Augustus O. Stanley
Encyclopedia
Augustus Owsley Stanley I (May 21, 1867 – August 12, 1958) was a politician from the US state of Kentucky
. A Democrat
, he served as the 38th Governor of Kentucky
and also represented the state in both the U.S. House of Representatives
and the U.S. Senate
. From 1903 to 1915, Stanley represented Kentucky's 2nd congressional district
in the House of Representatives, where he gained a reputation as a progressive reformer
. Beginning in 1904, he called for an antitrust
investigation of the American Tobacco Company
, claiming they were a monopoly that drove down prices for the tobacco farmers of his district. As a result of his investigation, the Supreme Court of the United States
broke up the American Tobacco Company in 1911. Stanley also chaired a committee that conducted an antitrust investigation of U.S. Steel, which brought him national acclaim. Many of his ideas were incorporated into the Clayton Antitrust Act
.
During an unsuccessful senatorial bid in 1914, Stanley assumed an anti-prohibition
stance. This issue would dominate his political career for more than a decade and put him at odds with J. C. W. Beckham
, the leader of the pro-temperance
faction of the state's Democratic Party. In 1915, Stanley ran for governor, defeating his close friend Edwin P. Morrow
by just over 400 votes. It was the closest gubernatorial race in the state's history. Historian Lowell H. Harrison
called Stanley's administration the apex of the Progressive Era in Kentucky. Among the reforms adopted during his tenure were a state antitrust law, a campaign finance reform
law, and a workman's compensation law. In 1918, Stanley was chosen as the Democratic nominee to succeed the recently deceased senator Ollie M. James
. Stanley was elected, but did not resign as governor to take the seat until May 1919 and accomplished little in his single term. He lost his re-election bid to Frederic M. Sackett
in the 1924 Republican landslide and never again held elected office. He died in Washington, D. C. on August 12, 1958.
on May 21, 1867; he was the eldest of seven children of William and Amanda (Owsley) Stanley. His father was a minister of the Disciples of Christ
and served as a judge advocate
on the staff of Joseph E. Johnston
in the Confederate Army. His mother was the niece of former Kentucky governor William Owsley
. He attended Gordon Academy in Nicholasville, Kentucky
and the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical College (later the University of Kentucky
) before graduating with an A.B. from Centre College
in 1889. At both Centre and Kentucky A&M, he competed at the State Oratorical Contest, becoming the only such competitor to represent two different institutions.
For a year after graduation, Stanley served as chair of belles-lettres
at Christian College in Hustonville, Kentucky
. The following year, he was principal of Marion Academy in Bradfordsville
, then spent two years in the same position at Mackville Academy in Mackville
. While he held these positions, he studied law under Gilbert Cassiday. He was admitted to the bar
in 1894, and opened his practice in Flemingsburg, Kentucky
.
of Fleming County
. He continued to practice law in Flemingsburg until March 1898 when he moved to Henderson
because of financial hardships. He served as a Democratic
presidential elector
on the ticket of William Jennings Bryan
in 1900.
from Kentucky's 2nd congressional district
. During his tenure in the House, he served on the Committee on Mines and Mining
, the Committee on Territories
, and the Committee on Agriculture
. He advocated for progressive
reforms such as more extensive study of mine accident prevention, railroad regulation, a pure food and drug act, and an eight-hour work day.
By the time of Stanley's election to the House, the American Tobacco Company
had eliminated all its substantial competitors either by acquisition or by driving them out of business. The company worked with British tobacco manufacturers to set tobacco prices worldwide. Congressman Stanley came to the defense of the tobacco farmers of his district, making him virtually unbeatable as a congressional candidate. In the first of his five consecutive terms, he authored a bill that would remove an oppressive national tobacco tax, hoping this would help raise prices for unprocessed tobacco. The bill was defeated by extensive lobbying efforts by the American Tobacco Company. In 1904, he convinced the Ways and Means Committee
to hold public hearings on the American Tobacco Company's monopolistic actions, but the hearings did not convince legislators to repeal the tax nor take action against the American Tobacco Company.
Besides his legislative efforts on behalf of farmers, Stanley also directly encouraged them to organize and keep their crops off the market until prices improved. He helped draft the charter for the Dark District Tobacco Planters Association. Some of the more radical members of this group, known as the "Night Riders", used vigilante
violence to compel membership in the Association during what became known as the Black Patch Tobacco Wars
.
