The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-08-19
IN DEFENSE OF AN OFFICIAL.

luC oLdlC IDS lIOSlllFClJ hCNldl g
that he did not say certain things
respect for his office, if no other
consideration, ought to end the
controversy. An alleged telegram
from Knoxville to the Chattanooga
Times last Wednesday morning
quoted Attorney General Gates as
having advised voters and election
officers to carry guns to the polls,
if they were of a mind to do so, in
the county election of Thursday.
The News, assuming that this
telegram was true, referred to the
matter as bad advice to come from
the highest law officer of the State.
Attorney General Gates declared
next day that he said nothing that
could have been construed into such
advice, and asked The News to
give him the benefit of this denial.
This we gladly did, and in addition
stated that we accepted General
Gates denial as conclusive that he
had been misrepresented.
The Chattanooga Times of Sun
day, after General Gates had said
over his signature that the report
that hat he had given such incendiaTy
advice wac falsse, continued to treat
the matter as fact and entered up
on a column of wholesale abuse OF
that official. He was charged by
implication with melting riot, con-
doning fraud and of prostituting
the Office of Attorney General to
mean partisan ends.
All of this after Attorney Gene
raj Gates had denounced the origi-
nal publication in the Chattanooga
Times as false.
We submit that this is mean
and unwarranted attack on the
Attorney General of the State. 1t
seems to be continuance of plot
formed in Knoxville among his en-
einies to injure him in the eyes of
the people of the State. The tele-
gram to the Chattanooga Times
was a slandcrous thing. 1t was
deliberate attempt on the part of
some one to misrepresentM Mr. Gates,
and no newspaper should lend Its
columns to such base purpose
Sometimes newspaper is imposed
upon by correspondent IN matters
of this kind, but the imposition is
easily rectifed if that paper has
the fairness to mete out exact JUS
tice to all men. After the papers
attention has been called to such a
misrepresentation, and it then de-
clines to make the amende honora-
BILE, its action becomes infamous.
In this whole affair we are we'll
satisfied that Attorney General
Gates has been done an injustice.
We are as we'll satisfied that he did
not advise the carrying of guns to
the polls as we are that his faction
was defeated in that election. Ger
tainly the people of Tennessee will
give the Attorney General of the
State full credit on his word if the
Chattanooga Times will not.
Attorney General Gates is a man
of fine ability and his integrity, so
far as we are aware, has never be-
fore been brought into question.
He is a popular man with those who
know homogeneous to his friends
and uncompromisjng with enemies.
The same political sect that is fight
ing him now in Knox county OPP
posed him when he became a candi-
date for Attorney General. Failing
in their efforts to defeat him they
have been giving him all the trouble
possible since his election. BY rea-
son of his position as leader of the
Democracy of Knox county, he has
incurred the special hostility of the
''insurgents" and their Republican
allies in that county. He has been
traduced, misrepresented and SLAM
dered by men who do not pay for
the space they occupy on the face
of the earth. These ISLANDERS and |
Misrepresentation do him no dam
age at home where he is known and |
appreciated, but if allowed to go
uncorrected and unexplained they
are calculated to injure him in other
portions of the State, where he may
be known only as the Attorney Gen
eral of Tennessee.
If a man occupying the Office of
Attorney General of great State
is corrupt, or if he habitually does
things that are calculated to bring
his Office into contempt, it is not