The interior journal., 1914-03-17

the man who makes them. No con
liberation for the truth, no regard FOL
the intelligence Of his hearers, detei
him from the most unwarranted state
ments. in his efforts TO win votes.
There is no style of oratory easier
to acquire, or temporarily more popu
lar with the unthinking, than that OF
abuse and vituperation. From an or
dinary book Of synonyms an abundant
vocabulary Of defamatory epithets
may be easily momorized, and
when accompanied with boisterOus
dcclamations and vehement gestic-
ulations, is sometimes mistaken
by the unwary for real oratOry.
An orator Of that kind Is ever
willing to sacrifice facts TO secure APP
plause. believing that a well-started
falsehood is not often overtaken by
the truth. and really not caring very
much IL II should be. for. by the time
It is overtaken his fertile imagina-
tion has been able 10 invent a new
one and start it upon its wicked ca
reer. The gauge by which he usu-
ally measures the success of one of
his speeches is in the amount of per
spiraiiun he has been able 20 exude
during its delivery. The man who
so assails me in this campaign has
achieved an unenviable and even a
national notoriety as an actor in that
branch Of the art: and it is not sur
prising. therefore. that he should be
chosen as the mouthpiece Of the liq-
uor interests in this fight against me.
A filter instrument for that character
of work could not easily have been
found.
| have no fear of any attacks upon
my record as a public servant. | am
not vain enough to claim that II has
been free from mistakes; but the
searchlight of strictest scrutiny has
been turned upon it in mauy cam
paigns. and | believe ] may say,
without boasting. that it has stood
the test. In the nearly eight years
of my service as Governor. | had
many difficult conditions and trying
problems to deal with: but | am per-
fectly willing to stand upon COM
parison of that administration of the
affairs of the state with the admins
trations of my successors in office.
When | went into office as Cover
nor there was debt upon the state
of about s1.7OO,OO0. When I went
out of Office all of that debt had been
paid, the financial credit of the state
was at the highest point it has ever
been, before or since that time; and
there was more than S1,O00,000 in the
state treasury. All obligations of the
state were promptly paid when pre-
sented, no interest bearing warrants
had to be issued. no increased tax
rate was put upon the people, and
during that time the aInua! revc-
nues of the state were not as large
as they have been during succeeding
administrations.
BY hard work and by patient at
tention to the duties of the office,
| kept in close touch with the treas
ury conditions, and at each session
of the General Assembly 7 was nre-
pared to inform the legislators about
those conditions and keep them from
appropriating any more money than
the revenues of the state could af
ford. Legislators are not always to
be blamed for appropriating more
money than can be afforded. When
a hundred and thirty y-eight members
go to the capital once in two years
for only sixty days, from all parts of
it is not to be expected that they
should learn accurately, in so short
a time, the exact conditions of the
revenue affairs of the state. But II
is the especial duty of the Governor
to advise them about such matters;
to show them how far they can go
in spending the states money; and
he should never permit appropria-
tions to be made without means or
provision for their payment No fear
of offending influential people, or of
injuring his chances for further poll
tical honors, should cause him to hesi-
tate in courageously discharging this
duty, and in saving the state from
embarrassment. In this way, during
my administration, we protected the
state from deficits and debts.
And yet we we're able to accom-
plish much in the line of progress
and improvement. The new Capitol
was built and made ready to be fur
nished. The two normal schools were
established and the term of the pub
lie schools was extended from five to
six months. and at no other period
in the states history was so much |
ever done for the cause of education. |
All of the state institutions were en-
larged and improved, and new insti- |
tutions were established. These |
things and others were done, not only |
without increasing the tax rate or |
borrowing money. but while we were |
actually paying off the debt inherited |
from preceding admi listrations. Wise |
and beneficial legislation was enact
ed during that period, in the interest
Of the farmers, the laboring men, and
all legitimate classes of our people; |
and for the commercial and indus |
trial Development of the state. When |
the Republican administration came |
into control in 1908, and had COM
plete access TO all the records and |
books for four years, they were un-
able, after diligent search, to find |
anything in all those eight years of |
my administration upon which to
base Just criticism.
But | shall not dwell longer upon |
these matters. For the part I may
have had in all of those achieve
ments, or for any credit | might de-
serve, leave TO the fair and impair
tial judgment of the people of Ken
lucky.
As 10 my position upon national is
sues, I believe that, too, Is well
known In this state. Since 1896.
hava foIlomad tho Iaadprshin Of Mr.