The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-02-28
poLl1lcAL HIeHWAYMEN.

When the Senate Of Tennessee
osssed the Pendleton bill, and that
fact was reported to Malcolm R. Pat
larson he remarked, in that choice,
.baste English for which he is so just
" famous. the Senate has played
hell" Privately speaking, that Is
.hout our opinion of the action OF the
State Democratic Executive Commit
tee. assembled in Nashville THURSDAY
10 do Mr.. Patterson's bidding.
Our news columns will report fully
It's action. A more brazen. open, high
handed attempt at political rape mas
never vet been written in this state
or in any other state. Matthew STAN
ley Quay, the political crook OF Penn
sylyania, would have blushed before
such an outrageous proposition. Thos'
s. Plat, the charlatan of politics IN
the great state of New York, Will turn
green with envy when he learns how
the political mountebanks of the Pat
terson machine have outclassed him.
And the late lamented Mr.. Goebei,
whose prostitution Of Kentucky poll
tics by machine methods cost him MS
life. when he hears the latest news
from Tennessee will feel that he was
a mere novice at the game, though ne
thought and was esteemed by his fell
lows to be a craftsman skilled to the
trade of stealing, before their very
eyes. the suffrage of the people.
Mr.. Patterson's advent into the gu
bernatorial chair was conceived IN
iniouity and born in corruption, and
his purpose is to hold on to his job
as the pirate of the sea holds on to his
booty; and to that end he will do any
thing. The action Of the committee is
his action. Spiral Hill, who drafted
the infamous writing which they have
thrust upon the party, is notorious FOR
his much cunning and little principle,
and Bancroft Murray, who would scut-
tie a ship any old day just for the
mere fun OF wrong doing, was his floor
manager; and further than that the
responsibility in measure ceases.
The others, all or nearly all, owed
Patterson something, and let US in
charity for their weakness say that
they felt more gratitude to their bene-
factor than patriotism to their state or
loyalty to their party.
Their action, or rather let us say
Mr.. Patterson's action, was to scuttle
the ship OF Democracy in Tennessee
and steal the governorship. He
knows the people are against him.
He has had men on the road, on and
on, nosing about to get line on the
situation. And they got 1t. And with
moaning and much lamentation they
told, softly, gently, alphabetically az
possible, and yet through all their
tears and lamentations and yelled
hopes he saw and understood the
naked truth; and then he said, I'll
scuttle the old ship. And he played
his first card through the committee.
Conservative friends begged him not
to. Men who had helped elevate him
to the proud Office Of a great state,
pleaded with him not to belle his rec
ord and his past professions; not to
disgrace the Office to which they had
called him; not to bring odium upon
them for calling him; beseeched him
to stand for decency and die with hon.
or rather than to toy with the wanton
of disgrace; but, like many another
man before him whose political school
Ing has been with the bad and vicious:
like many another man whose vaulting
ambition has overleaped his reason;
like many another man driven to des-
peratlon by unmistable evidences Of
the slowly crumbling of all his hopes
and aspirations; like many another
man whose life Is built not upon the
rock Of right principles and right liv-
ing, but upon the sands Of deceit and
sharp practice; like many another
weak man caught in one of those
storms of life in which only strong
men can stand, he hesitated, lost his
balance, and fell to his utter destruc-
ton. We say he hesitated, because
some who were in his counsels, say
he hesitated We say he lost his bal
ance, because many. very many who
have been and are his friends but
will follow him no longer, express it
in charitable terms like that We
say he fell to his utter destruction,
because the logic of the case foretells
It.
The outrage put upon the people
by the committees action cannot be
told In one newspaper article. The
L. aNk,x, ga