The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-04-24
CORRUPT LEGISLATORS


In reviewing tne WORK Of the Legis
Iature IN last Sundays Memphis
News. George T. Fry said among
other :hings
..Put 10 pet away from the
the LOCAL situation long enough 10 take
a general look at the assembly. il must
h. stated in all caHdOr that there
/ remain hut two striking points which
will lie remembered: One of these is
the passage of the Adams bill. TO which
the eight remaining GASES in the
/ State stand out as monuments. and
/ the bare faced corruption that was
apparent in the session
1.-THE Senate attracted more atten-
tiOn than the House in this regard.
Parhars il was for this reason: that
being a smaller DOuy, the operation
could be more easily discerned. but
members of the Senate operated
through nrokers who placed their
votes on any and all questions, collected
the ready cash for their principals and
acted as the ticket agents who sold free
transportation. wrung from the rail-
roaus 1t was no uncommon thing for
man TO get for 81 ticket to Clncln-
natl or TO St. Louis. Tbe bare personal
order from a member would get the
free TRANSPORTATION and the broker sold
the tickets and divided he funds with
the nossessors of the seat in the as
sembly Petty as this scheme may
seem, il was neither new or startling
to the people at Nashville, and ITS pub
lIcation Will not make any radical
sensation in the circles where the ways
of the assembly are we'll known.
SIN the matter of vote selling the
practice was much on the same order.
One broker handled in well known
instance two of the Senate. He placed
their votes like he would have done an
insurance policy and the only thing
needed to make the deal complete, so
far as the public is concerned is to get
positive evidence on points upon
which noral assurance needs no fur
Their proof
1T cost the two pool rooms at Nash
Vile 81. 600 to save their heads from
felony bill; il cost the Cumberland
Telephone Company the Lord only
knows how much the Pullman Com
pany came IN for good sum; the In
surauce companies were also held up
for the fat of the hour AMI many local
measures from various parts OF the
State carried with the use of money, |
some of which came from the people
who had bills haillng from Memphis.
Is it not shame that such things
can be said of the highest law making |
body of the StateT What a sad COM
nentary it is upon the pepole! And
what does 1t show? 1t shows to what |
DEGRADATION public morals have come.
1t shows how for the erstwhlile limo
cent practice of buying the negro
vote at the polls has spread. First
nobody thought of buying white
mans vote it was only the negro.
Then the white folks got to selling,
and now the representatives.
These charges-w which we have
little doubt are substantially true,
should be Investigated and proven
if possible. ana some OF these bride
giyers and bride takers scoundrels in
high places-sent to the pententiary.
Otner states are putting their like
b hind the bars; why should not Ten
nesseeY
Since so much has been said and
done recently in the name and for the
good of the party. would it not be
wise and well for the Governor, and
his chief advisor Chairman Thompson,
to inquire into these charges ana
indicate this democratic legislature
for the sake of the party? If the Gov
ernor and the Chairman, VINO
were SO solicltous lest temperance legls-
latlon should go so far as to lnJure the
"partee, - would show like zeal in in
vestigating these ugly rumors, they
might purity the political atmosphere
greatly, by either indicating the in
nocent or prosecuting the guilty.
But has Tennessee Governor with
the back bone to do that?