Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-07-28
TROUBLE IN KENTUCKY.

W
trust, the segregation laws against the
colored people and the bourbon doc.
trinc that might makes right, is now
seeing upon tho wall, the hand-writ-
ing that emphasizes the fact that the
same measure ye mete, the same shall
be measured to you again. Colored
folks there have seen their rights TAX
ell away and their property contiscat-
ed. 1t was the black mans loss yes
tcrday; it is the white mans dcstruc-
ton today. What else are we to con-
cludc from the following extract from
the Louisville Courior-Journal Of July
8, 1917? Under the caption, "Thc
Kaiser Scores" ii says:
Suppose the Kaiser landed his
armies OH our shores in such force
| that he could do his will. Suppose
he Quilted the warehouses and seized
all the distilled spirits in bond Sup.
pose he closed or blew up or burnt
down all the plants which produce
| those spirits, on whose operation tho
livelihood of many thousands of our
people depends. Suppose in addition,
he cNactcd OF our Government, ma
tional and local, and Of our taxpayers
an indemnity OF five billion dollars.
II he were able to do that he would
be able to do whatever else with us
that he might chose. We should no
longer be sovereign republic, but
merely province of Prussia
The Kaiser, despite the recrcancy
Of our Congress to its duty; despite
The madness with which it plays INFO
his hands, will never be able to 40
these things. But all these things our
own Senate voted on Friday 70 do
a Senate sitting for the special pur-
pose OF providing means and meas
urcS for conqucring, not aiding, the
Kaiser.
This is radical language The United
States Senate is Democratic The
House OF Representatives is Democratic.
Tho President Of tn; United States is
Il Democrat. The State Of kentucky
is democratic. The Courier-Journal is
democratic. Then this attack must
BIO dircc' cd primarily against all
things democratic and would seem to
indicate Il revolt inside OF tho Demo
cratic Party just as revolt is appar-
cnt inside of Russiani2ed Russia. It
continues.
Tho estimate OF tho devastation
that the Cummins amendment to the
Food Control Bin would work is no
cXaggeration. 1t is based on official
figures and is below rather than above
the marks The losses in property, the
losses in revenues, the increase in
taxation, would amount fully 10 five
billion dollars and this would not in
clude the loss OF employment to the
army Of people who would be thrown
out of work. Five billion dollars! If
the Kaiser could collect that tribute
OF us he would, indeed be the world
autocrat he dreamed of being when
he set out for France in the summer
OF 1914.
1t is not particularly material as
to the quality and temper of the
present United States Senate that the
Cummins amendment which was
adopted on Friday, Was rejected on
Saturday. That reversal was brought
about by the change of only five
votes and is unimportant in view l.
the fact that after nights oppor-
unity to recover their senses prac-
tically half OF the Senators who voted
on Saturday still voted for the Cum
Minis amendment.
Nor in confronting Tie astounding
Inv ~, |
place Prohibition above patriotism is
much real relief to be found in the
Robinson-Smoot amendment with
which the Senate replaced the Cum
Minis amendment. That does stop
short OF confscating the whiskey OF
the distillers without paying for it !
and OF plunging the banks into bank
ruptcy by making their securities
scraps OF paper. But it does not
avoid the tremendous depreciation of
the property and destruction Of the
business Of great industry. 1t does
not save to the public treasures the
vast revenues which the dcstructios
OF that industry nccossitates. 1t does
not keep from the shoulders of the
taxpayers the heavy additional bur-
den OF increased lcyies which must
be made on them in order to provide
the funds which taxation of this in
dustry would have provided, and
which must be provided, however op.
pressivc the cNaction may be.
And again:
1t acccntuates instead Of softening
the startling anomaly OF our highest
Legislative body, assembled to furnish
the Executive the cooperation abso-
mtcly essential to our winning the
war in which we have become in
volved, seizing the opportunity Of this
momcntous crisis in our national life
to force through certain factional do.
nestle Legislation as the price Of en-
acting legislation which must be en-
acted il we are to continue to hold
our place among the nations OF the