The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1918-07-12
VOLUME XXXIV
Judge Roberts Makes
Splendid Speech Here.

ton, one of the the three Democratic
candidates for Governor was delay
ed in reaching Lexington last Tues
day but finally came by auto from
Camden, accompanied by Clerk &
Master G. M Leslie, Trustee Robert
Smith and Mr. Warren Woods, all
of Benton County. The Judge did
not begin his speech until after 3
o'clock when he was briefly intro
duced by Col. H. Z. Grarer.
The candidate first referred to his
delay in reaching Lexington caused
by the horrible and ineXcusable
wreck of that morning a few miles
South of Nashville, in which many
lost their lives or were injured.
He said he believed in men seek
ing office keeping their word--that
a public man should be prompt
and trustworthy in the performance
of duty--and that he had been as
Chancery Judge and was trying
to be as a candidate. He spoke of
the horrors of the world war in
which this country is participating
that every possible cause was
given for our going into it; that it
might be termed a Holy war on our
part and that German kultur and
German materialism are as much
at the bottom as cause for the war
as German greed for power. The
judges speech while not as full as
he wanted to make it, would fill
this paper, yet it was heard with
the closest possible attention. He
diyed into State. affairs and did
what he said a candidate for GOV
ernor should do--put his finger on
place after place on the body poll
tic that need dOctoring. We can
only refer to few of the defects
pointed out. The first duty of a
governor, above all things is to see
that the laws are faithfully execut-
ed--just as a sheriff is sworn to ex-
ecute the laws in his county and
the President is sworn to do in the
nation. He would 90 into Office, if
elected, under obligation to no man
individually but to all the people
and he will keep his oath to execute
the laws without fear or favor.
The internal affairs of Tennessee
have long since reached a point
that we should devote ourselves to
the duty of changing the entire fis-
cal system. With an income of
five millions dollars annually paid
into the treasury, we have an an
nual deficit and are going deeper
into debt. Prosperity seems to
abound all over Tennessee except in
the administration of our own
financial affairs. The worlds future
demands the most rigid economy.
While the fault in Tennessee is in
the financial system he did not
criticize the officials for they are
merely acting under a system. He
had two experts 60 through the
books of Tennessee and make re-
port on finances and that report
was appalling. We went into debt
last year more than for two years
beforehand the deficit is growing
year by year. The report made
him downcast and disheartened but
he believed the trouble could be
remedied without increasing taxa
ton. Much property escapes taxa
ton, especially in the cities and this
must be looked after by the Legis-
lature, Under the draft law every
body is treated alike and there
should be equality and justice in
bearing the burdens of taxation.
He said that the law of the Chan
Gerry court is do unto the other fel.
low as you would have him do I'M
to you"-and that law should hold
good throughout the laws of the
State. AS a source of income he
referred to an inheritance tax,
which ought to be on the statute
looks and bring in much money