The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-08-12
P1ERoE ExPLA1Ns ~.
Was Defeated by Garrett Because
Of Long Service.

cA~ AhANiCSN mas DINu HlduilGSlCu no
only over all Of Tennessee, but II
other States, as to why Hon. Rice
A. Pierce, after fourteen years in
Congress, was defeated by his op-
ponent, FINS ]. Garrett, In the re.
cent Congressional primary, your
correspondent decided to get the
views of Mr. Pierce as to the causes
which led to his defeat by an al
most unprecedented majority.
"Mr Pierce, said the newspaper
man, "the press, not only of Ten
nessee. but of several other States,
is surprised at the decisive defeat
you have received at the hands of
FINS j Garrett, of Dresden, which
deprived you of your eighth term in
the lower house of Congress, and l
shall be pleased, if you have no OBJ
jections, to tell me tor the benefit
of the readers of the papers l rep
resent, to what you owe your de-
teat?"
"My defeat, answered Mr. Pierce,
''is simply owing to my long term
in Office. Four years ago Joseph E.
tones, of Dresden, who was my OPP
ponent at that time, made his fight
against me solely on the ground
that ] had held the Office long
enough. My record in Congress
was not assaulted, but the voters
were told that had been Attorney
General eight years, and had, in
addition to that, received $4,000
for my services as Representative
for my FIVE terms in the Lower
House; that it was time be turned
out. But the voters at that time
did not see it that way, and went
back to Congress for my sixth term.
Two years later / had as my oppo-
nent Dorsey o. Thomas, of Hay.
wood, and Dorsey made his fight on
the same grounds-that l had held
the Office long enough. This kind
of logic began to bear fruit, and
when my honorable opponent and
successor, Finis ]. Garrett, began
to battle for the Office on the same
grounds, the farmers, who had al
ways been my strongest supporters,
concluded that others after my Off
cial scalp were right, and so Mr..
Garrett received their support. /
held my own in the towns, but the
farmers defeated me, believing, as
they had right to believe, that l
had held the position long enough.
4 am proud to say that none of my
opponents assailed my record as a
national law. maker, and that ] was
defeated solely on the belief OF ro-
tation in Office"
How about John Sharp Williams
CIRCULAR" ventured the reporter.
Il knew nothing about it, posi-
lively asserted Mr.. Pierce, until l
saw it in the columns of the Mem
phis Morning News the day before
the election. ! did not know that
my friend, James Upton, of Hay
wood, had written to him. or that
he lad received reply until l saw
the letter in the paper have men,
toned, just the day before the cleo
ton"
From what your opponents say"
suggested the scribe, "you have
been holding Office from time inn
memorial and must be bordering on
your three score and ten
Pierce laughed in his well-known
way, and replied:
II was SIS years of age the third
of last July, and when | was first
elected to the Office of Attorney
| was just three years the
junior of Mr.. Garrett-that is, I
mean three years younger than
Garrett is now, and when | went
into my first Congress, the Forty
eighth, was three years older than
Mr.. Garrett is now |
"Would you mind stating, Mr..
Pierce" asked the interviewer,
''what your future intentions are,
now that the people have seen fit to
relegate you to private life, believ-
ing that you have fed at the public
crib long enough?'
The crib doesn't bother me, :"
laughed the Congressman, 'for
have served my district to my finan-
rial loss, for the salary have re-
ceived as Congressman would not
equal what has been lost to me in /
the way of practice, which though,
has been carefully looked after by {
my partner, while was in Wash :