Finally in 1909, Stanley attached his proposed repeal of the tobacco tax as a rider
to the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act
. The bill passed the House, but the Senate stripped Stanley's provision. Kentucky Senator Ollie M. James reintroduced the repeal into the Senate version of the bill, and it survived when the bill was passed into law. The repeal resulted in higher tobacco prices, and although Stanley had not been alone in getting the repeal passed, he received much of the credit. In 1911, Stanley's fight against the American Tobacco Company bore fruit, as the Supreme Court
ruled the company to be in violation of antitrust laws and broke it into separate companies. Both the tax repeal and the breakup of American Tobacco helped quell the violence perpetrated by the Night Riders.
Stanley gained national notoriety for his actions against U.S. Steel. In 1909, he introduced a resolution calling for an investigation of the company, but it died in the House Rules Committee
. A second resolution, introduced in June 1910, passed the House, but was ignored by President
William Howard Taft
. Stanley introduced a stronger resolution later that month, but it was killed in committee. After Republicans lost control of the house in the 1910 congressional elections, Stanley reintroduced his resolution. House Speaker
Champ Clark appointed him as chairman of a nine-member committee to investigate U.S. Steel.
The committee's investigation lasted from May 1911 to April 1912. At its conclusion, the committee split along party lines. Stanley authored the majority report which condemned alleged price fixing
by U.S. Steel and censured President Theodore Roosevelt
for his role in U.S. Steel's purchase of the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company. The minority report, authored by Republican Augustus P. Gardner
, absolved Roosevelt and downplayed the price fixing charges. Stanley's report also recommended a number of changes to strengthen the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Though his recommendations were not enacted into law during his time in the House, many of them were eventually included in the Clayton Antitrust Act
.
Despite having no serious challengers for his House seat, Stanley declined to seek re-election in 1915, choosing instead to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was one of three Democrats seeking the seat, the others being Governor James B. McCreary
and former governor J. C. W. Beckham
. McCreary was never a serious challenger, and the primary
campaign centered on Stanley and Beckham, the leaders of the two largest factions of the state's Democratic party. The two men disliked each other. Stanley had once referred to Beckham as "a fungus growth on the grave of Goebel" – an allusion to Beckham's former running mate, Governor William Goebel
, whose assassination in 1900 had elevated Beckham to the governorship. During the campaign, Stanley criticized Beckham's use of machine politics
, calling his opponent "Little Lord Fauntleroy
".
Prohibition
became the major issue of the campaign. Though both Stanley and Beckham were known to drink liquor, Beckham campaigned on a pro-temperance
platform. Stanley, an opponent of prohibition, criticized Beckham's position as hypocritical, saying of pro-temperance politicians in general and Beckham in particular "They keep full of booze and introduce bills to punish the man who sells it to them." "[Beckham] would sell out the world to go to the Senate," he added. The support of Louisville Courier-Journal editor Henry Watterson
and Representative Ben Johnson
were not enough to carry Stanley to victory. Beckham secured the Democratic nomination by almost 7,000 votes and went on to win the seat in the general election.
Harry V. McChesney represented the prohibition faction, backed by Beckham. Stanley won the nomination with 107,585 votes to McChesney's 69,722. The Republicans nominated Stanley's close friend Edwin P. Morrow
. The two traveled the state together, often speaking from the same stage.
Stanley was a powerful orator who used dramatic flourishes to emphasize his points. He would often loosen his tie before he ever started speaking, and by the end of his speech have thrown off his vest and coat. In one instance, the candidates debated a tax on dog owners of one dollar per dog. Stanley favored the tax, while Morrow contended that everyone should be allowed one dog tax-free. Stanley ridiculed the idea as "Free Old Dog Ring," and sometimes howled like a dog in speeches deriding the proposal. On another occasion Stanley, who had too much to drink, vomited in front of the audience as Morrow spoke. When Stanley took the podium, he remarked, "That just goes to show you what I have been saying all over Kentucky. Ed Morrow plain makes me sick to my stomach."
Democrats had been divided in the primary, but united behind Stanley in the general election. Senators Beckham and Ollie M. James
endorsed him, as did Governor James B. McCreary
. Samuel Gompers
praised Stanley for his opposition to trusts while in Congress; endorsements from local chapters of the American Federation of Labor
soon followed. Even Harry McChesney, Stanley's primary opponent, urged Kentuckians to vote a straight Democratic ticket
.
The election was too close to call on election night. Knowing that a challenged election would be decided by the heavily Democratic General Assembly, Morrow conceded a week later. Official results showed that Stanley won the election by 471 votes, the closest gubernatorial vote in the state's history.
