The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-11-22
rae LAFoLErTE SCANDAL.

/ the criticism which mas been made
his veto OF the bill to abolish salOon
In LafoIlette. the Editor-Colonel Of tn
LeWisburg Tribune. who voted for thi
measure. SAYS that Gov. Patterson haS
lights before him when he eonsideres
the bin that the Legislature did no
have" The Editor-ColOnel is smart
ing under the the criticism which /,
being leveled against him because o.
his support Of this bill while Sena
tor and his defense of Patterson who
killed il with "a veto. There is this
however, to be said in his favor. When
the Editor-Colonel voted for the bill
be was a Senator serving the people
Of his district; now he is a Colonel
serving Patterson.
But it is not true that Patterson had
any flights before him that the Legis-
lature did not have" There was a
farcical election held by Fl. NJ. Lafol'
lette, the Republican ally of the Gov
ernor,-who practically owns the
town, houses, lands and people-be-
tween the time of the passage Of the
bill and the Governors veto. But the
members of the Senate and House
voted for the bill with full knowledge
that the election had been called and
would return a majority against tenn
perance. Every member of the House
and the Senate knew how the election
would result, because the advocates of
the measure frankly told them. There
was no effort at concealment and mem
bers voted for the bill with the same
lights" before them that were before
the Governor.
After the bill was vetoed by the
Governor a majority Of the members
of the House present voted to pass 1t
notwithstanding the veto. A majority
of the Senators, had they had the OPP
portunity. would have done the same
thing. The methods which were re-
sorted to in order to perpetuate whis-
key and the dominion of the ex-Indi-
ana Republican ally of the Governor
in Lafollette, constitute one of the
shocking scandals OF the last Legisla-
tive session.
When this measure was pending in
the House and long before the farrell
cal election, called for the purpose OF
giving Patterson an excuse for exer-
cising the veto power, every repre-
hensible method was resorted to by
the whiskey cohorts to prevent its
massage. The whiskey crowd was
against the bill, election or no cleo
ton Likewise Patterson, who simply
used an election which he knew did
not reflect the sentiment of any one
but Lafollette and his henchmen, as
a dodge and a subterfuge. The House
and Senate passed the bill after the
advocates had frankly
avowed that they would not submit the
Mr.. Lafollette and his hirelings.
Every effort was made by the liquor
forces in the House to keep this bill
IN Committee and prevent it's coming
% vote. The Chairman of the Com
mittee, Garden, of Hamilton, did
everything in his power to delay and
larass and embarass the advocates OF
he bill. Three times the committee
heard the arguments for and against
he bill and three times it voted to
make a favorable report before the
bill was actually reported by the
Chairman. Complaint was made to
he Speaker regarding the treatment
accorded temperance advocates by the
chairman of his two committees to
which bills of this character were re-
erred, but the Speaker declared tnat
le was powerless, the appointments
laving been dictated by the admins
ration.
When the Lafollette bill was heard
,efore the Committee, former Sena-
or Templeton appeared for the tenn
,erance advocates. In the presence
nd hearing of Lafollette he declared
hat the election which had been Or
erred would be farce; that every
lection held in the town was fraud
nd traversy upon popular govern
nent. Pointing his finger at this
own-east whiskey-republican car
et-bagger, Senator Templeton
rraigned Lafollette for the
rauds which he had perpetrated
n a former election involving the
ounty seat of Campbell county. Al
hough his denunciation of Lafollette
yas terrific and convincing it was not
esented. Senator Templeton called
ttention to the fact that in the coun-
Y seat election the Chancery Court
ad set aside the result although La
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