The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-10-26
AN OPEN letter TO
CAPT. ". C. WEBB
written By G T. Hughes }

OPPOoChy tAOuSD III ISd6OuS
stated below and others thought that
the cause for which we were laboring
needed man from this county. | was
not in the city on the day of the Con-
/. vention but l am reliably informed.
and l suppose you will not deny the
fact, that the. delegates from Perry
were told that if they would name
some other man he would be nomina-
ted without objection. This offer clearly
refutes the idea that Maury county
wanted to act unfairly towards Perry
county. This offer was refused after a
conference with you by your friends
fW the reason as stated by them that
tHeir instructions we're to vote for
Nh. Webb so long as his name was
before the Convention and that you
would not consent to the withdrawal
of your name. And in this way my
Dear Sir, you yourself prevented the
recognition of the rights of Perry coun-
ty by placing your individual prefer
ment above the claim of your own
county.
This is true, sir, unless you take the
position that by the terms of the
| Hohenwald agreement each county
was to have the right to select man.
without regard to the wishes of the
majority of the party, however objec-
tionable the man might be, or the
principles for which he stood. Such
! an insistance destroys the representa-
tive character of the Senator; he would
! simply reflect the wishes and repre-
! sent his immediate constituency, and
the balance of the district would be
without representation; a condition not
to be tolerated under the constitution,
which you would if elected take an
oath to uphold.
| But, sir, do you not think it unwise
/ and subversive of the best interest of
the entire district, regardless of party
lines, to enter upon race based alone
upon prejudice attempted to be over
ruled growing out of alleged unfair
treatment by this county of the smaller
/ counties? We are to continue togeth.
er as a Senatorial district in the fu-
ture, as we have in the past; there are
other men in Perry and Lewis county,
who in the future may aspire to this
position; is the matter to be settled
by mere county line division? Now
maintain that throughout the years of
the past this county has dealt with
utmost fairness with the smaller coun-
ties in the selection of our represen-
tatives. We have again and again
been represented by men from the
lower counties, and there has never
been any friction so far as am aware.
and in the present instance the sup
posed rights of your county were rec
ognized.
Again my dear sir, do you think it
wise to awake the slumbering passions
of the past, and provoke animosities
that ought to be put away, merely to
crafty your ambition?
But there was further and more
potent reason for selecting a Maury
county man which has not been no I!
ticed by any one and is ignored by
you, and which unquestionably had |,
more to do in determining the action |
of the Convention than any other, and
that is this. The question of abolish
ing the saloons in Maury county was |
the chief concern of the voters of this !
county. Not that other public ques-
tons were lost sight of, but for the
reason that the party throughout the
State was harmonious on these ques-
tions, and the platform of the party
is controlling as to them; but the is
sue of Saloon or no Saloon" was |
and is a supreme issue in this county. /
We all felt that for this reason we
should have man from Maury county
in the Senate where the fight must
surely be made with greatest vigor.
No man not familiar with local condi-
tions could render us such efficient
services as a man from our own midst,
however able or sincere he might be.
Not only this, but the law can only be
made effective by the abolition of the
charters of the two towns of Colum-
bia and Mount Pleasant, and in that
event they must be rechartered with
powers fifty conferred to make effec-
tive this legislation, and to pass the
present corporation out of existence,
and create the new bodies, without
disturbing the orderly course of the
administration of law. ! have no
knowledge of your requirements and
ability to handle such questions, but
l can with confidence say, that how
ever great they may be, do not