Historian Lowell H. Harrison
called Stanley's administration the apex of the Progressive
Era in Kentucky. The most significant legislation passed during the 1916 legislative session were a state antitrust law
and a ban on railroads offering free passes to public figures. A Corrupt Practices Act required candidates for office to file reports of their expenses, limited the amount of allowable expenses, and forbade public service corporations
from contributing to any campaign. Other accomplishments included initiating the state's first budget program, enacting its first workman's compensation law, and instituting a convict labor law. The one progressive measure that did not pass, a bill granting women's suffrage
, failed in the House
by a single vote.
Stanley called the General Assembly into special session in February 1917. At issue was reformation of the state's tax code, which Stanley felt unjustly burdened agricultural interests. The state was also incurring large deficits, ranging from $100,000 to $700,000 annually. Though Kentucky was in better shape financially than many of its peers, Stanley still sought to balance the budget. The session lasted sixty days, and the legislature passed of many of the bills he advocated. The most significant created a three-member state tax commission, chaired by M. M. Logan
. Additional taxes were passed on distilled spirits
, oil production, race tracks, and corporate licenses. Assessments on the value of property, which had typically been evaluated at one-third to one-half of fair market price, rose dramatically. To balance this increase, legislators reduced the tax rates on certain types of property. With the dramatic increase in funds yielded by the special session, the General Assembly approved funding increases in nearly every part of state government, including higher education. The State Board of Health was given expanded powers, and county boards of health were established.
Stanley's administration was affected by the United States' entry into World War I. The legislature established and funded a state Council of Defense, but Stanley vetoed a bill that would have banned the teaching of German in public schools.
As in his run for Senate and in the gubernatorial primary, the liquor question was central to Stanley's tenure as governor. Although anti-prohibition forces declared prohibition dead following his election, a prohibition amendment was introduced during the first legislative session following it. The amendment failed by a vote of 20–14 in the state senate
. In 1918 it was submitted to the state's voters by an overwhelming 95–17 joint vote of the General Assembly. Although Stanley was against prohibition, he supported the 1918 amendment in order to settle the liquor issue and clear the legislature's order paper for other measures. In 1919, Kentucky was the first "wet" state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment
, enshrining prohibition into the national constitution
.
On August 18, 1918, incumbent senator Ollie M. James died. Stanley appointed George B. Martin
to finish James' term, which was to expire on March 3 of the following year. James had already been nominated for re-election in 1918 by the Democratic primary, and the task of selecting the party's new nominee fell to the Democratic State Committee, which nominated Stanley. Stanley enjoyed the advantage of a united Democratic party; J. C. W. Beckham supported Stanley for this seat so Stanley would not challenge him for his own seat when he faced re-election. The Republicans chose a relative unknown, Dr. Ben L. Bruner. Stanley was attacked for his veto of the German language bill and for his long-standing views against temperance. Though the national mood was against the Democrats, a letter of support from President
Woodrow Wilson
bolstered Stanley's campaign, and he defeated Bruner by more than 5,000 votes. He resigned as governor to assume the Senate seat in May 1919. As a Democrat in a mostly Republican Senate, he wielded little influence.
When Stanley sought re-election to his seat in 1924, he faced an uphill battle. No Kentucky senator had been re-elected to his seat in over forty years (though senators had been popularly elected only since 1914). His opposition to prohibition cost him the support of pro-temperance voters and Democratic governor William J. Fields
. He was also opposed by the Ku Klux Klan
, then a powerful organization in the state, because of his opposition to bigotry and secret organizations. His Republican opponent Frederic M. Sackett
secured the support of the Beckham wing of the Democratic Party. Despite having his own private stock of liquor, Sackett took a pro-temperance position in the campaign and was endorsed by the Anti-Saloon League
. Louisville Courier-Journal editor Robert Worth Bingham
added his endorsement, calling Sackett "one of the best men I know". In the general election, Stanley lost his seat by almost 25,000 votes. Sackett's victory meant Kentucky would have two Republican senators for the first time in its history.
, greatly diminishing Stanley's chances in the senatorial campaign.
In 1930, President
Herbert Hoover
appointed Stanley to the International Joint Commission
, a body charged with settling boundary disputes between the United States and Canada. Stanley became its chair in 1933. He was very proud of his service on the Commission, and once noted that nowhere on earth have two great powers lived so long as neighbors with so few disputes. He served until 1954 when he resigned under pressure from his own party.
