The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1915-04-14
DEFERRED MATTER.


In answer to questions as to what
effect the injection of Statewide pro-
addition will have upon the Dem
ocratic party in Kentucky, 1 will be
quite frank. as l believe that it Is al
ways best to deal openly and fairly,
and to meet issues as they are pre-
presented with courage.
L look with both regret and alarm
at the effort to inject the question of
State wide prohibition into the GU
bernatorial race, because it inevitably
means bitter warfare within the ranks
Of Democracy and menaces the success
of the party in the November election.
HARD FIGHT AHEAD.
Under the most favorable condi-
lions and with the strongest ticket
that can be named, 1 think that the
Democratic party will have a hard
fight to win in the November elec-
tion. believe that all thinking Dem
-ocratS realize that the election this
fall will not be walkover, then why
handicap the party with an issue
which cannot add any strength to the
ticket and is certain to be an element
of weakness? 1t looks like it was be.
ing forced upon the voters rather to
secure the nomination Of candidate
than to secure a victory over the Re-
publicanS. The success of Democracy
has always meant more to me than
the aspirations of any candidate and,
therefore, hate to see the party men,
aced by either selfish ambition or mis-
taken judgment.
We are already Threatened with
weak ticket mot in the character or
the fitness of the men who may com.
pose it, but it is the fact that it may
be made up largely of the office hold
ing class, those who want to rotate
from one Office to another. This is no
small danger. A number of the Dem
~ocratic newspapers have already sound
ed note of warning against this, and
many Democrats will become luke
warm in the election if it is accom-
iplished, and we will lose the bulk of
the independent vote if such ticket
is named. If on the top of this, State
wide prohibition is added it would ap-
peal like the enemies to party success
were ia control and that they have
mistaken the temper of the people.
DANGER TO DEMOCRATS.
Such policy will not only throw all
che "wet" votes against the Dem
ocratic ticket, but threatening de-
Stfuction to the wholesalers, Stillers
and brewers) it will throw the entire
tiQuor interest in desperate determi-
nation to save their business against
the Democratic ticket.
Il am just as firmly convinced that
the injection of State wide prohibit
ton will imperil, if not defeat, the
Democratic ticket as l was in 1911
shat the adoption of the County Unit
would elect it. The reason upon
which this opinion is based is that all
dry Democrats we're in favor of the
County Unit and that not many over
half of the dry Democrats are in favor
of Statewide prohibition. Thousands
of wet Democrats voted the
the Democratic ticket be-
cause they had to admit both the con-
.stitutionality and the justice of the
County Unit, but these wet voters are
SO violently opposed to State wide pro-
hibition that they will vote against
the party almost to man, and the
election of Democratic House of Rep
reSentativeS will be menaced as we'll
AS the State ticket.
1t is absurd to suppose that any
number of Republicans would vote the
Democratic ticket on State. wide is
sue, for Republicans will vote their
party ticket when they have any
chance to win. They have always
done so in the past, and they will do
so in November. To emphasize this
statement, l have but to call atten-
ton to the fact that Republican
members of the Legislature, elected
because of their advocacy of the
Cunty Unit, voted against it to elect a
Republican United States Senator. j
am rather of the opinion that some.
time there will be vote in Kentucky
to amend the constitution granting
the right to prohibit the manufacture
and sale of liquor. 1t has been the
history of other States but there is
neither sense nor reason in injecting
this question into the Governors race
for the Governor has absolutely moth