The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1906-01-04
Patterson VS.. Cox.


The action of Fayette county practi-
call places Gen. Patterson in the lead
for governor, By counting in the elev-
en- votes of DeKalb county, which were
uninstructed, and the twenty-four
votes of Wilson county, which are con-
tested, Cox gives ii out that he has 14S
instructed votes. With the votes of
Carter, Fayette, Franklin and Mont
gomery, Patterson has sixty-two or
sixty.four votes. All opposition to
Patterson in Shelby county was pub
licly withdrawn a few weeks ago, and
the county is now practically solid for
him. The eighty-seven votes of Shelby
added to the votes already obtained
give Patterson 149 or Isl votes.
From this time on the Patterson can.
didacy ought to gain in volume, and
we do not doubt that it will eventually
sweep the state. The charges against
Cox contained in the legislative reports
are to this day unanswered. 1t is true
that the Cox organs refer to some judi
cial decision in another case as vim
dication, and Cox himself assures the
people that he is innocent, but so far
he has made nothing but pleas in
avoidance.
The truth of the matter is clear Mr..
Cox, when he was the revenue agent
for East Tennessee, dropped into the
offices of several county trustees and
offered to take such moneys as they
had on hand to the comptroller. The
trustees handed him over the moneys,
thinking he was merely accommodating
them, and he held out a commission of
fifteen per cent, and made them APP
pear on the books Of the state as delin-
quents. A committee of investigation
was appointed by the legislature to in
vestigate these cases. Among those
whom Cox had panhandled in this way
was County Trustee Poindexter, OF
Upton county. The committee heard
all the evidence, and had John l. Cox
himself before it, and he told his story,
The committee reported in these cases,
and declared that Cox was entirely tc
blame, that the trustees on whom he
had cast suspicion by his shady meth
DDS, were not delinquents, and Coz
was severely criticised. The findings
of the committee were final. The courts
have never reviewed these particulal
cases; and by report of the legislativ,
investigating committee Cox has beer
: found guilty of conduct that render
| him unfit to hold any place of honor o
= trust. Any explanations he has offere'
the people since were doubtless mad
to the committee, and were declare'
I insufficient. On this committee wa
= r. H. Green, of Covington, fertilize
@ inspector for West Tennessee, who i
now Cox man by virtue of the offic
he holds.
Not one fact reported by the legisla
. tive committee has ever been challeng
n ed by Cox. He claims, we believe, tina
4 the trustees were few months benin
3 in their settlements, but we do not Sc
. how this, even if it were true, woul
A alter the case. The legislative commit
3 tee found it no offense, and condemne
s Cox in the face of it, 1t is doubles
. purely an afterthought. The fact
, that each of these trustees could hay
- sent check to the comptroller for th
2 amount due and it would have COZ
them nothing but postage STAMP
9 Cox offers to accommodate them, an
5 then without their knowledge or cor
y sent, withholds $3.50 out of every 81, 0C
= he transmits to Nashville for them. N
7 court in Tennessee has ever vindicate
- John I. Cox from any of these charges
70 because the action of the legislator
was final.
2 1t may be, as we have said before
= that Cox violated no written law i
n these dubious transactions, but the
- emphatically stamp him as man will
u out any honor and without principl,
1t is absolutely inconceivable that
/ proud and valiant people that has ha
"A such men as Harris, Bate, McMillir
Taylor and Turney for its governor
n should ever descend so low as to choos
a trickster and a political freeboote
like Cox as their successor. The pee
d Pile of Tennessee are not yet lost to a
sense of shame, and they have no RI
spect for man who dares not face hi
- accuser, but sinks about behind hin
endeavoring in surriptitious name
to repair the ravages made in his ow
reputation. Memphis Commercial Al