Stanley died in Washington, D.C., on August 12, 1958 and was buried in Frankfort Cemetery
in Frankfort, Kentucky
. He was survived by his wife, Sue (Soaper) Stanley, and two of his three sons, William Stanley and Augustus Owsley Stanley II. His grandson, Augustus Owsley Stanley III
(1935–2011), became a well-known LSD
chemist and backer of the Grateful Dead
during the hippie movement.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, he served as the 38th Governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
and also represented the state in both the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. From 1903 to 1915, Stanley represented Kentucky's 2nd congressional district
Kentucky's 2nd congressional district
Kentucky's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in west central Kentucky, the district includes Bowling Green, Owensboro, and Elizabethtown. The district has not seen an incumbent defeated since 1884....
in the House of Representatives, where he gained a reputation as a progressive reformer
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
. Beginning in 1904, he called for an antitrust
Competition law
Competition law, known in the United States as antitrust law, is law that promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies....
investigation of the American Tobacco Company
American Tobacco Company
The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
, claiming they were a monopoly that drove down prices for the tobacco farmers of his district. As a result of his investigation, the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
broke up the American Tobacco Company in 1911. Stanley also chaired a committee that conducted an antitrust investigation of U.S. Steel, which brought him national acclaim. Many of his ideas were incorporated into the Clayton Antitrust Act
Clayton Antitrust Act
The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 , was enacted in the United States to add further substance to the U.S. antitrust law regime by seeking to prevent anticompetitive practices in their incipiency. That regime started with the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, the first Federal law outlawing practices...
.
During an unsuccessful senatorial bid in 1914, Stanley assumed an anti-prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
stance. This issue would dominate his political career for more than a decade and put him at odds with J. C. W. Beckham
J. C. W. Beckham
John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham was the 35th Governor of Kentucky and a United States Senator from Kentucky...
, the leader of the pro-temperance
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
faction of the state's Democratic Party. In 1915, Stanley ran for governor, defeating his close friend Edwin P. Morrow
Edwin P. Morrow
Edwin Porch Morrow was an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Kentucky from 1919 to 1923. He was the only Republican elected to this office between 1907 and 1927. He championed the typical Republican causes of his day, namely equal rights for African-Americans and the use of...
by just over 400 votes. It was the closest gubernatorial race in the state's history. Historian Lowell H. Harrison
Lowell H. Harrison
Lowell Hayes Harrison was an American historian specializing in Kentucky. Harrison graduated from College High . He received a B.A. from Western Kentucky University in 1946, then enrolled at New York University where he earned an M.A. in 1947 and a PhD in 1951, both in history...
called Stanley's administration the apex of the Progressive Era in Kentucky. Among the reforms adopted during his tenure were a state antitrust law, a campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns....
law, and a workman's compensation law. In 1918, Stanley was chosen as the Democratic nominee to succeed the recently deceased senator Ollie M. James
Ollie M. James
Ollie Murray James , a Democrat, represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.-Biography:...
. Stanley was elected, but did not resign as governor to take the seat until May 1919 and accomplished little in his single term. He lost his re-election bid to Frederic M. Sackett
Frederic M. Sackett
Frederic Mosley Sackett served as a United States Senator from Kentucky and ambassador to Germany during the Hoover Administration....
in the 1924 Republican landslide and never again held elected office. He died in Washington, D. C. on August 12, 1958.
Early life
Augustus Owsley Stanley was born in Shelbyville, KentuckyShelbyville, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,085 people, 3,822 households, and 2,549 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,333.5 people per square mile . There were 4,117 housing units at an average density of 544.4 per square mile...
on May 21, 1867; he was the eldest of seven children of William and Amanda (Owsley) Stanley. His father was a minister of the Disciples of Christ
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Church is a Mainline Protestant denomination in North America. It is often referred to as The Christian Church, The Disciples of Christ, or more simply as The Disciples...
and served as a judge advocate
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
on the staff of Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
in the Confederate Army. His mother was the niece of former Kentucky governor William Owsley
William Owsley
William Owsley was an associate justice on the Kentucky Court of Appeals and the 16th Governor of Kentucky. He also served in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was Kentucky Secretary of State under Governor James Turner Morehead.Owsley studied law under John Boyle...
. He attended Gordon Academy in Nicholasville, Kentucky
Nicholasville, Kentucky
Nicholasville is the 11th largest city in state of Kentucky and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 19,680 at the 2000 census...
and the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical College (later the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
) before graduating with an A.B. from Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
in 1889. At both Centre and Kentucky A&M, he competed at the State Oratorical Contest, becoming the only such competitor to represent two different institutions.
For a year after graduation, Stanley served as chair of belles-lettres
Belles-lettres
Belles-lettres or belles lettres is a term that is used to describe a category of writing. A writer of belles-lettres is a belletrist. However, the boundaries of that category vary in different usages....
at Christian College in Hustonville, Kentucky
Hustonville, Kentucky
Hustonville is a city in Lincoln County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 347 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area....
. The following year, he was principal of Marion Academy in Bradfordsville
Bradfordsville, Kentucky
Bradfordsville is a city in Marion County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 304 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bradfordsville is located at ....
