The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-10-26
Columbia, Tenn, Oct. %, 1905.
Capt. w. c. Webb,
Linden, Tenn,

duuiSSS YOU lHlS leJLer IN the n0pt
that your expressed purpose to becom,
a candidate for the position of State
Senator from this district notwith
standing the action of the Democratic
Convention, is not irrevocable, anC
that you might be persuaded to with
draw your announcement to that eff
feet. l shall make this letter public
for the reason that it is q matter that
concerns the public. and the public
should fully understand the situation
whatever may be your action.
In the first place allow me to say
that contrary to my usual course
have taken an active part in the can
vass for the selection of candidates
for both the House and Senate on &C
count of the fact that the temperance
question has been so deeply involved
Immediately upon learning of your
selection by Perry County as it's choice
for the position of State Senator ]
satisfied myself by writing, and per.
sonal inquiry and from the public press
over the signature of men know, that
your moral character was unexception-
able, and that your attitude so far as
the whiskey question is involved was
also satisfactory so far as known. /
at once became an advocate for your
nomination by the Democratic Conven-
ton to be called for that purpose.
continued to earnestly and sincerely
support your claims until / became
convinced beyond a question that the
further agitation of your claims would
produce division il our party ranks,
that would Interrupt the existing har-
mony and might imperil the cause
which was so dear to my heart. also
became convinced that a delegation
favorable to your candidacy could not
be selected, and that even if it could
be secured that a split would be inevi-
table and an Independent from this
County would take the field, who by
combination of the saloon vote and
the disaffected members of the party
might possibly defeat the ticket.
/ believe that if YOU had been as
deeply concerned as ourselves, and
had been entirely disinterested, look
ing alone to the interest of the party
and the success of the movement en-
gaging our attention, you would have
acted as the Convention did. You
would not, as party man, in the face
of so determined an opposition, have
nominated a man whose nomination
itself, invited disco-d and strife, so
long as other men not Objectionable
could be named, ard this regardless
of the character of objections which
might be hade to the proposed candi-
date. / do not attempt to justify the
grounds of objection which were
urged against you; that is not ma
terial injury; it did not involve your
honor as a man. 1t may have been as
you no doubt insist and believe, an
unreasonable prejudice which should
have been buried in the past. But you
must admit that even after your selec-
ton by Perry County you never came
prominently before the people of
Maury County, to give them an oppor-
tunity to see and know something of
the character of the man they were
expected to support Your first APP
pearance in a public way was at the
very convention which was to make
the nomination. You did nothing to
counterfeit any unfounded prejudice
which might exist. You must be
aware of the fact that there does exist
throughout this section, rightly or
wrongly, a deep seated prejudice
against the particular command with
which you served in the Union Army
during the Civil War, and that many
charges have been brought against this
command, the memory of which still
soldier element are still influenced by
these facts. You may call this preju-
dice and unreasonable If you will. /
am ready to believe there was nothing
in your personal corduct that merits
blame, but be that as it may the pres
ence of this opposition of an intense
nature was manifest II the demo
cratic party had refused to heed the
protests of this element, it would sim |
ply have invited defeat, and by all
rules of party management would have |
deserved it.
Now / wish to state that so far as /
/ heard there was not an objection |
made to you on the ground merely
that you were from Perry County, and
had this other objection not existed, do
not believe your nomination would