The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
THE SITUATION
IN TENNESSEE
Three Gornered Fight Keeps
State In Turmoil
Is SAFELY DEMOCRATIC
Strong Fight Is Being Made to Secure
a Prohibition Legislature and Stat
utory Prohibition Laws-HeIp
the National Campaign.
is SAFELY DEMOCRATIC
BY C. c. WATSON.

Nashville, September 26.-(Special. ITEM
nessee is just now enjoying a three
cornered fight that promises to keep the
state in turmoil, politically, until the No
vember election. A general summary of
the situation leads to the positive con-
clusion that Bryan will have the largest
majority any democratic candidate for
President has ever had from this state,
and also the election of Governor Pat
terson by the normal majority. This Is
disputed. however, by republican leaders,
who have at last buried the Ratchet,
thrown minor disputes and differences
aside and are in the game united to win
everything in sight.
Early in the campaign the republicans
seemed hopelessly divided and had two
candidates in the field for governor, as
well as two distinct sets of electors
Chairman Hitchcock and the Washington
bosses got busy, however, and called off
Asbury Wright, gubernatorial candidate
for the "home rule faction, leaving only
G. N. Tillman of Nashville on the ticket,
leading the office-holding crowd.
Very unusual are the conditions exist
ing in Tennessee, brought about by the
and the feeling aroused on this issue IS
the chief~hope of the republicans for sue
cess. During the democratic primary
campaign ex-senator e. w. Carmack led
the statewide prohibitionists against Gov
ernor Patterson, whose policy as to tenn
perance is local option. This state had
never seen such a campaign and there
is no avoiding the question that many
old time democrats were worked up to
up the fight for prohibition. Patterson
defeated Carmack and statewide prohi-
bition by a majority of $1,000. and the
democratic platform declares against pro-
hibition as q state measure. Senator Car
mack then refused to give up the fight
and now, as editor of a morning paper In
Nashville CThe Tennessean), Is attacking
the democratic platform. as well as NOM
inees and openly praising the opposition.
Like the drowning man, the republicans
caught at this straw and embodied state
wide prohibition in their platform, by
which they hope to catch a goodly por-
ton of the democratic vote. On this
and this alone is based the hopes of
that party to carry Tennessee and this
is responsible alone for the report made
to the republican national headquarters
that Tennessee was safely republican.
Students of politics in Tennessee, how
ever, take no notice of the claims of the
republicans and say that Tennessee is
more strongly democratic this year than
ever.
But 1t Is not the gubernatorial race
nor the presidential situation that is an
noying the democratic leaders most in
Tennessee. They feel perfectly safe as
to the outcome of the gubernatorial race
and are sure of Bryan's victory, but
turning to the legislative situation they
see an evil star. Statewide prohibition
became such a hot issue during the
the gubernatorial campaign that the is
sue will not die In a day, and there is
now a concerted move on foot to make
the next legislature prohibitionist. In
counties where republicans have re-
spectacle strength combinations have
been formed to send up prohibitionist
regardless of party affiliations.
In the counties that were carried by
Carmack and prohibition in the recent
primary, which are very few less in num-
Der than the counties carried by Governor
Patterson, it is certain that representa-
tives favorable to statewide prohibition
will be elected. East Tennessee. most Of
which is republican, will unquestionably
send an almost solid prohibition delega-
ton to the general assembly and with the
help of prohibitionists in other sections