The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-02-21
cor MWBLRTEFs LETTgR.

sell as famous In the WOflQ OF lelIeTs
as he has already become noted for
his skill and experience as a practi-
cal agriculturist. In a card recent
ly published In the Nashville World
Col. A. J. McWhirter makes a Wig
orous, not to say vicious, attack upon
such unfortunate newspaper mea as
have thought il a public duty to
criticise Gov. Bates action in select
ing him as Commissioner of Agri-
culture. OF cour-e the editor of
this paper comes in for good share
ofthis anger, audit would be treating
our distinguished friend with less re-
spect than his position merits to en-
tirely ignore his second contribution
to the literature of the Department
of Agriculture, Mines, Statistics and
Immigration.
Col. McWhirter's strong point, if
we catch his idea correctly, is that
lift hadn't been for the unprecedent-
ed popularity of Col. Carter in Sc
curing more signatures to his APP
plication for the place of Superin-
tendent of Prisons than Hord or
Charlton did for Commissioner or
than we did for Warden, he (McW.)
might not have been selected for
the place he holds. That may
so. We do not know. But did Gov.
Bate inform any of these parties
that he would require a canvass of
the entire State and the one receiv-
ing the largest number of signers
to his application should receive the
appointment for that division? The
last time we saw or heard from Col.
Charlton, more than two months
ago, he informed us that he had
written to Gov. Bate on this point
and was waiting for reply. 1t may
be he got it. If the Governor es-
tablished a particular basis for the
appointments all the applicants
should have been informed of it.
But the idea of Gov. Bate requiring
a canvass of the State to settle who
shall be Superintendent of Prisons
or Warden of the Penitentiary is
the most prepOsterous and ridicu-
lous innovation ever made by an
The more so, as in this |
case it involved the efficiency of the
only two offices in the State of ma
terial interest to the masses-Com-
missioner of Agriculture and Su-
perintendent of Public Instruction.
There was not a man before Gov.
Bate for executive office that he I
didn't know personally and pOliti-
,ally sufficiently well tojudge favor
ably or unfavOrably as to his fitness
FOR the Office he sought. He should
have exhibited the backbone of
Johnson and Harris and Porter and
all their illustrious predecessors and
'aid to the people | make this man
of Public Instruc-
ion, this one Superintendent of Pris-
,ns, this one Commissioner of Agri-
this one Warden, this one
Assistant Warden aud this one Judge.
| put them in Office on my own re
possibility and will be amenable to
7ou for their compentency.
Col McWhirter sees fit to refer to
Is rs " good Democrat and chronic
,fficc seeker" To the first charge
we plead guilty. We are a good
DemOcrat-tOo good perhaps-and,
ike most of our party brethren in
his division of the State, had we
party less and self more,
{ doubtless would have been better
or Us in many respects. As to be-
ng a chronic office-seeker, the truth
# history doesn't show that fact,
md we repel the soft impeachment,
hough entertaining now as we have
yer the popular sentiment that to
he vietors belong the spoils. Three
lines only, in more than twenty
ears, have we asked the Tennes-
ee Legislature for office. This, under
he surroundings, we claim to have
zen very modest. The height of our
were the honors and emol-
Iments pertaining to a seventy-fve
Iays Clerkship of the Senate. Twice
We were elected-but in neither in
lance can it be said we were under
to Democrats alone for
ur election. Like every other East /
tennessee Democrat, who, since the
rar. has held an elective Office at
he hands of the General Assembly, ;
re were elected by the votes of East /
'ennessee Republicans and a few
rue and tried Democrats.
We call to mind at least six APP
ointments that Gov. Bate has the
isposal of. East Tennessee gets one,
nd her Democracy are raped over 1
ne shouts by this eminent official OF
is because some of her best men Z
ere credulous enough to think that :
i the division of the offices East
was as Justly entitled to v
20 or more of them as Middle or
Test Tennessee. In convention :