Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-10-13
sAvAGE's DEFENSE.
He is Not an Enemy of Senator Harris
Zen. Cheathams Letter--.An
Open Letter to Tennesseans.

~ U6 TUtcOW'
Your paper of Oct. 9th has honored
me with three separate notices, two
of which refer to Senator Harris, and
my supposed candidacy for U. S. Sen
ator, in which event you predict an
inglorious failure. l have recently
been honored with similar notices in
several other papers, printed in the
interest of the Senator. Asa prophet
you state nothing new. When my
name was mentioned for Governor
and Senator in 1880, I published 5000
pamphlets on the State debt question,
in which appeared the following:
"Men who lead a reform are sell
dom rewarded. Ostracism or cruel
fiXion is the rule, and it is not proba-
able that / shall be an exception. The
bondholder, office-seeker, railroad Of
fetal, and venal editor are all my
enemies, and one of these men can
make more noise and do more work
in running the party machine than a
hundred honest farmers or mechan-
ics."
1t is now apparent that the most
noisy men for Harris are employees in
the Internal Revenue service, and
those loudest and most active for At
kins are his appointees and their
friends in the Indian Bureau. These
men will make thenext U. S. Senator;
it will not be the work of the people.
1t seems that Senator Harris and
his friends have a cunning policy in
holding me up as a prospective can
didate for U. S. Senator, although l
have not so declared myself, and was
no candidate two years ago, when
Gen. Bate was elected.
regret to be an imaginary obstacle
in the pathway of any mans. ambi-
ton, which, like Banquo's ghost, will
not down at his bidding.
Let me correct some of your state
ments which in my opinion are un-
true, and misleading to your readers.
LIST. You say, she (Savage) still
fights for a State Railroad Commits
sion, and advises the people to elect
no man to the Legislature who OPP
poses such a scheme" This state
ment is untrue. said in the speech
at Lynchburg that I had drawn a
bill in the language of the Interstate
Commerce law, applying its princi-
Piles and policies to transportation
within the State, except that / had
stricken out the commission feature,
and had substituted the Circuit Courts
and Grand Juries in lieu thereof, so
that citizens who might be oppressed
by these powerful corporations could
get justice without paying enormous
fees. I send a copy of my bill for
your inspection.
I'd. You say, "He (Savage) is q
bitter enemy Of Senator Harris, and ii
is safe to sag he aoiW get no assistance
from that source, for Harris acouId
throa0 all Of his influence against him."
While it may be true that Harris
would help his cousin Atkins, OF
some other aspirant against me, it is
not true that am "bitter enemy
of his, nor have l ever given hin
good cause to be q bitter enemy to me
Senator Harris and myself differ now
and have often differed, in regard tt
many public policies. 1t is unfortu
nate for the democratic party that he
and his friends call all men his enc
mics who oppose him, no matter how
many wounds they have received il
battle, or how long they have faith
fully worked for the people.
1t is my impression that Senate
Harris has not always treated mi
Justly, but / have charity enough tt
suppose that he may have thought h,
was right--and to forgive him. If
knew he had wilfully done me
a thousand wrongs, my personal in
juries would never be avenged at tn
expense of the people. If he is tn
best man let him be reelected. N
man can truthfully say that / hav
ever betrayed public trust, or hav
, ever gone back on public promise
or ever been false to the people.
claim the right to think for myself
and to oppose the policies and aspira
tions of public men when l thinl
them wrong. 1t is not right or demo
cratic for them or their satellites t
proclaim me an enemy, and to com
5 bine to destroy me.
Sd. On my part let the facts speak
f | served with Harris in Congress fOu
5 years, and / was his friend. vote
for him for Governor in 1857 and 1855
) In the year 1886, when appointment
,rnro ,,o6a for Sopotor Harris RI or