, then spent two years in the same position at Mackville Academy in Mackville
Mackville, Kentucky
Mackville is a city in Washington County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 206 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mackville is located at ....
. While he held these positions, he studied law under Gilbert Cassiday. He was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1894, and opened his practice in Flemingsburg, Kentucky
Flemingsburg, Kentucky
Flemingsburg is a city in Fleming County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 3,010 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fleming County.-Geography:Flemingsburg is located at ....
.
Political career
Stanley's first venture into the political arena was in 1897 when he made an unsuccessful bid to become county attorneyCounty attorney
A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...
of Fleming County
Fleming County, Kentucky
Fleming County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1798. As of 2000, the population was 13,792. Its county seat is Flemingsburg. The county is named for Colonel John Fleming. It's a prohibition or dry county...
. He continued to practice law in Flemingsburg until March 1898 when he moved to Henderson
Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...
because of financial hardships. He served as a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
presidential elector
United States Electoral College
The Electoral College consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election...
on the ticket of William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
in 1900.
House of Representatives
In 1902, Stanley was elected as a U.S. RepresentativeUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Kentucky's 2nd congressional district
Kentucky's 2nd congressional district
Kentucky's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in west central Kentucky, the district includes Bowling Green, Owensboro, and Elizabethtown. The district has not seen an incumbent defeated since 1884....
. During his tenure in the House, he served on the Committee on Mines and Mining
United States House Committee on Mines and Mining
The United States House Committee on Mines and Mining is a defunct a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.The Committee on Mines and Mining was created on December 19, 1865, for consideration of subjects relating to mining interests...
, the Committee on Territories
United States House Committee on Territories
The United States House Committee on Territories was a committee of the United States House of Representatives from 1825 to 1946 . Its jurisdiction was reporting on a variety to topics related to the territories, including legislation concerning them, and their admission as new states....
, and the Committee on Agriculture
United States House Committee on Agriculture
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
. He advocated for progressive
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
reforms such as more extensive study of mine accident prevention, railroad regulation, a pure food and drug act, and an eight-hour work day.
By the time of Stanley's election to the House, the American Tobacco Company
American Tobacco Company
The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
had eliminated all its substantial competitors either by acquisition or by driving them out of business. The company worked with British tobacco manufacturers to set tobacco prices worldwide. Congressman Stanley came to the defense of the tobacco farmers of his district, making him virtually unbeatable as a congressional candidate. In the first of his five consecutive terms, he authored a bill that would remove an oppressive national tobacco tax, hoping this would help raise prices for unprocessed tobacco. The bill was defeated by extensive lobbying efforts by the American Tobacco Company. In 1904, he convinced the Ways and Means Committee
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
to hold public hearings on the American Tobacco Company's monopolistic actions, but the hearings did not convince legislators to repeal the tax nor take action against the American Tobacco Company.
Besides his legislative efforts on behalf of farmers, Stanley also directly encouraged them to organize and keep their crops off the market until prices improved. He helped draft the charter for the Dark District Tobacco Planters Association. Some of the more radical members of this group, known as the "Night Riders", used vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
violence to compel membership in the Association during what became known as the Black Patch Tobacco Wars
Black Patch Tobacco Wars
The "Black Patch" or "dark fired" tobacco area included counties in southwestern Kentucky and adjoining districts in Tennessee. On September 24, 1904, American tobacco planters formed the protectionist Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association of Kentucky and Tennessee to oppose the...
.
Finally in 1909, Stanley attached his proposed repeal of the tobacco tax as a rider
Rider (legislation)
In legislative procedure, a rider is an additional provision added to a bill or other measure under the consideration by a legislature, having little connection with the subject matter of the bill. Riders are usually created as a tactic to pass a controversial provision that would not pass as its...
to the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act
Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act
The Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act of 1909 , named for Representative Sereno E. Payne and Senator Nelson W. Aldrich , began in the United States House of Representatives as a bill lowering certain tariffs on goods entering the United States. It was the first change in tariff laws since the Dingley Act...
. The bill passed the House, but the Senate stripped Stanley's provision. Kentucky Senator Ollie M. James reintroduced the repeal into the Senate version of the bill, and it survived when the bill was passed into law. The repeal resulted in higher tobacco prices, and although Stanley had not been alone in getting the repeal passed, he received much of the credit. In 1911, Stanley's fight against the American Tobacco Company bore fruit, as the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
ruled the company to be in violation of antitrust laws and broke it into separate companies. Both the tax repeal and the breakup of American Tobacco helped quell the violence perpetrated by the Night Riders.
