The interior journal., 1914-03-17
Gov Beckham Opens His Campaign at Elizabethtowl

and had passed almost unanimously.
His miserable charges against me,
therefore, about them, are even a
greater injustice and insult to almost
the entire membership of those two
sessions of the General Assembly. His
attempt to make en issue of this Is a
reflection, too, upon the intelligence OF
the Democratic voters of Kentucky.
He seems to be ignorant OF the fact
that such demagogic methods OF cam
paigning are now discredited and OBJ
solete, because Of the more general
dissemination of education and knowl-
edge among the people. In land
where schools are scarce and books
and newspapers are rarely. II ever,
seen, he might be accounted leader
TO be trusted, but not In this age and
not In Kentucky can he hope to I'M
pose upon the intelligence and reason
Of the people by such dishonest meth
DDS. lie is the only man who has ever
said and he does not believe it-that
in all the years of my public service,
as legislator and as Governor. show
ed any undue partially to the rail-
roads or to any other corporate in
terests. An impartial inspection OF
my record on that subject Is a COM
plete refutation Of his charges.
When ! became Governor upon the
death of Gov. Goebel, In February,
1900, | determined that | would, as far
as | was able, see that every promise
made by him to the people should be
fulfilled, not alone out of sentiment
over his tragic death, but because ]
had fought with him for those prin-
ciples upon which he made his cam.
paign, and I believe in them. IL any
one will take the trouble to loon at
the Democratic platform of 1899. upon
which he made his race for Governor.
he will see that every promise in II
that could be fulfilled was fulfilled
and enacted into law while was Gov
ernor. Thel eadng issue of that cam
paign was the railroad rate measure,
known as the McChord bill, which had
passed the General Assembly of 1898
when ] was Speaker of .he House, but
had been vetoed by Governor Bradley.
II proposed TO give to the State Rail
road Commission power to regulate
rates. and prevent extortion and dis
termination upon the part of the rail
roads.
After the death of Governor Goebel.
notwithstanding all the chaos, excite
ment. and danger of that period,
used every power that could properly
use as Governor to have that General
Assembly pass it. The bill, as drafted
by Governor Goebel and MIR. McChord,
was passed and promptly signed by
me. II was contested by the railroads
in the Courts: and after comforting
with Mr. McChord. the Chairman of
the Board, and with the Attorney Gen
eral. | employed able lawyers to rep
resent the State in the defense of the
law. all the way to the Supreme Court
of the United States. ! never failed q!
any time to use every power | could
10 have the law established and en-
forced That law, which could not
have passed at that time without my
active assistance. has formed the
ground work of what power is in the
hands of the Railroad Commission, to
remedy any wrongs against the peo-
| pie and the shippers in intrastate
transportation.
Let us now look at the taxation of
railroad properties while | was Gov
ernor, and let us take the case of the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
! Company, the largest system in the
State, and the one to which Stanley
charges | was so partial.
The year before became Governor,
in 1899, that company was paying
taxes, all told, to the State, counties.
cities, and other taxing districts, the
| sum of 1869 ,30S.74. In 1907, the yeaI
went out of office. the same com.
pany paid for the same purposes. the
sum of s496.6l426, nearly twice as
much as II paid in 1899 Correspond.
ing increases were made upon the
other railroads and public service cor
porations doing business in the State
When | came into office. those cor
Dorations were not paying any fran
chise taxes at all to the counties
cities and taxing districts. But | EN-
p'oyed counsel. with the approval OF
the Attorney General, to carry the
case to the Supreme Court, and tina
court upheld our contentious that they
should pay franchise taxes upon that
basis
BY reason of that decision, every
county. city, and school district in the
State. into which railroad runs. re
ceives annually its proportion of the
franchise tax.
Numerous other instances during
the nearly eight years of my service
as Governor, could be shown, If neces
sary, to prove the utter falsity of Stan
ley's charges; but as he does not be
lieve them himself, IL is not likely
that. even with all of his perfervid and
frenzied oratory, he can make Others
believe them.
While did all that was in my power
to hold the railroads to strict ac
countability TO the laws and to fair
dealing with the people, did not seeI
to oppress or hamper them. ! be
lieved in giving them every reason
able encouragement possible, to in
duce them to improve their service
and to build new lines. did not play
the demagogue about them and try L
win popular favor by denouncing ol
prosecuting them. When | firsl be
came Governor. there were twenty-siS
counties in Kentucky that did not
have a mile of railroad in them; now
there are nineteen counties in that
condition, and Kentucky is far behind
most of the other States In not havinl
sufficient railroad mileage TO develop
its resources. On the general subject
I