The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1908-04-16
Carmack'S Curious Campaign.

Gov. M. Il. Patterson Will
deliver a public address, in which he
will review his administration, and,
possibly, discuss to some extent his
policies for the future.
BY this record he must stand or fall
and, being candid as we'll as consistent,
he will have nothing to conceal and
to change, no new pledges to
and no old pledges to aban-
don. His past, therefore, throws much
light on his future course, and people
already possess fairly full and intelli'
gent understanding of what that will
be.
The course pursued by his opponent
has been at variance with this. Senator
Carmack has not taken the people into
his confidence. He has been perplex'
ingly silent. No one knows his poll
cies. People are being asked to vote
for him, like boys sometimes swap jack
knives, "sight unseen" Some of his
own supporters are claiming that he is
for local option. Others hold him up
as the bright exemplar of prohibition.
His Delphic utterance on the question
is being interpreted in ways that are
diametrically opposed by his most de-
vout followers. He has announced his
intention of appearing in public in
Joint debate in Chattanooga; but, tho
he claimed the right, he has signitied
no intention of taking advantage of the
opportunity to address the people be-
fore the date of the joint debate.
Another strange feature OF the ex'
senator's course is that he hes never
yet directly and uneeuivocally an
nounced himself as candidate fol
governor subject to the action OF the
democratic party.
He appeared before the state execu
tive committee and made most extrava
CANT demands. He promised in a few
days to publish his procurement O.
platform.
Months have passed and he has con
fined his activities to bitterly assailinI
the highest constituted authorities O
the party, and he has ignored his prom
, ise to let people know what he favor
and will advocate.
Why this silence? With the fact
: before him each individual must forI
: his own conclusions. To the impartit
observer it will appear that the ex- SCI
ator is keeping under cover on the |
quor question until after the primarit
in Shelby county. This gives his sui
porters, whose chief strength is anon
the liquor people, an opportunity
say, as they are saying, that CarmaC
! is for local option.
Another and no less charitable vie
of the situation is that the ex-senat'
keeps his batteries masked becaus
!, not being constructive statesman al
an upbuider, his peculiar talents en-
BILE him only to attack and attempt
y demolish the fabric reared by his opp
nent. The ex-senator, being gifted
"roaster," is doubtless laying low
that he may attack Gov. Patterson
pronouncemen on the assumptl'
that if he can make the governor
platform appear unwise and unpopult
people will incline to the conclusi
that the ex-senator has wise and
popular platform concealed on his p'
!. son if he had mind to display it.
This subterfuge has been practiced
time past with great success amo
primitive people, and is frequently
~ sorted to in these days in small comm
| mites. But in state like Tenness
where intelligence is SO generally q
literally disseminated, it is poor CO
mendation for public man and fr
m lie and dangerous vehicle upon VIII
to ride into Office.
- To sum up, no one knows what
Senator Carmack stands for or W
= ticket he will elect to run on, prob
~ ZIONIST or democratic. He asks
people to break time-honored pre-
dent without giving any reason for
G He has challenged the governor
Joint debate without even remotely
timating the subject to be debated.
He has not come out in the open
RY let people see him and know his vie
As matter of fact, there is no res
for the candidacy of Mr.. Carmack
- year. Patterson made a good govel
ICE and is entitled to denomination on
record. The only chance Carma
hackers have is to lug false issue
J the campaign or to throw dust into
peoples eyes in the hope that they
EE fool them long enough until sometl
now unknown or unseen will haE
= by which they can put their man
y. office and put themselves on the st
at the pie counter. By such metl
AT governors of Tennessee are not mad
Commercial.Appeal.
u Rheumatism.
More than nine out of every ten {
of rheumatism are simply rheuma
of the muscles, due to cold or d