The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1906-02-08
Violent Language"


The Chattanooga Times charges The
Commercial Appeal with violence of
language when it makes the following
statement:
The Chattanooga Times has never
been able to see anything wrong in
Cox's record as q revenue agent, which
was mercilessly condemned by the leg
islature, but it pretends to think that
Patterson should quit the race because
Cox says he got too many fees when
he was Encouragement of Shelby
county. The Times is guilty of the
libel of charging Patterson with NAL
feasance in office.
Now let us see where the violent
language comes in. We said first that
the Times has never seen anything
wrong in Cox's record as revenue
agent. The Times itself says that it
"confesses to an inability to see any
thing not absolutely authorized by
law in the conduct of Governor Cox
while performing the duties of revenue
agent" Evidently then there is no
violence in this clause of the para
graph. The legislative investigating
committee certainly condemned Cox
as revenue agent; and for quoting
this report Cox has declared that Pat
terson is slanderer. Whether such
condemnation was "merciless" or
not is a mere question of words.
We said that the Times "pretends to
think that Patterson should quit the
race because Cox says he got too many
fees when he was Encouragement of
Shelby county," The Times in its
issue Of January 16, says: "If Cover
nor Cox is correct in his charges, Mr..
Patterson would do well to quit the
race before it goes any further" And
as to the truth of those charges, the
Times declares that ave take it that
the governor is fortified with certified
copies of the record and by afiiidavits
establishing the truth of his assertions,
which are the most serious and sensa-
tional ever made against q candidate
for high Office in Tennessee. In
the light of this language, we submit
that we in no way misrepresented the
Times. II its statements mean any
thing they mean that the Times regards
Cox's charges as true, as it seems to be
satisfied that he has certified copies of
the records and affidayits to sustain
them.
We said that "the Times is guilty of
the libel of charging Patterson with
misfeasance in Office" The exact
words of the Times were that Patter-
sons charges against Cox would be
insignificant compared to the misfeas-
ance Of which the Memphian was
guilty while encouragement if the
governors recitals are true" AS the
whole editorial in the Times Of the 10th
assumes that Cox's charges are true,
then the qualifying sentence ''if the
governors charges were true" is NO
qualification at all.
The Times of Sunday, the 21st, sew
eral days after General Patterson
complete refutation of the Cox charges,
says:
Thatth Chattanooga Times 'libeled'
General Patterson by charging him
with misfeasance in Office is also moi
true. What we did say was that il
Governor Cox's charges were true theI
Mr.. Patterson ought to quit the race
and we have no disposition yet to with
draw that statement. If Mr. Patter
sons declarations are no more entitled
to confidence and respect than these
highly colored utterances OF his organ
then does mighty fall await him.
We take it, however, that Governo
Cox has made his presentations oil
information gathered from what b,
deemed to be reliable sources and tina
he has not allowed himself to be LEI
into making charges growing out O
gossip or mere street rumors.
AS we have already pointed ont th
Times of the 10th commented upon tn
Cox charges as If they were true. ]
, assumed that the governor was 'forti
with certified copies of the records an
q with affidavits," it accepts the Cover
nor's utterly unsupported review of tn
i, Ward case as correct, declares tha
, from the governors arraignment "Ml
a Patterson was the arch fee grabber {
all the fee grabbers during the orgy {
a that infamous system in Tennessee,
: and declares that other citations frol
other citations from Cox's charge
. "would seem to indicate that Mr.. Pa
. terson is in poor business to assail AM
= body as q CRATER.
In view of the facts, we beg leave
submit that The Commercial Apps
:, has been guilty of using no violel
language with reference to the attitut
of the Times. General Patterson hi
z taken up Governor Cox's charg,
i. 'seriatim, and he has shown complete