Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-20
Josiah Patterson Refuses to Lie Down
and Be Walked On.
BUT Mr., WASHINGTON SURRENDERED
A Hot Campaign Arouses the
Whole State.
P r o B A B L Z r E S U L r
Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.

advocates of the gold standard in TcnneS-
see. In the sixth district Joseph E. Wash
ington, who now represents 1t in Congress.
withdrew from the contest for the demo-
cratic nomination the ground that he
is not in accord with the platform OF the
democratic party adopted at Chicago.
Mr.. John Wesley Gaines of Nashville. who
looks something like William Mckinley,
Napoleon and that stripe Of men. has OBJ
tanned the domination. He is an uncom-
promising free silver man. and there is
large element of sound money people in
Nashville the republicans the sound mon
ey democrats and some Of the populists
may combine against him. The chances
are, however. that Gaines will be elected.
EnIoe's Fight.
A hot contest between s:lverites in the
eighth congressional district has just been
decided in favor of 7. w. Sims over ex
Congressman B. A. Enloe. the editor of the
Nashville Sun. Mr.. Enloe made consider
able reputation in Congress in connection
with pension Investigations, and he repre-
scented the people of the eighth district for
several terms Four years ago he was
elected to Congress by q plurality of lis
votes. and two years ago he was defeated
by republican-populist nominee. His re-
moval to Nashville is regarded as having
affected his chances of receiving the nomi-
tween him and Sims has been bitter one
and Enloe charges that the returns We're
forged in the interest Of his opponent. A;
the meeting of the democratic executive
committee yesterday a great many afii-
davits were read to prove fraud, but the
committee declared Sims the nominee by a
majority Of 672 over Enoe. The republi-
can candidate in this district will he the
present incumbent, John +. Mccall. A
very close contest is promised in Novem-
Der, as the democratic candidates for the
court OF chancery appeals carried the dis
trict in the recent election by a narrow
majority.
There is also an inf1amed contest in the
seventh district between Congressman y.
n Cox and w. c. Whitthorn, state sena-
tor. Both are ardent silver men, and both
claim the nomination. The settlement of
their conflicting claims will have to BE- left
to convention.
In the third district Judge John A Moon
of Chattanooga received the democratic
nomination unanimously, but he will have
a hard task to carry the district.
Josiah Patterson's Position.
II the tenth district the sound mocey
democrats are making a vigorous fight
Mr.. Josiah Patterson has taken an exactly
opposite stand from Congressman Wash
inSton. -Four years ago the national de-
mocracy adopted sound money platform
which was not In accord with the views of
the silver men. ON that platform Mr.
Y
ably opposed to the free coinage OF silver,
was elected. Nearly every application for
office madc to Col. Patterson came from
free silver men, He did not draw the line
upon them on account of their financial
views.
Col. Patterson seems to think that If these
gentlemen could apply to sound money
Congressman to secure offices for them
from sound money President, and remain
in the party fighting for free silver against
the administration and the platform, there
is no reason why he should not he can
didate for the democratic nom!na ton.
though not in accord with the Chcag plat
form IT, say the friends of Patterson,
Senator Harris could with propriety fight
within the democratic party for free silver
why should not he with equal proprety
fight within the party for sound money?
Strong Opposition.
On this ground Col Patterson has de-
clined to lie down and allow himself to be
promenaded upon by the silverites. But
the opposition to him is very aggressive.
and it requires some very skrewd guessing
to say who will be the next Congressman
from this district. There are four counties
in this congressional district. The largest
of these. Shelby, has a populat ton of H.
74o, while the other three, Hardeman Tip
ton and Fayette, combined have popula-
ton of only 74,17S. AS Shelby has three
fifths of the population she has nearly al
ways had the naming of a congressional
nominee, but In the gubernatoriaI election
of two years ago the democrats of this
county, apprehending no danger to party
nominees, did not turn out, and a very
small vote was cast.
The last state convention. taking this
vote as a basis reduced Shclby's Dropor-
ton Of delegates below that of Upton
county, SO that if convention should be
held in this district on that apportionment,
Shelby, with three-fifths of the populat ion
would have only about one-fourth of the
representation In the convention. 1t is as
serted that this thing was fixed up a,
Nashville by the enemies of Col. Patterson
for the purpose of freezing him out.
Primary Machinery.
The custom has been here to hold pr-
maries in the counties, and the candidate
having the majority Of all the votes cast
became the nominee. The anti-Patterson
men resolved to change this and have a
convention. To do this, however, it was
necessary to change one of the members
of the congressional committee In this
committee Shelby county had elected two
members who are Patterson men. Upton
and Hardenlan had elected two who are
opposed to Patterson. while Fayette county
had contest. A returning board decided
that Patterson had received the congress
sional nominal ton. and also passed upon
the election of committeeman. On the face
Of the returns from Fayette John Green
Hendon was elected committeeman. but his
opponent, a DR.. Albright, claimed that the
votes of two Of the precincts had miscarrIed,
and that they would show that he had re-
ceived n majority of the votes cast. The
returning board, by unanimous vote, de-
cided the contest in favor of Hendon, who
is a Patterson man.
When the congressional committee met
a short tine ago the silver men revived this
contest. The chairman of the committee
decided that the contest was already Set
tied, and he refused to reopen it. 1t was
a very lively session of the committee. and
the free silver men, who were present in
large unbers. were very indignant. The
result was that the two committeeman
from Upton and Hardeman counties got
together with Albright and they elected two
committeeman for Shelby county, and have
ordered q convention. while the original
committee, following the custom, have or
dered a primary.
Red-Headed Hotspur.
Col. Patterson has offered himself as a
candidate before the primary and Mr.. l..
W. Carmack Is a candidate before the con-
vention. Mr.. Carmack is young and red
headed. and he believes that free silver is
the cure-all for the nations woes He is
an oratorical Hotspur, and when he gets
before a free silver audience he sweeps
them like prairie fire. He is one Of the
;,-%o :,,