The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-11-26
An AssuRo PROPOSITION.

Governor and other omclals 20 TAKE
some action to discourage the open,
fragrant and wholesale violations OF
the liquor laws in Memphis. the Chat
tanooga Times says:
The editor Of The Herald is kind
ly. well-disposed gentleman, and he
has had much experience OF politics
and politicians and he simply belittles
his own intelligence when he INDUCES
this unwarranted reflection upon Gov.
Patterson. To say that he has no
sympathy for the enforcement OF law
is a cheap reflection upon the people
Of Tennessee, who have twice honor
ed him with their confidence and
their support. To say that he is
charged with the enforcement OF
laws-the prohibition laws, of course,
are meant-is TO shame even partisan
raneor."
Now. there we have it, criticism OF
the Governor, no matter how true and
inst it NAV be, is a reflection upon
the people because they elected him
to office. This is a new and strange
doctrine to come from one of the
simon pure, all wool, genuine apostles
of the faith of Jefferson and Ham Pat
terson. Evidently the Times believes
that that divinity which doth hedge
a king likewise doth envelop the
person of its immaculate Governor.
In other words no matter how I'M
faithful an official may prove or what
ever his crimes and misdemeanors in
Office may be no public journal has
any right to expose or criticise him
because forsooth such is cheap re-
Election upon the people"
Tammany's officials who have made
of the government of the great city
of New York a job for the past SIX
years: who have proven false to every
conception of public duty and have
merely used their Offices for private
gain ought to be immune from hostile
criticism because they were twice
successfully commissioned by the peo-
ple. To what absurdities the defend
ers of an unworthy official are re-
duced. They dare not face the issue
fairly and squarely; they cannot az
ford to meet the facts face to face,
hence the necessity of resorting to
lodges and subterfuges. It's the old
old story of the "tangle web,' etc.
Columns of abuse, of bitter denun-
citation and of the most malignant
inuendoes have appeared in the
Times during the past ten months
directed at a majority of the members
of the General Assembly Of Tennessee.
Every member of that majority was
commissioned by the people" some
/ of them two, three and even five times.
What "cheap reflections upon the peo-
DIe, The editor of the Times, a
most amiable gentleman Of wide read
ing and information, should be
/ ashamed to advance such pureile, pre-
posterous and irrational arguments.
Patterson's partisans and particular
" his newspaper organs, have done
much to widen the breach in the Dem
ocratic party and to infiame and en-
gender fractional feeling by their ar
bitrarv, dictatorial and to HI with
the opposition character of campaign.
Evidently afraid to squarely meet IS
sues that the conduct of their chief
had raised they have met all attacks
by the declaration that Patterson is
! the Democratic party. Criticism OF
him was therefore party disloyalty.
| Now we have it from the Times that
Patterson is the State. Having been
elected to office by the freemen OF
Tennessee he is their master. He can
do no wrong. Who would have
dreamed that this far famed disciple
of the trooly loyal Democracy would
have proclaimed at the dawn OF the
twentieth century the doctrines OF lie
grande monarch, that the King is the
State.
If papers like the Chattanooga
Times would show more federation for
the opinions of others and manifest a
| little regard for the facts when dis
cussing State affairs better feeling
would prevail in Tennessee. The
Times cannot seriously contemplate
the people of Tennessee actually &C
cepting it's doctrine that once elected
to office public servant becomes i'm
mune from criticism and may dodge
behind his creators when charged
I with malfeasance or misfeasance.
To say that the Governor is not
charged with the execution OF the
laws is to shame even partisan
rancor." But journal that knows so
little of the spirit Of our institutions
II