Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-08-30
ASKING Toe MUCH.
4 Democratic Paper Which CsnA& de-
fend an GRwsrthg and Unit
Nominee. ,--.
Col. Savage's TaIlahoma HarMlRgue
judged byrshe St4zdard of De 49,,
cencg and Propriety.
FsEet4eYille Observer.


We have always been loyal to the
Democratic party; have always sup
ported its nominees and defended the
tztterances of its candidates, in sc far
.as we could do so without being re-
lsereant to our dnty asa citizen al the
State. seq
Col. John Ell. Savage is one Cd the
Railroad Commissioners, by apRGint-
rnent of the Governor, and one of the
nominees of the Democratic parsy of
fthe State for Railroad Com missioner.
His duties undsr the act creatingfhe
commission are of a judicial na4rre,
and, therefore, lnon-partisan and I'VE
had supposed that Col. Savage, in the
performance of his duties and in Alis
appeals to the people ffor support,
Rsuld govern himself by those rukes
of propriety becoming one occupying
and aspiring to judicial position In
this it appears tnat we were mistakes.
in speech made at Tullahoma, on
the 18th inst, during the sitting of the
Congressional Convention as reported
in the A nerican, he transgressed al
rules of deceney and propfiety. He
made a halangyle that would be I'M
worthy the lowest professional poll
tiGiaR in the land, and if he .iE correct
ly reported his speech showed con-
elusixely that he was xtterlylUnfit and
unworthy the position to which he is
aspiEiRg.
We lave not space te give the whole
speech as reported, buta few extracts
Elill suffice. He said: "As soon as the
railroads come down 1Pom the lofty
stand they have taken, and ackEowl-
edge that they stand the same before
the law as anybody else, then ha was
willing to cease war against them In
this sentence Col. Savage assumes
that the railroads do not <'acknoEl-
edge" that they stand the same before
the Law as anybody else. The Colonel
states no facts in support of this
declaration, which was probably made
for the sole purpose of exciting a
prejudice in the minds of ignorant I
voters. He also admitted in the above
extract that he is waging war against
the railroadsY What right has a rail-
road commissioner to wage q war
against railroads? The act creating
the Commission eonfers no such right |
or duty. His duty is to hear com
plants, hear proof and to decide
Justly and impartially all matters sub
mitted to him. A partisan Judge is !
no better than a corrupt one.
Again he is reported as saying to |
the delegates of the Congressional |
Convention: "He charged the dele |
gates that they should never give any !
man who had been a railroad attorney |
any Office" Without stopping to re-
mark upon the improperly of Col.
Savage debating to or obtruding his |
advice upon a convention to which he |
was not delegate and in which he |
could have no business, we will say |
that it is difficult to determine whether
this utterance was not inspired by |
demagoguerv. Havenot the railroads
a right TO be represented by an at
torney? How can they be repre-
scented before the courts and before
the Railroad Commission except by an
attorney? Why would Col. Savage
deny to railroads what the law Justly
comedies to every association of per-
sons, the right to be heard by coun-
sci? Has not a lawyer the right to
transact legal business for a railroad
as well as for anybody else? Why
punish the lawyer who performs
legal service for a railroad company?
Does not his professional duty require
of him to represent a railroad COM
pany as we'll as other htigants in the
coIrts and before the Railroad Com
1t seems that Col. Saw
age, instead of being governed by the
law creating the commission, would
deprive the railroads of the only right
conferred upon them by that act, that
is of being heard before Col. Savage's
by counsel. But we need
not enlarge upon these utterances of
this judge who sits upon the Railroad
the bare reading of them
is sufficient to condemn them in the
minds of all fsir-minded men.
Is the Democratic party of Tennessee
TO be held responsible for the utter
ances OF Col. Savage? We will have
more to say on this subject hereafter.
Simplifying Matters.