The bee., 1911-08-18
O'REAR MAKES
STATEMENT
On the Bradley Election and Res.
ignation Question.
EVIDENCE is LACKING


opening speech at Elizabethtown which
dealt with Senator Bradleys election
and with the question of his own resig
nation from the Court of Appeals while
making the race for Governor on the
Republican ticket Is as follows:
Notwithstanding our platform was
adopted more than month ago, and
that its provisions were In the main
set forth in the announcement OF my
candidacy four months ago, not one
journal or speaker of the opposition
has assailed any one of those planks
as unsound or undesirable, save the
county unit plank. True, certain gen.
tlemen aspiring to nomination on the
Democratic ticket took fling at the
proposed platform, but as they were
defeated In their own party 1t would
seem that their criticisms were not
well received.
This silence Of the Democratic press
and speakers, including nominees, is
significant. Especially is this true
when It is viewed in the light of the
treatment by that press of our ticket.
You have observed that all their de-
nunciation has been directed at me
personally. The effort is to destroy
the public's confidence in me; to make
1t appear that l am untrustworthy and
insincere- can not believe this is
because of any personal malevolent
feeling toward me; that l of all men
in the Republican party In Kentucky
who have been nominated for this
high Office am SO woefully deficient In
character and so dangerous In tenden-
cy. The true reason appears to me to
be tnat as our platform is invuInera-
BILE, is an advanced presentation of
live subjects in keeping with the pub
lie good and the popular demand, It is
necessary, In order to destroy our
chances of winning, that the ticket be
discredited. And as l made my can
vass before the Republicans upon
these identical policies, and was be-
cause Of them overwhelmingly chosen
TO head the ticket, my destruction
would best insure the defeat OF our
ticket 1t Is therefore this bitter, per
sonal, partisan attack is made upon
me. Ny position as a member Of the
Court of Appeals for the past eleven
years has given me great opportunity
for serving the State well or bad. In
that, my learning as a lawyer was not
more important than my character as
man. Yet none of these papers have
thought that was untitled to serve
you In that high and important office.
This tardy assault now indicates not
only that II is without foundation in
truth, but is insincere, and rested
alone upon a sinister purpose. Col
lateral issues must be introduced to
carry out the plan Of the opposition.
10 al l. =
them so as to distract attention from
the true Issues. Hence the interpola-
tion OF immaterial issues. do not
mean to imply that my own sincerity
and uprightness as man and as a
public official are immaterial, but that
the efforts resorted to so far to estab-
lish that fact are. OF these. the two
most harped on by the press are my
allusion to Senator Bradley's title and
my. failure to now resign my Office as
Judge, pending the campaign.
or the first, / have this much to
say; My training and habit of mind
are to presume every man innocent
OF crime until at least there is some
substantial evidence to the contrary.
That is not only the course of law,
but is the only decent way OF treat
ment OF the matter. 1t has become a
common practice in this country to ac-
cuse the highest public oficials of the
basest criminal purposes without any
evidence and without any foudation
In fact. We need not stop now to in.
quire why this is SO; It Is enough that
II is fact. Yet those of us who un-
dertake to make public and responsi-
Bile statements on the subject ought at
least be free from that national weak
ness. begin. therefore, with the pre-
sumption that this high official. repre-.
senting Kentucky In the Senate of the
United States, is as guiltless OF crime
In procuring his office as his distin-
guished colleague or any other mem
Der. This presumption should stand
until there Is contrary evidence. That
he was elected by receiving the votes
OF four Democratic members of the
kentucky Legislature, in addition to
all the Republican members, is we'll
known. There has been no suggestion
that the support of any one Of the Re
publican members was procured by
corruption. 1t is only as to the Demo
cratic votes that this accusation Is
now hinted at. have no knowledge
whatever that any of them was cor
rupted, nor have ever heard of an
iota OF evidence to sustain the intima-
ton. On the contrary, had supposed
that those members who voted for Mr..
Bradley did so in order to defeat Mr..
Beckham, and that they finally voted
for Mr.. Bradley for that purpose alone.
IL will be remembered that Mr.. Beck.
ham and Mr.. McCreary had just made
a race in the Democratic primary for
the nomination for United States SEN
ator. Beckham pitched his campaign
on the question of putting the liquor
trade out of politics in Kentucky. He
had, as Governor, advocated county
unit law, and had procured a partial
one to be passed. He had deeply Of
Tended the liquor interests in Ken
lucky by that fact, and had Incurred
their bitter enmity. They opposed
him solidly, with their money and
votes, supporting McCreary. But
Beckham was declared the nominee.
The liquor interests, true to their n !.
Icy of accepting nothing as settled