Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-15
TENNESSEE POLITICS
REPRESENTATIVE GIBSON TALKS
OF THE SITUATION.
Says the Democrats Have overreached
Themselves and the State May Pos
sibly Go Republican.

Representative Gibson of Tennessee talked
Interestingly to a Star reporter today In re-
lation to the political situation in his state
and of the prospects of large republican
gains in the coming fall elections
In outlining the condition which he be-
lieves is making for an increase of repub-
Hcan votes Mr.. Gibson said:
'If every man in Tennessee. twenty-one
years of age and over could vote, that
state would be republican by 600Oo ma
jority. The democratic party realizing this,
have adopted various devices to disfran-
chse the republican vote.
'In the first place 1t may be said that
large majority of the wealth of the state Is
in democratic hands. In order: to avail
themselves of this fact they passed law
requiring every man to prepay MS poll tax
before voting But finding that this did
not disfranchse enough men after secur ;ng
the state for them, they adop,ed another
provision under which the governor IS en-
powered to name the registration ana elec-
ton commissions. The uniform rule IS TO
place on the registration ana eiectluLl
boards two corrupt and partisan democrats
and one dummy republican. Under the ao-
ministration of these boards a great many
republicans are either refused registra ation
or misregistered so as to De alsIrancil1seu
in either event The election boards select
Judges and clerks Who as rule, are cor
rupt partisan democrats or non-representa- :
tive republicans. These election officers IN
many counties pay absoluteiy no a.'eaie,ui' n,n,.
to the ballots cast but deliberately repo. !
sufficient majorites to enable the democfats
to carry the election.
Afraid Of Republican Ascendancy.
"so ,pnrehensive are they of republican
ascendancy that not only do they work the
election machinery with the sole object IN
view of securing democratic ascendancy,
but have so gerrymandered the state that
II Is impossible for the republicans to get
control of the legislature. The last feglSia-
tive apportionment in willful and corrupt
violation of the express letter OF Inc ton-
stitution. denied d large NUMBER OF fepup-
lican counties the county REPRESENTATION
granted them by the Constitution. and gave
A large number of democratic counties
a larger representation than was warrant
ed by the constitution.
Democrats Disguised.
But justice. like hope. springs eternal IN
the human breast and many thousands OF
democrats, disgusted and indignant at this
corrupt and despotic deprivation of the
rights of their fellow citizens, are organ
izing in order to overthrow the so-called
democrat tic machine, and the defeat of Nc
Millin has been brought about by the hon
est elements of the democratic patty. NC
Millin has used this corrupt dsmocratc
machine expressly, as he thought, to secure
his election to the Senate over senator
Bate. But the republicans and honest DEM
ocrats, joining with the Bate men. have
raised storm that is sweeping McMiliinism
into defeat and is badly shattering his po-
Htical machine.
I'VE have county elections throughout the
state next August, and it is early to fore
cast the result of the above condition OF al
fairs in the county elections. But there are
many indications that the democratic Or
ganiza tion will receive solar peSus blow.
and ii such should be the fact. the chances
are that the republicans will make large
gains in the legislature, will gain two or
three congressman and probably elect their
governor, and. it may be, give the state to
the republican candidate for the presl-
dency."
Mr. Gibson was asked who the democrats
of Tennessee really want to have the NOM
inatio at the St. Louis convention.
''The democrats of our state" he replied,
"are for anybody to win whether 1t is Par
ker, Cleveland or the devil Either of those
three will have the enthusiastic support OF
the democratic machine of Tennessee
Mr.. Gibson believes that Senator Bate will
be reelected to the Senate over the Nc
Millin opposition.