The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1911-09-01

party. I did not suspect II was cor
rupted by having been bribed. Those
Democratic members who bolted Mr..
Beckham we're of the same stripe as
the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, in fact, liv-
ing opponents of It's political teach
ings. They Of all the Democrats in
the Legislature exemplifed exactly
the CONFECTIONERY political attitude,
which was to defeat Beckham, and
thereby further the liquor trades in
terests. That may have been bad poll
tics. or bad taste, but IL was not per
Sc corrupt. Among those who bolted
Mr.. Beckham we're. besides the four
that afterwards supported Mr.. Brad
ley, Mr. William +. Klair. Of Lexing
ton, and Mr.. l.. w. Arnett, of Coving'
ton. They were both elected on the
same ticket that had been nominated
with Mr.. Beckham, and we're elected
as Democrats. They supported Mr.
Beckham for awhile, but finally bolt
ed like the others. and continued
thereafter to vote against him, as did
the others. All of these boiling mem
bers voted for about a month for some
other Democrats than Mr.. Beckham.
None OF them began by voting for Mr..
Bradley. Some voted for Mr.. Ollie
James, Mr.. Henry Watterson, j. ]. G.
Mayo Colonel John X. Allen and Sen
ator McCreary. inferred from the
course of these gentlemen, shifting
their votes from one to another, that
their real purpose was to defeat Beck
ham, and that they we're casting about
for some one upon whom enough could
I Itch, MI
electing a Republican. There seems
to be no doubt that If those supporting
Beckham had gone over to the insur-
gents led by Mr.. Klair and Senator
McNutt, any Democrat whom the lat
ter we're supporting could have been
elected. After some weeks OF futile
balloting, Mr.. Bradley says he notified
the insurgents that unless they voted
for him the next day he would resign
his caucus nomination, thereby abb
solving the Republican members from
further supporting him, in which
event he predicted enough Republicans
would vote for Mr.. Beckham to elect
him, in spite of the insurgent Demo
Gratis. Under this threat four of the
seven insurgents voted for Mr.. Brad
ley the next day, and he was thereby
/ elected. Two of the other insurgents,
Klair and Arnett, continued to vote
against Mr.. Beckham, but did not vote
for Mr.. Bradley. In speech delivered
at Frankfort at q consolation banquet
| rendered him by his friends a few days
later. Mr.. Beckham declared that all
seven of the insurgents we're equally
guilty for his defeat, and that all sew
en- had voted against him at the behest
of the liquor interests. It is true he
intimated that some of them (perhaps
all of them) had been corrupted to
do so, but did not state any fact show
ing II to be so. understand that the
Franklin Circuit Court. while the Leg
islature was still In session, charged
It's grand jury to investigate those
charges Of corruption, and that 1t did
] so, reporting that 1t could find no evil
dence upon which to base an indict-
ment. The Judge of that court Is an
official of integrity and the personal
friend and appointee of Governor
Beckham. The Commemorative Attor-
ney is man of great ability and in
tegrity. I felt assured they had done
their full duty. / assumed the investi-
cation was energetic and earnest. |
have never heard anything to the con-
trary. Two years later another Legis-
lature was elected. Both branches of
II were Democratic. 1t did not offer
to further investigate the alleged cor
ruption of its predecessor. That II
had the power to do so is not doubted.
The party press, after the first burst
of disappointment following Governor
Beckham's defeat. was silent on the
subject. Later the Democrats of Gov.
ington nominated Mr.. l.. w. Arnett
for State Senator and elected him
That was equivalent. take 1t, to his
vindication by his party. This sum.
mer the Democrats of the Second
Railroad Commissioners District have
nominated Mr.. w. F. Klair for Rail
road Commissioner ON the same ticket
with Mr.. McCreary. took this to
mean his vindication by his party OF
the imputation of corruption.
Among those voted for by some OF
the insurgent Democrats was Senator
McCreary, then Democratic United
States Senator at Washington. Mr.
McCreary, though called upon by
party friends and some of the party
press to repudiate such votes Gas Mr.
Ollie James did, failed to do so. there
by leaving the inference that he was
willing to receive them, and others
like them. or the four insurgents who
finally voted for Bradley. three Of them
were the first to vote for Senator Nc
Creary when they began balloting-
McNutt. Charlton and Lillard. Were
the men who voted for Mr.. McCreary
corrupted to do so? have not thought
so. On the contrary, my deduction has
been that they we're animated by the
sole purpose to defeat Beckham. Was
1t a worse crime morally for them tC
bolt and vote for McCreary than t.
bolt and vote for Bradley? Certainly
according to political ethics 1t was {
less offense for Bradley to receive
such votes than 1t was for Mr.. Nc
Creary to have received them. AS the
latter did not feel called upon to re
pudiate them, the former was not
Mr.. McCreary's silence then and eve
since on this subject allows the infer
ence that he did not regard the Dol
as having been purchased or other
wise corrupted. To sum the matte
up: The Courier-Journal. self-constl
tuted and recognized leader Of thu
Democratic party In Kentucky. openl,
. advocated the bolt against Beckham