The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1917-01-05


citadel, and the Democratic party must
be the champion of the homes of this
country against4athe things that attack
them" 81
Speech of Senator Beckham
Senator Beckham said in part:
''The most embarrassing experience L
encounter when l am out of this Stare,
especially at your national capital, is when
occasionally meet citizens of other States
and in some instances of other countries,
who have not been to Kentucky. and their
first comment when told that l am from
Kentucky is with SMILE The State where
they make whisky They undertake to be
me. 1 resent the idea that this great COM
monwealth of ours with the Eoblest and
most chivalrOus manhood and with the
| l0veliest and sweetest wOmanhOod on earth
should be advertised abroad alone for its
! production of those things that destroy
the citizenship of any country. tell them
| as politely as l can under such circum-
stances that that remark will not go in
Il few years. that the time is rapidly APP
preaching in Kentucky when we will not
make whisky and l hope it will only be
a very few years and | am willing to de,
possess to bring about speedily as pos
sible the time when there is not saloon
nor distillery nor brewery anywhere
/ III this fair commonwealth.
Believes Amendment Certain.
Il do not say that in any spirit of I'M
kindness or hostility toward those who
are engaged in that business. This is not
a personal contest. We should not imi-
tate the methods Of those who fight us
by using defamation of character. by i'll
dulging In SANDER or libel or anything
OF that kind. Our cause is so just that
we do not need to indulge in personalities
to insure its success in this great fight
hope to see those engaged in that bust
ness succeed in life and they should take
warning today, my friends. and they
c hon IL hot lr hn-
lieve that there is no political event of
the future more certain than that the next
Legislature of Kentucky will submit to
the people of this State a constitutional
amendment upon Statewide prohibition
and that in 1919 the earliest day upon
which we can get vote. an overwhelming
majority of our people will adopt it.
THE whiskey men will begin to use every
sophistry, every fallacy. every false argu-
ment and misrepresentation possible to
mislead the people of Kentucky But the
time has passed when any man or even
paper can say word of defense in favor
of the defenseeSs saloon.
"The only argument upon which they
have any hope left is the economic idea,
the idea that they would inculcate into the
minds of the people of Kentucky, that this
is great industry in our State, that it
bears large part of the burden of taxa
ton in our counties, cities and States.
But, my friends. it takes only a little
common sense to meet such a fallacy as
. that. The liquor business does not pay
any TAXES ut all. w HISkN anu peer 10 Ilot
pay any taxes. Such taxes as are collect
; ed on them come from the consumers of
those products and those products them
selves pay no taxes.
Il believe as firmly as l believe anything,
> after years of experience and of ObServa
ton and with considerable experience in
the matter of your State finances, that
: the best thing that can happen 70 yOul
State from a revenue standpoint w5uid
, be the complete elimination OF the liquor
business from this State. believe that
; nothing can happen in this state that
+ industries and to the commercial develop
ment of the State than the suppression OF
: that traffic, not merely to close the sa
looms. but to prohibit the manufacture
There is no reason to legislate against The
saloon unless YOU legislate also agains
t those concerns which furnish the products
! that are sold in the saloons.
' His Interest in the Question.
: ''This is a great fight. l have been in
j. tereSted in n number of issues in thi:
: State and in this country since | frs
came to manhood and took an interest and
part in the political affairs of the STATE
= and the country. but l say to you, my
T. friends. there has never been any question
in which l am more interested or in which
4 | can see more of far-reachng. meal
q culahle benefit to the people of this State
! than do in prohibition and the elimina
I tion of the liquor traffic. not only from
Kentucky. but from this entire nation.
@ rejoice in it more than l have ever re
j
u to see the growth of that sentimen
, throughout the country. You see it il
u this state. You can go to your nationa
l. capital and see it there. and you will b,
r as surprised as l have been to tn,
i strength of that sentiment in Washington
u 1T would not be surprising to me if thu
u present Congress should favorably act OF
that amendment and submit it to the State
! for ratification.
I so the cause is growing. 1t is gettins
!. stronger and stronger every day, and
A t.r
7 | am not going to criticise the sincerit!
of their purpose. l do not believe in try
ing to hold a monopoly on any good thing
I want to see the Democratic party il
, Kentucky take charge of this movement
l | want 1t to throw off entirely the yok
!, of liquor domination in this State, and
want it to be the instrument through
. which this great reform is to be accom-
= plished, but | hope that our Republican
7 friends will be dry, too. l hope they vii
y make that party dry.
l. why, the last plea they make is on tn
= matter of compensation. They say If yol
= | suppress their business you should com
" pensate them for what they may lose
5 NO such plan as that has ever bee
i lives upon the misfOrtunes and calam
u tiles and tragedies of the human rae
y should ever be compensated when tina
/ business is prohibited. / wish l had tn
o genius and power to write a law am
II secure its enactment that would foreve
= eliminate the possibility of war in thi
country ana IN the world. DeneVe
! would rather do that than evenSto Sc
Kentucky dry. But if that could be done
:, my friends, if l or anyone else could Sc
y cure the enactment of such law or tn
o adoption of such policy, it would thro1
- out of business all of these great mum
y ton factories and armOr plate plants an
;, gun factories of this country, and the
IL they would have even more reason to as
for compensation than the liquor peopl
y would have if prohibition comes.
If Tribute to Bryan.
l. "But 1 have not come here TO discus
It that subject. l refer to the program an
It see that | have been assigned the It'll
The Peerless Leader You all recog
nize him. l have been with him on hi
visits to Kentucky for the last twent
y years. l doubt if he has been here a
II any time in all those years when / hav
IL not been along to encourage him and
n follow after him. But ! have never fe
e like giving him a more hearty welcom
Il than | do on this occasion. ! am not
5. believer in too much hero worship. Gu
n. heroes sometimes make mistakes, but
10 believe it can be truthfully and justly sal
Il of our distinguished guest that
Y has rendered more valuable servic
d to the people of America than any othe
e man ever did since that great predecesso
D. of his, Thomas Jefferson.
lr He has won great victories, and if eve
d man in the history of this great coun
l. try has earned a rest, he has done
Is But he is not of that kind. He is tn
% greatest friend of the human race tina
t. lives in the world TODAY | NAV not agre