The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1906-08-09
The Two Candidates.

Iuo lNU NdHuIudtcAs
Three months hence the voters of
Tennessee will be called upon to elect
governor of the state. A large majority
of the white voters are democrats, and
the reasonable assumption is that
democratic governor will be elected. 1t
ought to be certainty, and we believe
it is, though not unmindful of the ad-
age that nothing is certain in politics
1ntil it happens. The ability of each
party nominee is not questioned, and
80 far as capability goes we shall have
that in any eventt~~But capacity, while
desirable, is not the only thing to be
considered by the white voters of Ten
nessee in electing governor. Mr..
Patterson may lose some democratic
votes, but he will receive practically no
negro votes. Mr. Evans may receive
some democratic votes, and he will GER
tainly receive the vote of practically
every negro who votes, and there will
be special effort on their part to vote.
A republican governor can be of no
possible benefit to Tennessee. The
state has had two republican governors
since the war, and the experience ought
to be enough to satisfy it. Mr.. Evans
might be an Improvement on the re-
publican governors we have had, but
his political record does not justify such
assumption, even though there has been
material change in conditions. Per-
sonally Mr.. Evans is genial gentle
man. Personally there was not kind
er, more amiable man and neighbor
than VIM. g. Brownlow.>D Governors
are chosen not for personal but political
reasons. If we merely "vote for the
man it is easy enough to find demo-
crat who measures up in character and
ability with any republican the state
can show or has produced.
Character and personal qualities be-
ing equal, no democrat can prefer a re-
publican to democrat Nobody can
pretend that republican can give a
better administration of affairs in Ten
nessee than democrat There has
never been a republican administration
in any southern state which that state
did not regret. In the south voting in
a state election is quite a different thing
from voting in national election.
There are republicans who have come
from elsewhere and settled in the south,
and who, while continuing to vote the
republican ticket in national elections,
locally vote the democratic ticket. H.
Clay Evans is not one OF them. He is
intensely republican, with thorough
contempt for the democratic party. If
he had his way there would never be a
democrat in office, in Tennessee or else
where. Mr.. Evans was born in Penn
sylvania aud Mr.. Patterson in Alabama.
Mr.. Evans is a much older man than
Mr.. Patterson, and each has been Cit
izen of Tennessee for about the same
length of time. But in sentiment, in
sympathy, IN love of the south, its his.
tory, people, manners, customs, senti-
ments and traditions they are wider
apart than the points of their origin.
Mrs. Evans has held one local office
and four federal Offices. Mr. Patterson
has held one local aud one federal Of
flee. In congress Mr.. Patterson made
speech in which he paid such trib-
nte to the south, his beloved mother,
as only a southernor can feel. Let any
southern democrat read Mr.. Evans re-
cord in congress and approve it if he
eau. The leading republican newspa-
per in Tennessee refused to indorse at
least one Of his votes and more than
one of his utterances which suggested
the spirit of not only political but sec
tional malignance.
Mr.. Evans is thrifty man. He has
made money in Tennessee. Doubtless
he wants to see the state prosper mate
rally, as does every intelligent citizen.
But if he has ever shown any honest
sympathy or interest in it in any other
way, except in trying to make it repub-
liean and to get, an office those who
have watched his career and heard his
speeches in East Tennessee and observ-
ed him addressing negro audiences in
Hamilton county in the days when an
unrestricted ballot made it possible to
vote Georgia negroes in Tennessee,