The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1902-11-20
Cy Lyle ON His own Defeat.

Cy Lyle, just as we thought he
would, has spoken his mind, but not
quite so freely or in the unequiyocal
language we had expected. To refresh
the minds of our readers bit we will
lead up to the selection below printed
from Mr.. Lyle's paper, the Johnson
City Comet. Some time ago it devel-.
oped that Congressman Brownlow had
overdone the boss business in the First
district, and the republican DETECTION
was so great and so palpably in earnest
that certain honest and faithful demo-
Gratis conceived the idea of running q
candidate against him. AS q result the
brilliant editor of the Johnson City
Comet was nominated. Mr.. Lyle went
into the fight in good faith; devoted
time and money to the campaign, and
there are those who believe that he
would have been elected but for the
trickery of certain alleged democratic
leaders who had axes of their own to
grind and who did not want to disturb
the Brownlow machine. AS a conse-
quence Mr.. Lyle was defeated badly
in one county, Sullivan, securing only
80 majority, while the democratic can
didate for state senator received ma
jority of something like 1000.
Naturally Mr.. Lyle didn't feel alto
gether comfortable over the result, al
though he seems to have been entirely
too good-natured about it. We have
several times wondered what he would
have to say, and while we are somewhat
disappointed that his remarks were not
more categorically directed to the ex-
plotting of names and facts and figures,
yet what he has to say, read between
the lines, is quite pointed and not alto
gether without significance. He says
We take our vote to mean that the
people consider us too valuable as q
citizen to send to Washington. They
prefer that we stay here, and now, il
they will make our staying easy by
paying up their subscriptions, all will
be well. Having been of service to oul
8 friends elsewhere as swapping stock
we are satisfied to be defeated if w
could be the means of electing ont
democratic senator, aud we are only
sorry we could not make it two. W,
y don't believe that all men are liars, bu
we do believe that some men are politi
clans, and the difference is in favor o
the liars. We have not been fooled
o moment by the politicians in our race
We knew we were going up against
t double-header as it were-the organi
cation of two parties-and are not at al
surprised at the result. We woul
rather be defeated by such machine
+ than elected by them, and we got on
o preference. Our experience has bee
pleasant, and we shall never forget th
, good people we have met and the treat
ment received. The next time we rul
for office we want to cover the state lik
mortgage. We like the way they vot
: in Middle and West Tennessee best.
We admire Mr.. Lyle and we believ
r he has the right sort of stuff in him.
he is the man we take him to be we fee
sure that we have seen the end of tn
r "double- header" political ring, a CON
- promise of Brownlow and certain sc
called democratic politicians, and whic
Il has made democratic success in tn
}. First congressional district impossible
Mr.. Lyle talks straight when he says
|. call men are not liars, but some me
e are politicians and the difference is i
+ favor Of the liars" While this charac
. terization is bit sweeping and doub
less applies with great aptitude an
force to the particular brand Of polit
clans Mr.. Lyle had in mind while b
was writing. Now let Mr.. Lyle use hi
. influence and his paper to exposing th
y class he has in mind, just as The Cha
% tanooga Times has done, regardless {
their party utilization, and we may e1
pect better things hereafter from th
l. First district. Chattanooga Times.