Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-04-14

shame II permits IL. / do not care WHctn-
ef II IL Alabama. Maine or Michigan, II
find oppression and wrong anywhere i
viii expose H. Crime and oppression have
neither color nor locality so far as I am
concerned
The steel corporation admitted that
these convicts were employed, just as
stated, on the floor Of the house, and
worse than all that, the reason given
by the steel corporation was that the
free miners were members Of the Unit
ed Mine Workers Of America, that, I'M
able TO import strike breakers from the
north. they utilized the scab convicts
from the prisons. of Birmingham.
felt that this condition deserved ex-
posture and condemnation, and | ex-
posed II and condemned IL.
Kentucky has seldom produced a
more accomplished. a more admirable
and a more sensltively honorable gen
tleman than Robert Wlckllffe Wool
ley. the present auditor Of the treasury
of the United States.
At my request Mr.. Woolley went to
Birmingham and made personal in
vestigation of the conditions existing
there.
am just in receipt Of a letter which
speaks for itself:
Robert Wiekliffe WooIley's Letter.
Treasury Department,
Washington, March %. 1914
Hon. A. o. Stanley, House Of Representa-
tives:
Dear Mr. Stanley-Far be II from me to
become involved in the contest which you
and my esteemed relative and friend,
Governor Beckham, are waging for the
Democratic senatorial nomination in Ken
lucky. but in Justice to you 1 feel that 1t
is necessary to clear up one or two points
concerning which Mr.. Beckham has either
been misinformed or is laboring under an
erroneous impression.
A few days ago 1 read in the Lexington
Herald report Of his Elizabethtowu
speech in which he quoted the Hon. Oscar
Underwood to the effect that you had
made a statement unwarranted by the
facts l recall the colloquy between you
and the latter very well. Underwood was
denying that the Steel corporation en-
ployed convict labor in its mines. You
gave as your authority a Mr. Harrison,
an expert investigator in the employ OF
the Survey, who had testified before your
committee concerning this very employ
ment of convicts i'm the coal mines of the
Tennessee Coal and Iron company and the
iniquitous manner in which the unfortu-
mates were treated. What you should
have done was to quote John G. Oakley,
president Of the Alabama state board Of
convicts, who testified before your COM
mittee on Feb. -, 1912 that not only was
the Tennessee Coal and Iron company
employing at that very time county con-
victs in their mines, but that the president
q 4. -
ford, had made strenuous efforts to re-
new in November, 1911, the contract with
the state of Alabama for state convicts
then about to expire.
OF course Mr.. Underwood, for whom you
and l both have the highest regard and
esteem as a friend, was not fully inform
ed when he undertook to challenge your
statement ON the floor of the house.
Acting under general directions from
you investigated fully the Steel corpo-
ration's operations at Birmingham and
then went to Montgomery and inspected
the contracts between the Tennessee Coal
and Iron company and the state Of Ala
bama.
Mr.. Beckham seemed bent upon making
light OF the Importance of the investiga-
ton of the Steel corporation. l hardly
think he would do so were he to talk to
Mr. Louis d. Brandeis. who stated to me
not more than a month ago that I'm ex-
posing the relations between the indus
trial and the common carrier and the in
EQUITIES of the interlocking directorate the
work of your committee had been of in
estimable value; that as an eX-Kentuck-
ian he was proud of the fact that a Ken
tuckian had directed such an inquiry.
Furthermore, Judge ]. NJ. Dickinson ex-
secretary of war and at present special
assistant attorney general OF the United
States in charge Of the governments suit
to dissolve the Steel corporation under
the Sherman antitrust law, has told me
several times that but for this investiga-
ton that great suit would never have
been brought. On one occasion he asked
me to say to you that he would be very
glad to state over his signature just how
greatly he esteemed your work.
Recently l have read Professor Charles
r. Van Hises much talked Of work Con
centration and Control" 1t is only nee
essary to note how often he refers to the
testimony given before your committee to
realize how much of his information he
secured from the hearings and report. OF
course Governor Beckham would not have
made such statements had he been cor
rectly informed.
You may make such use of this letter as
may seem best to you. With kindest re-
CARDS l am cordially.
r. w. wooLLEY.
5eekham and Stanley at Platform Con-
Vention.
Mr.. Beckham draws a parallel be
tween his conduct and my own at the
last so called platform convention.
do not shrink from the comparison. |
did not attend the convention at my
home. nor did directly or indirectly
attempt to influence the vote of any
man who did attend it.
When the question was raised in the
county convention as to the prOpriety
of instructng the delegates on the 50
called county unit plank, the vets, led
by an excellent gentleman, my most
relentless political adversary, carried
the day for the vets, and the delegates
were bound hand and foot by ironclad
instructions to vote against the county
unit plank. This gentleman is now an
aYowed and tireless advocate for Mr..
Beckham's cause.
/ attended the session of that convan-