The bee., 1911-08-18


Democratic members who bolted Mr.
Beckham were of the same stripe as
the Cor-ier-Journal-w In fact, liv.
ing exponents of its political teach.
ings. They of all the Democrats in
the Legislature exemplifed exactly
the Courier-Journal's 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 1t was not per
Sc corrupt. Among those who bolted
Mr.. Beckham were, besides the four
that afterwards supported Mr.. Brad
ley, Mr.. William f. Klair, of Lexing
ton, and Mr.. l.. w. Arnett, of Coving-
ton. They we're 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 bolting mem
bers voted for about month for some
other Democrats than Mr. Beckham.
None of them began by voting for Mr.
Bradley. Some voted fer Mr.. Ollie
James, Mr.. Henry Watterson, j. ]. c
Mayo, Colonel John r. Allen and Sen
ator McCresry. l 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 coulL
unite to accomplish the result without
electing Republican. There seems
to be no doubt that II those supporting
Beckham had gone over to the insur-
gents led by Mr.. Klair and Senator
McNutt, any Democrat whom the lat
ter were 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 ah.
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 a consolation banquet
rendered him by his friends few days
later, Mr.. Beckham declared that all
seven Of the insurgents were equally
guilty for his defeat, and that all sew
en- had voted against him at the behest
OF the liquor interests. II 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 1t to be so. ! understand that the
Franklin Circuit Court, while the Leg
islature was still In session, charged
Its grand Jury to investigate those
charges Of corruption, and that it did
so, reporting that it could find no evi.
dence upon which to base an indict-
rent. The Judge of that court is an
official of integrity and the personal
friend and appointee of Governor
Beckham. The Commonwealth Attor-
ney Is man of great ability and In.
tegrity. felt assured they had done
their full duty. l 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
1t were Democratic. 1t did not offer
to further investigate the alleged cor.
ruption of its predecessor. That It
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. Arneti
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. I took this& to
mean his vindication by his party OF
the imputation OF corruption.
Among those voted sur by some of
the inscrgent Democrats was Senator
McCreary, then a 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
tAnO eAcn. Vi bhC lOuI luSuISCulS WuO
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
II worse crime morally for them to
bolt and vote for McCreary than to
bolt and vote for Bradley? Certainly,
according to political ethics It was O
less offense for Bradley to receive
such votes than ii 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 ever
since on this subject allows the infer
ence that he did not regard the bolt
as having been purchased or other.
wise corrupted. To sum the matter
up: The Courier:J Journal, self-consti-
tuted and recognized leader of the