The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-05-01

4uccuO4-
IF the Republicans should put q
strong TEN oeranee plank in their plat
form. and the Democrats should remain
silent upon the question. which party
w0uld You vote WITH
Both the senators replied that they
would stay with their parity. but that
they would try and see to it that their
party was not put into any such an
attitude.
The shoe is more likely TO he on the
other foot. The temperance people
have demonstrated that they can con-
troll the Democratic party. They
controlled it in the last erection when
they were only half awake. They will
control it again in 1904. when they
will be wide awake The country.
where live the bone and sinew of the
Democratic party, as proDonncedly
strong for temperance. and they Will not
permit the whiskey ring of the cities
to dominate the party upon so important
an Issue. of the twelve senators who
voted against the Adams bill, three
were from the Memphis district, one
from Knoxville, one from Chattanooga,
one from Nashville, one from jackson
ana one from Bristol Districts domi
mated by the towns. The country
district members were nearly all for
temperance.
The liquor men, who confessedly are
looking out for an alliance with any
old thing that will save their sinking
ship, are already maSIng goo goo
eyes at the Republicans, and an al
lance along that line is altogether
PROBABLE: and if 1t is made, what
then?
The whiskey vote is not to be counted
lightly; and vet they are not nearly so
strong as they seem to think they are.
The dealers would nearly all vote to
protect their business; vote with the
party that favored them most. But the
great bulk of the democrats who
usually vote with them would cringe to
the party lash and vote for the party
nominees.
But there is yet another class to be
considered. A non partisan, floating.
purchasable class, who call themselves
one thing and another, but who really
have no party ties or political princi-
pies, and vote for the money and free
drinks. Their name is legion.
Now then suppose the National Cam
paign Committee should send $50, 900
to Tennessee just for the sake of de-
the Democratic party;
and suppose the whiskey men should
chip in $50, 900 more, what would be
the resultf Wouldn t it be doubtful
And suppose it should happen at
this critical time that half or more
of the election commissioners of the
State should be friendly to the liquor
traffic. wouldn't that make the doubt
all the more real and the danger all
the more lmminentY And there is this
danger of that happening. Nancy
Schwab, so the saying goes, is a close
and political friend of Frank
Thompson. Nancy Schwab is a wealthy
wholesale liquor dealer of Nashville,
and the Great High Chief OF the
Liquor Legion of Tennessee. Frank
Thompson is Chairman of the Demo
cratic Executive Committee of the
State, and by virtue of his office, as
well as by personal relations, stands
very close to the Governor. Hence
you see how "inadvertently" it might
happen that the liquor men would get
control of the election machinery of the
state, and then betray the Democratic
party into the hands of its ancient
enemy.
So on the whole unless the leaders
Of the party are watchful and careful
Tennessee in 1904 may be put down in
The doubtful column.