As governor Beckham sought to unite his party and the state . As part of this effort he supported changes to the blatantly partisan Goebel Election Law , authored by his late running mate while the latter was a member of the General Assembly . He stressed non @-@ controversial issues such as improvements to roads and the state 's educational system . He recommended passage of a law to set uniform school textbook prices , a reform both he and Goebel had advocated during the gubernatorial campaign . However , his passive leadership ensured that the General Assembly did little to address his agenda . The only major pieces of legislation passed during Beckham 's term were a tax increase that added a half million dollars to the state 's revenue and a child labor law that forbade children under 14 to work without their parents ' consent .