Stanley gained national notoriety for his actions against U.S. Steel. In 1909, he introduced a resolution calling for an investigation of the company, but it died in the House Rules Committee
United States House Committee on Rules
The Committee on Rules, or Rules Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. Rather than being responsible for a specific area of policy, as most other committees are, it is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor...
. A second resolution, introduced in June 1910, passed the House, but was ignored by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. Stanley introduced a stronger resolution later that month, but it was killed in committee. After Republicans lost control of the house in the 1910 congressional elections, Stanley reintroduced his resolution. House Speaker
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Champ Clark appointed him as chairman of a nine-member committee to investigate U.S. Steel.
The committee's investigation lasted from May 1911 to April 1912. At its conclusion, the committee split along party lines. Stanley authored the majority report which condemned alleged price fixing
Price fixing
Price fixing is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand...
by U.S. Steel and censured President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
for his role in U.S. Steel's purchase of the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company. The minority report, authored by Republican Augustus P. Gardner
Augustus P. Gardner
Augustus Peabody Gardner was a Representative from Massachusetts. Gardner was the son-in-law of Henry Cabot Lodge.-Life and career:...
, absolved Roosevelt and downplayed the price fixing charges. Stanley's report also recommended a number of changes to strengthen the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Though his recommendations were not enacted into law during his time in the House, many of them were eventually included in the Clayton Antitrust Act
Clayton Antitrust Act
The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 , was enacted in the United States to add further substance to the U.S. antitrust law regime by seeking to prevent anticompetitive practices in their incipiency. That regime started with the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, the first Federal law outlawing practices...
.
1915 senatorial bid
James B. McCreary
James Bennett McCreary was a lawyer and politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in both houses of the U.S. Congress and served as its 27th and 37th governor...
and former governor J. C. W. Beckham
J. C. W. Beckham
John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham was the 35th Governor of Kentucky and a United States Senator from Kentucky...
. McCreary was never a serious challenger, and the primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
campaign centered on Stanley and Beckham, the leaders of the two largest factions of the state's Democratic party. The two men disliked each other. Stanley had once referred to Beckham as "a fungus growth on the grave of Goebel" – an allusion to Beckham's former running mate, Governor William Goebel
William Goebel
William Justus Goebel was an American politician who served as the 34th Governor of Kentucky for a few days in 1900 after having been mortally wounded by an assassin the day before he was sworn in...
, whose assassination in 1900 had elevated Beckham to the governorship. During the campaign, Stanley criticized Beckham's use of machine politics
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
, calling his opponent "Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886...
".
Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
became the major issue of the campaign. Though both Stanley and Beckham were known to drink liquor, Beckham campaigned on a pro-temperance
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
platform. Stanley, an opponent of prohibition, criticized Beckham's position as hypocritical, saying of pro-temperance politicians in general and Beckham in particular "They keep full of booze and introduce bills to punish the man who sells it to them." "[Beckham] would sell out the world to go to the Senate," he added. The support of Louisville Courier-Journal editor Henry Watterson
Henry Watterson
Henry Watterson was a United States journalist who founded the Louisville Courier-Journal.He also served part of one term in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat....
and Representative Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson (politician)
Ben Johnson was an American lawyer and politician; Democrat, United States House of Representatives from 4 March 1907 to 3 March 1927....
were not enough to carry Stanley to victory. Beckham secured the Democratic nomination by almost 7,000 votes and went on to win the seat in the general election.
Governor of Kentucky
Several candidates announced their intention to seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1915, but by late August, only two remained in the race. Stanley was the choice of the anti-prohibition faction of the party, while state superintendentSuperintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
Harry V. McChesney represented the prohibition faction, backed by Beckham. Stanley won the nomination with 107,585 votes to McChesney's 69,722. The Republicans nominated Stanley's close friend Edwin P. Morrow
Edwin P. Morrow
Edwin Porch Morrow was an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Kentucky from 1919 to 1923. He was the only Republican elected to this office between 1907 and 1927. He championed the typical Republican causes of his day, namely equal rights for African-Americans and the use of...
. The two traveled the state together, often speaking from the same stage.
Stanley was a powerful orator who used dramatic flourishes to emphasize his points. He would often loosen his tie before he ever started speaking, and by the end of his speech have thrown off his vest and coat. In one instance, the candidates debated a tax on dog owners of one dollar per dog. Stanley favored the tax, while Morrow contended that everyone should be allowed one dog tax-free. Stanley ridiculed the idea as "Free Old Dog Ring," and sometimes howled like a dog in speeches deriding the proposal. On another occasion Stanley, who had too much to drink, vomited in front of the audience as Morrow spoke. When Stanley took the podium, he remarked, "That just goes to show you what I have been saying all over Kentucky. Ed Morrow plain makes me sick to my stomach."
