The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-06-30
TENNESSEE'S SENIOR SENATOR

Il W. Carmack IS one or the most |
brilliant men IN the United States |
Senate, one OF the most accomplished, !
and ole of the ablest. 1t would have |
been we'll for the Democratic party of
the whole country and fol the state
of Tennessee particularly If this man
had been given a reelection without
contest, as would have been the case
had he been a Republican and resided
in any Republican state OF the Union.
He is not as great man as lsnam y.
Harris or Andy Johnson; but, with
the exception of these two. he is the
foremost Senator Tennessee has nad
since Felix Grundy OF Hugh l.. White.
do not believe Tennessee has another
man who wouli give SpOoner or Lodge
as much trouble as CaImack gives
them. He Is an intrepid debater,
scorns quarter from an adversary, and
has none for an opponent. 1t is an
evidence of convlctlOns-an evidence
that the man believes In what he
breaches, and that is a great thing,
even In United States Senator.
Ii is TO be regretted that Senator
CaImack agIt cd to leave the decision
of his candidacy to primary. This
is not the method of choosing United
States Senators contemplated by the
trainers of the Federal Constitution.
1t is contrary to the Federal idea. l
know that nearly eIypody believes
in il there times, and that there is
almost eIsal demand for it; but
the truth is that the fathers conIem-
plated, and so provided, that Senators
should be chosen by the selected agents
of communities equal In numerical
strength. The Senate was to be de-
Lucrative body and Senators were to
be chosen by deliberatlve bodies. That
is why the Senate, for more than a
century, has teen the greatest leglsla-
: five body on earth. When Senators
shall ne chosen by direct vote the
Senate Will degenerate and go down,
3 down, down. Senators Will no longer
r represent sovereign states; they will ne
the product of irresponsible and
+. whimsical mobs.
1t is said that Carrnack and Bob lay
Tor will 90 on the stump and appeal TO
: the grourdllngs, and if they do it will be
worth a long journey to hear joint de
bate between them. The last time Bob
participated In that sort of thing be had
his brother, ALT Taylor, for an adverse
nv. Carmack Is a very different order
of man, and there will not be single
r blank cartridge in his locker the day he
takes the field-not suspicion of opera
bouffs 10 anything he says or anything
be does. That is why the Democratic
. party is going to reap no benefit from
Is campaign between them. Bob Laughed
y Alf's platitudes off the stump. Car
A mack's sarcasms are sterner stun, ant
% while the auderce may laugh at them
y | doubt of Bob does. / never saw Spoon.
l: = err or Lodge laugh at one OF them,tnougl
- the galleries enjoyed them immensely.
y The logical thing from the standpoln
~ of the practical politician would be al
40 alliance between those two; but senate
Bates untimely death defeated that ex
pectation. The Governor snatched IN
=. old mans toga before Bob or Bento
m McMlllin could say "Jack Robinson
III A Pennsylvania boss could not hay
taken or given a senatofsnip WIN nor
- disnatcb or with DETER manipulation
: Before Benton could raise his voice
4 warning against the tariff barons, bf
fore Rob had tuned his fiddle to the II
apitinp strains of the "Mess o. Chicl
ens'' the Governor had the senatorshl
in pawn, and as soon as they got the Of
hero buried, enabled the senatorsnl
down. The term does not expire unit
l. 1911. and hence that reduced Bob TO u
necessity OF trying conclusions VII
| Carmack-and very cruel dispensi
ton of fate it wac. 1t is forlorn mol
and Bob loves to have the scabbard I
main by his side when he draws Il
sword. Carmack's sword never nj
scabbard. 1t ls q perfectly useless ira
in the Carmack estimation.
| am sorry they left the decision to
primary, and sorry that they are gon
In Joint discussion. Tennessee 10
| greater state and has more intellige
| people than when "lean" Jimmy Jon
| and James X. Polk made their two ca
vases for Governor. In those days {
people depended upon stump orators
instruct them, and so they did yea
later, when Andy jackson made the
two historic campaigns-one agar
Gustavus A. Henry and the OH
agar st Meredith P. Gentry. In the
DAYS It was necessary for the public m
to appear to the people from the STUN
| but in our day one newspaper, such
/ that E. w. W. Carmack made wien
was an editor, will make more pub
| oninion than all the stump orators
Tennessee.
Benton McMillin seems to have co
pletely dropped out, and it Is pity. /
the man would not lot we'll enough alo
His place was the House of Represen
| tiyes, and he had life lease on his Sc
Just when he was most needed there
left it to go chasing after the Senatorsh
Tennessee had two Senators whom eve
body but Benton knew would die s.
ators. It would have been well for \
MiIlin bad he recognized this fact, as T
TAYLOR did. and waited for the heav
created vacancy. But he would mob
that and that is why he is undone Ag
he took the wrong road to the Senate
sneak generally-Gov. Frazier is an
ception. Ordinarily it is nearer the Sen
from the House of Representatives Il
II is from the Governor s Mansl
- Frazier was aided by exceptional and
urus nortune circumstances. Had the
s. man died when Benton was Govern
q Benton would have been Senator.
would Bon, if the vacancy had occur
when he was Governor. McMillin nj
the fatal mistake of reaching out for
old mans toga before he was throl
with it. Tennessee resented it. t
Benton remained in Congress it is
together likely that not even Frai
L. g. al a