The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1914-07-09

ocrats assembled to hold a convention o.
] aug. Il last year to select delegates t
] the state Democratic platform conven
ton held In Louisville on Aug Is. Tn
] chief beneficiary in this steal, which ha
no parallel in the history of Kentucky
was J. Z. w. Beckham, who, profiting b,
the theft had the effrontery to take :
J place on the committee on resolutions be
fore the convention had a chance to de
cide upon his fake claim to seat in tn,
body.
Let him not attempt to deny the
truth of this statement by villifying
its author, for it is underwritten by
the very convention he arrogantly and
foolishly claims to have controlled.
The committee ON credentials for
some inexplicable reason did not un.
seat this fraudulent delegation. and
then was witnessed in that body a
scene which has no peer or parallel in
the history of Democratic conventions
In Kentucky. a delegate from the
/ floor of the convention called I'D tho
minority report, and so general was
the knowledge of the outrageous con.
duct of Mr.. Beckham and his bench
men, as aphically described in the
Louisville Times, that the convention
by decided majority repudiated the
! report of the committee on credentials
and, in anger and disgust, was pre-
pairing to literally spew Mr. Beckham
and his crooked allies out of its mouth.
Then it was that so called followers
OF the saloon interests and Mr.. STAN
ley,' for the sake of party harmony
and In very pity for the despicable
plight in which Mr. Beckham found
himself, came to his assistance. Then
1t was that Bob Franklin, Ben Mar
shall, myself and others rushed to the
stage and earnestly pleaded with the
outraged delegates not to kick the man
down the stairs. who at this time
would assume to have been their idol
and their hero
McCreary Puts County Unit Plank In
Platform.
The very men who put the county
unit plank I'm the Democratic platform
like the real leaders of the temperance
cause in the Kentucky legislature. have
eternally branded the hypocritical lead
ership of Mr.. Beckham as an impos-
ture and a sham.
That plank was written in the nIat.
form because majority of the dele
gates felt that the candidates opip.
ions and and the party's utterance
should be in full accord. and, Governor
McCreary having insisted that il
should be included in the report of the
committee in resolution, his wishes IN
the matter were respected and obeye6
Mr.. Beckham's self lauded harangue
before that body. like the flowers tina;
bloom in the spring, had nothing to do
with the thing at ALL
MIR. Beckham's statement that | have
ever attempted to defend my position
In that convention or that it ever need |
ed defense is, in the words of Oscar
Underwood. absolutely unwarranted
by facts" and l never said anything
that would warrant anybody with a
modicum of intelligence in making
such an assertion.
L have always believed in local Oh
ton, and l have never hesitated TO
say so. Every community should have
the right to decide whether alcoholic
liquors should be vended in it or not.
and when the licensed sale has been
prohibited 1 unhesitatingly approve the
rigorous enforcement of the law
against those petty miscreants known
as boOtleggers and blind tigers.
Wilson Favors Local Option.
President Wilson has discussed this
subject with such cogency and frank
ness that l am willing to unhesitating-
y and absolutely commend and accent
Every sentence and every syllable of
nat utterance as the exact and accu-
ate expression of my views upon this
'exed question:
My Dear Mr.. Shannon - The question
lsked in your letter of April q about nv
ittitude toward the important question of
ocal option Is, or course, a perfectly
legitimate one, and you are entitled to a
cry frank answer. l would have replied
ooner had l not been prevented by i'm
'erative public engagements. 1 have ex-
named my views to you in private but | ,
AVE of course no objection to your MAX ,
ng them public.
am IN favor OF local option. | am a !
borough believer in local self government
no pelleVe tnat every self governing COM !
nunity which constitutes a social unit .
hould have the right to control the mat
er or regulation or of the Withholding of :
cense.
But the questions involved are social :
nd moral, not political and are not sus-
eptible of being made parts of a party
rogram. Whenever they have been made q
ne subject matter of party contests they =
ave cut the lines of party organization 9
nd party action athwart, to the utter Z
Onfusion Of political action in every Other
ED. They have thrown every other =
uestion, however important into the -
ackground and have made constructive
arty action impossible for long years to-
ether.
So far as l am concerned, therefore il
IN never consent to have the question of D
cai option made an issue between polit- y
al parties in this state. My Judgment 81
very clear in this matter l do not he a
ave that party programs are of the high a
u consequence to the political life of Tia. a
ate and OF the nation ought to be thrust Il
one side and hOpelessy embarrassed q
n long periods together by making DO
neal issue of a great question which is ~
sentlally nonpolitical, nonpartisan, NOR b,
ana social In Its nature. Very sincereIu | z,
,urs. WOODROW VII SON a,
Aug. u, 1872. 3
Did Not Dodge Vote on Webb Bill.
am accused of first lodging and ~
Ell running afOul of the Webb bill" a.
MI Beckham is either lacking i'm pi
MOOR or is absolutely ignorant of tb. g! 20
story of that bill. Before it was re- So
rted Mr.. Webb appeared before the tie
les committee. of which l was a or
ember, and demanded its Immediate sc
nsideration. 1t was publicly consid- VI
ed and discussed. and then stated tie