Democrats had been divided in the primary, but united behind Stanley in the general election. Senators Beckham and Ollie M. James
Ollie M. James
Ollie Murray James , a Democrat, represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.-Biography:...
endorsed him, as did Governor James B. McCreary
James B. McCreary
James Bennett McCreary was a lawyer and politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in both houses of the U.S. Congress and served as its 27th and 37th governor...
. Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor , and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924...
praised Stanley for his opposition to trusts while in Congress; endorsements from local chapters of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
soon followed. Even Harry McChesney, Stanley's primary opponent, urged Kentuckians to vote a straight Democratic ticket
Straight-ticket voting
Straight-ticket voting or straight-party voting is the practice of voting for candidates of the same party for multiple positions. For example, if a member of the Democratic Party in the United States votes for every candidate from President, Senator, Representative, Governor, state legislators...
.
The election was too close to call on election night. Knowing that a challenged election would be decided by the heavily Democratic General Assembly, Morrow conceded a week later. Official results showed that Stanley won the election by 471 votes, the closest gubernatorial vote in the state's history.
Historian Lowell H. Harrison
Lowell H. Harrison
Lowell Hayes Harrison was an American historian specializing in Kentucky. Harrison graduated from College High . He received a B.A. from Western Kentucky University in 1946, then enrolled at New York University where he earned an M.A. in 1947 and a PhD in 1951, both in history...
called Stanley's administration the apex of the Progressive
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
Era in Kentucky. The most significant legislation passed during the 1916 legislative session were a state antitrust law
Competition law
Competition law, known in the United States as antitrust law, is law that promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies....
and a ban on railroads offering free passes to public figures. A Corrupt Practices Act required candidates for office to file reports of their expenses, limited the amount of allowable expenses, and forbade public service corporations
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
from contributing to any campaign. Other accomplishments included initiating the state's first budget program, enacting its first workman's compensation law, and instituting a convict labor law. The one progressive measure that did not pass, a bill granting women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, failed in the House
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
by a single vote.
Stanley called the General Assembly into special session in February 1917. At issue was reformation of the state's tax code, which Stanley felt unjustly burdened agricultural interests. The state was also incurring large deficits, ranging from $100,000 to $700,000 annually. Though Kentucky was in better shape financially than many of its peers, Stanley still sought to balance the budget. The session lasted sixty days, and the legislature passed of many of the bills he advocated. The most significant created a three-member state tax commission, chaired by M. M. Logan
M. M. Logan
Marvel Mills Logan , a Democrat, served as a member of the United States Senate from Kentucky.Mills was born on a farm near Brownsville, Edmonson County, Kentucky. He taught school for two years and also conducted a training school for teachers. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in...
. Additional taxes were passed on distilled spirits
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
, oil production, race tracks, and corporate licenses. Assessments on the value of property, which had typically been evaluated at one-third to one-half of fair market price, rose dramatically. To balance this increase, legislators reduced the tax rates on certain types of property. With the dramatic increase in funds yielded by the special session, the General Assembly approved funding increases in nearly every part of state government, including higher education. The State Board of Health was given expanded powers, and county boards of health were established.
Stanley's administration was affected by the United States' entry into World War I. The legislature established and funded a state Council of Defense, but Stanley vetoed a bill that would have banned the teaching of German in public schools.
As in his run for Senate and in the gubernatorial primary, the liquor question was central to Stanley's tenure as governor. Although anti-prohibition forces declared prohibition dead following his election, a prohibition amendment was introduced during the first legislative session following it. The amendment failed by a vote of 20–14 in the state senate
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators...
. In 1918 it was submitted to the state's voters by an overwhelming 95–17 joint vote of the General Assembly. Although Stanley was against prohibition, he supported the 1918 amendment in order to settle the liquor issue and clear the legislature's order paper for other measures. In 1919, Kentucky was the first "wet" state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution established Prohibition in the United States. The separate Volstead Act set down methods of enforcing the Eighteenth Amendment, and defined which "intoxicating liquors" were prohibited, and which were excluded from prohibition...
, enshrining prohibition into the national constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
.
