The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1906-05-11
PATTERSON

candidate for Governor OF Teunes-
see, spoke to very large audience
of Obion County citizens at Rey-
nolds Opera House last Monday
afternoon. Judge Maiden very
kindly adjourned court and he and
General Caldwell and a number OF
the bar. officers and members of the
grand jury went to the speaking.
1t was Mr.. Patterson's FIRST address
here. The gentleman is a son of
the late Josiah Patterson, who was
a we'll known Cleveland Democrat
and who served the Tenth District
in Congress with signal ability.
The elder Patterson was years ago
warm personal and political friend
of Senator Isham G. Harris, OF
Tennessee. He stumped the State
for Harris when Howell E. Jackson
contested with the old war horse
for his seat in the Senate Jackson
was the State credit candidate, but
he was not able to overcome the in
fiuence of Harris military prestige.
Afterwards Cleveland became Pres
ident and through his advice and
influence Congress limited the coin
age of silver to a subsidiary coin.
BY this act large majority of the
Democrats were estranged from the
sage of Buzzards Bay and in 1896
Bryan became candidate for the
Presidency as the champion of sill
YER and Senator Harris leader of
the silver forces in Tennessee. 1t
was then that there was parting
of the ways between Harris and
Patterson. The latter was loyal to
the President and the gold standard
and refused to sup at the same ia
BILE with free-silver Democracy.
Then came the redoubtable Car
mack, he who had lambasted the |
Populists and Free-silverites n
language teeming with irony and
sulphur, suffering his pen to be
tainted with 1nelegance in order to
show his spirit of dislike toward
the silver movement, and actually
espouses the cause of silver to de-
feat the Hon. Josiah Patterson.
Carmack was victorious. But when
his seat was vacated to enter the
Senate who should come along but
the son of his routed opponent,
Hon Malcolm r. Patterson, and
succeed him to Congress. Young
Patterson had been serving with
splendid ability as Attorney GEN.
eral in the Criminal Court at Mem
phis, and shying his castor into the
ring succeeded Carmack in Con-
gress. This he did while defending
his fathers name and politics. {
are the ways of politics. Y
So it was, but it required man of
more than ordinary ability to per- ,
'orm the feat, and this is why we
claim that the Hon. M. r. Patter-
son is a gentleman of ability and
influence.
His speech here last Monday
to mind many of his faith I
,r's characteristics. His voice is t
ieavy, but there is intelligence and
weight in his language. His speech {
vas devoted principally to the con- 4
lition of the Democratic party in
Tennessee and some pressing needs
If reform. He opposes the present
system of appointing county cleo /,
ion commissioners by the Govern
,r, and we suspect he is quite right
lbout it.
Mr.. Patterson claims that he is t
lot backed by any machine or pool v
ng of interests, but that what he
las accomplished has been through i
lis individual efforts and the sup
bort of Democratic voters. In some i
Mr.. Patterson made very
inc impression. He spoke for two
lours and was freely applauded.
The speaker was introduced to the
audience by Judge w. H. Swiggart.