The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1896-10-08

TilIman and His Charges.

When George Newton Tillman was
nominated by the republican party for
the high Office of Governor of Tennes-
see, the people of Nashville who know
Mr.. Tillman, with seeming unanimity
expressed the conviction that the cam
paign that would ensue would be a
clean fight on the issues dividing the
two great parties. Everybody of course
understood that the honor came to Mr..
lillman because he happened to be the
fortunate possessor of "barrel," and
not by reason of any party service, for
it isn't in the Tillman streak to get into
politics except when Tillman is a
candidate But he was looked upon
as a man of responsibility and lawyer
of fair powers, who disliked politics be-
cause he was 'too nice"
Now it seems that people hereabouts
were deceived in their estimate of Mr..
Tillman. The campaign he has inaugu-
rated is the most disgraceful this state
has ever known. Nobody is more sur
prised than his acquaintances in Nash
vile. He has eschewed all discussion
of the issues of the day, and confines
himself to vicious, malevolent and false
TRADES against his opponent. He has
been digging into musty records with
nose distended for foul odor, and appe-
tite whetted for slime wherewith to
besmirch the character of his competi-
tor. His task, to a man of ordinary
decency, would have been q fruitless
one. But not so with Mr.. Tillman.
Finding nothing to serve arotten egg
purpose, he set to work to addle some
of the facts he obtained. His process
was to take fact, dirsobe it of atten-
dant circumstances, divorce it from
truth and dash in large amount of the
vitriol Of insinuation, and in that shape
to give it to the public. There can be
no excuse, no justification for such q
course. 1t is reprehenslble it is dis
gushing to every decent citizen.
Mr.. Tillman might claim that he was
not informed when he made his first
speech. That would not excuse him,
for no candidate has the right to make
false statements about an opponent,
and especially is such practice to be
condemned when facts are so easy of
access. But charitably presuming
that Mr.. Tillman when he opened his
campaign didn't know better that he
was in dense ignorance of the untold
truth surrounding thestatements which
he made in the form of charges, he was
soon enlightened. At Knoxville he re-
peated his little Shiny piece and was
called down by Gov Taylor, who then
and there denounced the charges as
absolute falehoods. Yet Mr.. Tillman
is reiterating day by day the same
charges with the same suppression Of
truth.
He charges Gov. Taylor with the Law
I creating back tax attorneys. AS a mat
ter of fact the law was passed by re
publican legislature in 1882 and signet
by a republican governor. In 1887 |
republican attorney of Nashville drew
an amendment to the law and it wa
fathered by republicans in the hous
and senate.
He charges that Bob Taylor was az
pointed back tax attorney for Hamilton
county in 1891, thathe never gave bont
and that of $4,000 turned over to hin
for collection he only accounted TO
81, 800. This looks like an assault Of
Gov. Taylor's integrity. The facts ar
that Gov. Taylor was in law partner
ship with Mr.. f. NJ. Thompson a
Chattanooga. The firm of Taylor
Thompson was appointed to collect th
back taxes. They gave bond, as tn
records of Hamilton county show
Gov. Taylor never collected one cent @
back taxes. He announced that h
would have nothing to do with collect
ing the taxes or receive any of the fees
and he did not receive one penny fror
the Office. The position was afterwar
turned over to Mr.. Powell, and ever
cent of the taxes given out for collet
4 ton was accounted for.
) Mr.. Tillman charges that Gov. TaJ
lor during his four years of Office pal
doned over 800 convicts. AS a matte
of fact, not half of these were pardone
7 from the penitentiary.
= Mr.. Tillman makes a great to d
!. about the pardoning of the Barnar
boys, and leaves the impression thu
without any cause whatever Gov. Tay
lor released them. The charge
:. further made that after their releas
:, one of the Barnard boys murdered til
y son of the man who had first bee
J killed. The fact is, that 1,5O0 or 2, 0(
= people from the county in which til
y killing took place, signed petition fC
: pardon, and in addition, four of til
= five members of the supreme court (
the state who had passed upon the cas-,
re went to Gov. Taylor and strongly re-
re commended executive clemency. VIII,
y governor could have done otherwii
., than Gov. Taylor did ? The cou
recognized the case as one of thol