Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-06-25
Col. Patterson Fails to Explain.

OOls EaLLer6On rams 70 Explhlus
Col. Patterson, being announced to
speak here on Tuesday, June "a, the
LEAF-CHRoNICLE put to him some
simple. plain questions, published in
Mondays issue of the daily, which
the people whose suffrage he is ask
ing had right to ask him, and which
matters, in justice to himself, he
should have explained, and we take
1t that he or any other candidate rest
ing under such charges would have
answered il there was any explana-
tion 10 be made, but he refused. The
fact is they are plain matters of rec
ord, as shown by the House Journal,
and Col. Patterson stands convicted
Of every charge, not only by the
records, but by his silence under
such circumstances. He cannot plead
ignorance, for he was presented with
copy of the paper with the
questions marked and read them.
Instead of answering he failed to re-
fer to the State bank depositOrs' bill,
in any way as he has done in his
speeches at all other places, and
hoped ON to the sub treasury bill
for the first time he said, that he had
mentioned it, denouncing the scheme
in the bitterest terms and closing his
speech in woe-begone sort of way,
saying that if the people liked him
and his ways they could vote for
him if they wanted to, and If they
did not, they could let it alone that
he was independent any way, and
such like talk.
AS to the first question, we cared
but little whether he answered or
not, as that matter is settled and peo-
pie fully understand that he was to
receive contingent. The other
two questions, as to how he served
his constituency when a member
of the Legislature, are grave issues
and are the questions upon which
the LEAF-CHRONICLE's opposition
to Col. Patterson is based, and we
did hope there was some explana-
ton which would remove this objec.
ton. But his evasion implies con-
Viction of guilt. The question now
is, II Col. Patterson served a wealthy
corporation while member of the
Legislature, instead of the people,
putting jobs against the tax payers,
would he not do the same thing as
governor of the State, where his OPP
portunIties would be greater? If
this kind of legislation put up by
Col. Patterson is not downright cor
ruption, then it becomes him to ex-
plain what il is.
We repeat here the questions put
to him, as published in Mondays
daily, that the public may fully I'M
derstand their meaning, in view of
his refusal to answer:
Col. Patterson
denies that he lobbied for the pas
sage of the Tennessee bank deposit
tors bill, but admits that he did
work for its passage as an employed
attorney, and says he believes it is
just debt against the State. Now,
will Col. Patterson state whether or
not he ever received fee for his
services? Ii not, was he promised
fee, and if so was it to be paid in so
many dollars, or was it a contingent
fee to be paid in certain proportion
of the amount recovered? viii he
explain how it was that the Pullman
Palace Car Company was relieved of
the privilege tax of $50 per car and
the amount reduced to $50 a year as
tax against the company, covering
the privilege for all the cars run in
the State, losing the State $500
year at the time he was in the Leg
islature? Col. Patterson was chair
man of a special House committee
on revenue and privileges, and this
matter went through his hands.
Also, he may explain how 1t was
that he happened to leave the whole
sale whisky dealers out of the privi-
lege assessment bill, which was
as plainly in the comptroller's list as
was the retail whisky dealers and
other merchants taxed, this being |
the only item overlooked by the
committee, and was interlined by
motion before the House. These are
matters that weigh somewhat here,
and we give MIR. Patterson chance
to explain. If he can do so satisfac-
torily il may help his cause very
much in this county.
Col. Paltersen's record Will be
found IN the House Journal of 1888,
pages 346-375, 42s, s72, and shows
very clearly how he would have
saved the wholesale whisky dealers
about 100000 a year by release Of
taxation had his bill passed with this
item unnoticed. )