U.S. Senator
George B. Martin
George Brown Martin , a Democrat, served as a member of the United States Senate from Kentucky.Born in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, Martin moved with his parents to Catlettsburg, Kentucky, in 1877. He attended the public schools and graduated from Centre University in 1895...
to finish James' term, which was to expire on March 3 of the following year. James had already been nominated for re-election in 1918 by the Democratic primary, and the task of selecting the party's new nominee fell to the Democratic State Committee, which nominated Stanley. Stanley enjoyed the advantage of a united Democratic party; J. C. W. Beckham supported Stanley for this seat so Stanley would not challenge him for his own seat when he faced re-election. The Republicans chose a relative unknown, Dr. Ben L. Bruner. Stanley was attacked for his veto of the German language bill and for his long-standing views against temperance. Though the national mood was against the Democrats, a letter of support from President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
bolstered Stanley's campaign, and he defeated Bruner by more than 5,000 votes. He resigned as governor to assume the Senate seat in May 1919. As a Democrat in a mostly Republican Senate, he wielded little influence.
When Stanley sought re-election to his seat in 1924, he faced an uphill battle. No Kentucky senator had been re-elected to his seat in over forty years (though senators had been popularly elected only since 1914). His opposition to prohibition cost him the support of pro-temperance voters and Democratic governor William J. Fields
William J. Fields
William Jason Fields was a politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. Known as "Honest Bill from Olive Hill", he represented Kentucky's Ninth District in the U.S...
. He was also opposed by the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, then a powerful organization in the state, because of his opposition to bigotry and secret organizations. His Republican opponent Frederic M. Sackett
Frederic M. Sackett
Frederic Mosley Sackett served as a United States Senator from Kentucky and ambassador to Germany during the Hoover Administration....
secured the support of the Beckham wing of the Democratic Party. Despite having his own private stock of liquor, Sackett took a pro-temperance position in the campaign and was endorsed by the Anti-Saloon League
Anti-Saloon League
The Anti-Saloon League was the leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. It was a key component of the Progressive Era, and was strongest in the South and rural North, drawing heavy support from pietistic Protestant ministers and their...
. Louisville Courier-Journal editor Robert Worth Bingham
Robert Worth Bingham
Robert Worth Bingham was a politician, judge, newspaper publisher and United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He attended the University of North Carolina and University of Virginia but did not graduate. He moved to Louisville in the 1890s and received a law degree from the University of...
added his endorsement, calling Sackett "one of the best men I know". In the general election, Stanley lost his seat by almost 25,000 votes. Sackett's victory meant Kentucky would have two Republican senators for the first time in its history.
Later life and death
Following his defeat in the Senate, Stanley returned to his legal practice. In the 1927 gubernatorial election, he threw his support to his old enemy, J. C. W. Beckham, hoping to improve his chances of returning to the Senate in 1930. Beckham lost to Republican Flem D. SampsonFlem D. Sampson
Flemon Davis "Flem" Sampson was the 42nd Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1927 to 1931. He graduated from Valparaiso University in 1894, and opened a law practice in Barbourville, Kentucky. He formed a political alliance with future congressmen Caleb Powers and John Robsion, both prominent...
, greatly diminishing Stanley's chances in the senatorial campaign.
In 1930, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
appointed Stanley to the International Joint Commission
International Joint Commission
The International Joint Commission is an independent binational organization established by the United States and Canada under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.The Commission has responsibilities related to the following treaties and agreements:...
, a body charged with settling boundary disputes between the United States and Canada. Stanley became its chair in 1933. He was very proud of his service on the Commission, and once noted that nowhere on earth have two great powers lived so long as neighbors with so few disputes. He served until 1954 when he resigned under pressure from his own party.
Stanley died in Washington, D.C., on August 12, 1958 and was buried in Frankfort Cemetery
Frankfort Cemetery
The Frankfort Cemetery is located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the burial site of Daniel Boone and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen Kentucky governors.-History:...
in Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
. He was survived by his wife, Sue (Soaper) Stanley, and two of his three sons, William Stanley and Augustus Owsley Stanley II. His grandson, Augustus Owsley Stanley III
Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley also known as Bear, was an essential and transitional personality in the development of the San Francisco Bay counter-culture. Spanning the Beat-era years of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters scenes, he was equally pivotal to the explosion of 1960's Psychedelia culture...
(1935–2011), became a well-known LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
chemist and backer of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
during the hippie movement.
Ancestors
Further reading
- The steel hearings included a session at New York City HallNew York City HallNew York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
in July, 1911. See "Steel inquiry goes on here now", The New York Times, July 28, 1911. - For an op-ed by Senator Stanley relative to the constitutional implications of search and seizureSearch and seizureSearch and seizure is a legal procedure used in many civil law and common law legal systems whereby police or other authorities and their agents, who suspect that a crime has been committed, do a search of a person's property and confiscate any relevant evidence to the crime.Some countries have...
provisions in Prohibition legislation in early 1922, see "Search and Seizure: Senator Stanley Attacks Constitutionality of new Prohibition Act", The New York Times, January 8, 1922.