The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-08-14

Gratis are not honor bound 70 respect
the party declarations. Because,
saws the American. the state com
mittee appointed no delegates except
from counties. a majority Of whose
democrats voted for Patterson
But what right had the state COM
mittee 10 appoint any delegates at ali?
II they had the right 70 appoint one
single delegate to that convention
they had the right to appoint every
delegate to that convention. And II
they would arbitrarily exercise a pow
er which might and not right gave
them. would they not have gone fur
Their and appointed all the delegates.
If they had found it necessary to have
done so?
And why did they not appoint more
delegates than they did? Simply
because when Bancroft Murray had
amounted the number he did, that
gave them control of the convention,
and they needed no more. Ban never
stopped until, by and through his APP
pointing power, he converted minor
ity for him into majority for him.
and then he modestly retired from the
scene. And because Ban did not
unseat every temperance democrat in
the convention. the American thinks
he should be thanked and followed
implicitly for his conservatism.
Another point the American makes
is that these delegates were appointed
only from the counties carried by Pat
terson. We repeat, what more right
had the committee TO assume to ap-
point delegates from the Patterson
counties, than they had from the Car
mack counties? By what precedent
or right had they to appoint any dele
gates at all? When was any such
thing ever done before, in this or any
other state IN this Union?
And there is yet another feature the
American studiously avoids discus
sing: and that is, that In order to
carry these counties, from which his
man Ban appointed delegates, Nh.
Patterson said to the people, this
prohibition question does not belong
in the gubernatorial race; the dele
gates YOU appoint will have the max
ing of the platform; and, while | am
personally opposed to the statewide
proposition, still if,YOU put it in the
platform, and the legislature passes
the bill, | will sign it," Recognizing,
by that statement, repeatedly made,
several things which he and his or
gan now contend against. First that
the counties, however they might vote
for Governor, would, through their
own county committees, appoint their
own delegates. Second, that there
would be no treason" in voting for
Patterson. and Immediately thereaf-
ter selecting delegates who would vote
for a statewide plank in the platform;
and in the third place recognizing
that the legislature was separate
branch of government, and that in
voting for Patterson there was no
implied obligation, calling for plat
form or legislature, made and in
structed to do the Governors will.
Before the election, every day, Mr.
Patterson, in his calm, stately and
most grandiloquent style, spoke to the
people of the delegates they, (and not
Ban) would send to the convention,
and the platform their mot Ban's)
delegates, would make, and how he,
the little giant of democracy" would
stand upon their platform, not Bans
platform. And that is how he fooled
some of the temperance people into
voting for him, and that is why some
of the counties went for him.
Would the American even, reckless
as it is with the truth, dare make
believe. that these counties, any OF
them. would have voted for Mr.. Pat
terson if he had told them, when he
addressed the people of these coun-
ties. Just what his scheme was? II
he had said to them, If you vote for
me, | will take the appointing power
out of the hands of your committee
and give it into the hands of Bancroft
Murray" does any man in the entire
Patterson camp think the people OF a
single county in the state would have
stood for that? When he was talking
so glibly about being just as good a
temperance man as Carmack; when ne
was claiming credit for signing the
Pendleton bill and putting 400 saloons
out of business; if in that same con-
nection he had said, IF your county
goes for me, however, ! will see'to 1t
that your county committee, which !
learn is favorable to temperance, VIII
a