The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-08-02
BUcuANAN's WITHDRAWAL.

BUCHASAN'S WITHDRAWAL.
Gov. Buchanan has withdrawn
from the contest for denomination.
His letter of withdrawal sets forth at
length the reasons which "impel"
him to the act. 1t is EOre-head doc
ument from beginning to end, and II
we read rightly between the lines 1t
means that he is in the mood for an
independent race.
He repeats some of the cardinal
principles OF Democracy and declares
that in former days all who ad'Isred
60 them were recognized as good DEM
ocrats regardless of their differences
on what he is pleased to term minor
points of policy, but iutimates that
those days have departed. and by inn
plication, argues that the party in
Tennessee is no longer the friend and
champion OF the masses against the
'ftyrant, autocrat and bigOt.' He
puts all the virtues OF Democracy i'll
the past tense and points to no signs
OF promise in the future. His reasons
for joining the Farmers Alliance and
his adherence to it are set forth at
length. He declares that he has seen
no cause to alter his views OF its
character since his connection with
it began. In fact this is the point
which his letter most emphasizes.
He makes no distinction between
Democratic Alliancemen and Third
party Allianeemen. We must infer
from the tone OF his letter that he
sees nothing undemOcratic in the
doctrines of the Third party Alliance
men. He declares that he has been
true to both the Democratic party
and the Alliance, yet he laments the
decadence OF Democracy and exalts
the political demands of the Alliance.
All this is aside from personal con-
siderations in the contest.
When he comes to this he makes
the charges against the friends of
Judge Turney which have been re-
peated so often during the contest by
the Buchanan forces.
Judge Turney's friends are accused
of using the party machinery fol per-
sonal and factional advantage and OF
driving Democrats out of the party
by exacting pledges from them at the
primaries TO which they could not
reasonably subscribe.
These charges have been disproved
too often to need refutatiOn again al
this time and place. The only pledge
that the Turney men have exacted ii
that they who vote in the gubernato'
rial primaries should promise to sup
port the nominee. The only use tC
which the party machinery has beer
put is to carry out the principles o.
pure Democracy. The trouble will
Buchanan is that he is more Of al
Ocalaite than he is Democrat.
When he chose to train with tina
wing of the Alliance it was impossi
BILE for him to be true to both then
and his party. One or the other mus
he sacrificed, because OcsIaism anC
Democracy are as far apart as thu
poles. The question for all thes'
months has been, which will he dis
card? His clam policy has prevented
until now a definite answer to TIN
question. We had hoped that h'
would finally cut loose from Mellow
ell and his gang and declare TO
straight Democracy, but that hop
seems now to have vanished. w
might still cherish it if his disGrun
Element took the form of personal re
sentiment instead of expressing a wan
of confidence in the party: but as i
is, the conviction is strong upon u
that he will take the field against tn
straight Democracy and it's nominee
whose name will be Pete Turney.
We have no fears of the result
whatever course he may take.