for the nomi-
nation for the Office of Governor, j
have chosen this place and time for as
full a public statement as seemed nee
essary to now make. Ii Is in order
that you may have before you what |
stand for and what | propose. ! real
ize. however. that in addition ones
public career, as well as private. will
be and ought to be closely scrutinized
by the voters before giving him such
a nomination.
My public career has been almost
entirely on the bench, and for about
eleven years on the Court of Appeals
of your State. The published opinions
OF that court land all of them are pub
lished) are accessible and available
tr. \ n
interpret the law in its spirit, and ac-
cording to the accepted precedents. /
can claim no personal credit for any
thing good that has been written for
the Court. whether or not | wrote 1t.
IL was necessarily the action OF the
Court. and in every instance repre-
sents the judgment OF at least a ma
jority of the body. Furthermore. opin-
ions of that court are not written for
political purposes. and are. ! am proud
to say, written without regard 10 poll.
tics.
hut II In any opinion which wrote
you find anything indicating that !
would be unsound as Governor OF the
State. you are at liberty TO charge it
to me personally. for all that ! have
there said | believed was the law of
the land. II correctly represents my
views at the time. and | do not now
recall that | have changed them.
though | always reserve the right to
learn. and do not in any sense claim
that | am free from error.
Speech at Tobacco Conference.
II can not have escaped you that l
have been subjected TO rather caustic
criticism In certain quarters because
OF my attitude on the tobacco sltua-
ton In Kentucky. Some people have
gone so far as to say. and some few
Republicans have said, that one hold.
ing such opinion as ! expressed on a
memorable occasion during the storm
lest period OF those troubles. was I'M
.lt to be Governor of the State, and
that 1t would be a calamity TO nomi-
nate or elect me.
do not intend here TO explain or
defend what was said by me on that
occasion l merely intend to state
what was said and how IL was led up
to. II my position was then unsound.
! am unsound. for | have not changed
my opinion one whit. On the contrary,
its correctness in confirmed In my
judgment.
Situation at That Time.
To recall the situation briefly 20
your recollection; As you know. Ken
lucky is an agricultural state, and
since the war has been nothing else
Ia the main. Whatever affects the
agricultural class of our population
affects the welfare OF the whole State.
All writer's on political economy agree
that the basis OF wealth of any State
is agriculture. II Is peculiarly true of
Kentucky. But In growing corn, wheat
and oats We do so in competition with
the new fertile lands. acquired at
cheap price. In the new States west
and northwest, where they raise more
to the acre. at less cost. Hence, they
set the prices of those commodities
and We must meet their prices, and
what is a profitable price 10 them is
losing one to us.
Fat meat stock depends In value on
the prices of grain. Hence, they, too,
control that market. at least, the mar
ket set for them is the gauge by
which we must sell. The result is,
grain raising and live stock in Ken
lucky are not profitable. True, they
are necessarily followed. and, in the