Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-19
Continued from First Page. !
ACROSS THE MUDDY CHAsM.


his excellency. Hon. NJ. r. Patterson,
and his ex-excelIency, Hon. John Isaac
Cox.
''Al honor to that noble spirit Maj.
Duncan Brown Cooper, who wrought
this happy reunion of congenial and
conhuxible spirits separated by evil
fates, although both for each other.
All honor 10 Maj. Dune, and may the
blessing OF the Peacemaker be upon
him.
May he be heir 10 all the beatitudes,
and especially TO the blessing reserved
for those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness. And there goes also a
blessing to his excellency, for he
has been merciful to Cox so shall he
obtain mercy.
But the choicest blessings as is
right and proper. are for Governor
Cox himself. For If there be any
reward for meekness. and any for
enduring persecution for righteousness
sake, he shall inherit the earth and
his is the kingdom Of heaven. Yet
such is the meekness of his spirit
that we doubt not that Gov. Cox would
be entirely comforted with the meek
mans reward.
IF We pause here briefly to re-
view the unhappy differences that
have armed these valiant souls against
each other, it Is for no purpose of
renewing the strife. but rather of en-
phasizing by contrast the felicity of
the present situation. 1t Will serve
also to bring out in bold relief the
gracious spirit which enables Gov. Pat
terson to condescend to men of low
estate, lift up where he has trampled
down. and lay a poultice of warm
words upon the reput alton he has so
fearfully bruised.
Hot Shot for Cox.
1T will teach. also, those who most
unjustly regarded Gov. Cox as a man
of proud and naughty spirit. that
he is, in fact, man of modest still
ness and humility; one who can forget
injuries the most srievous. forgive
insults the most fragrant, endure every
assault upon his honor and good name
without resentment. and. in general,
humble himself that he may be exalted.
1t will also show that no one can
ever sin away his day of grace with
the present all-merciful machine: that
no man can ever become vile, SO
degraded. SO corrupt in its estimation
that 1t is not ready to raise him up
and load him with dignity and honors
If he only will give UP everything and
serve it with fidelity and singleness Of
heart
1T will be remembered that Gov.
Patterson prOfessed to have only one
great motive in seeking the Office of
governor-the wholly patriotic and
unselfish desire to purge the state Of
the shame and infamy brought upon
1t by Cox and the Cox machine. He
openly declared that he would rather
some other than he had the task and
the honor. but his soul would not
consent that such man as Cox
should be the Governor of Tennessee.
He charged that Cox had degraded
and debauched the politics of the
state; he represented him as the pill
ant tool of the saloon and the corpora
.tions; he charged that he was a dem
ocrat only in name, a republican in
fact; he called him a traitor TO the
democratic party Not only that, but
he viciOusly assailed his personal hon
or: his pecuniary integrity; and from
every stump in Tennessee he pictured
him in the bitterest words in his yo-
cabulary as a common CRATER.
And the whole crew joined their
voices In one universal chorus of
damnation-'crook.' CRATER corrupt
politician cheap John demagogue'-
such were the words that flew thick
and fast from the mouths of Duncan
b. Cooper and all the leaders in the
great movement to reform and purge
and purify the state to destroy the
power OF the political machine and re-
store power to the people of Ten
nessee.
conduct OF Campaign.
The whole campaign was conducted
with view not only to defeat Gov.
Cox. but to load him with infamy and
drive him out of the politics of Ten
nessee. So far was this carried that
after Gov. Patterson had been nomi-
mated for governor and Cox had been
nominated for the state senate, Mai
Cooper journeyed to Bristol for the
purpose of getting out an Independent
candidate against him.
These facts will serve to glorify the
recent pact of peace. 1t shows how
far Gov. Patterson had to stoop, how
much Gov. Cox had to forgive, and
matches an infinite condescension with
an infinite humility.
or course, there are other details
When Gov. Cox was summoned to
NASHVILLE. some weeks ago, 1t was not
simply for the purpose of falling on
somebody's neck or Of having some
body fall upon his. There are honors
and dignities and Offices and substan-
tial rewards TO be observation-disclosures
that go to heal the hurt that honor
feels'-and these things were talked
of and considered
But. no doubt, the main thing was
that Gov. Cox agreed to join himself
with Ban Murray, Dune Cooper and
battle for the holy cause of local self
government
BY local self-government Carmack
meant the fight against prohibition.
The liquor interests. led by the gov
ernor. declared in favor of local option
and of letting each community settle
the saloon question for itself.
Col. Cooper, upon reading this et1i-
torial. sent the famous message to Car
mack:
III my name appears in the Tennes-
sean again, one OF us must die"
The warning was delivered to Sena-
tor Carmack by ex-State Treasurer
Craig. Carmack said that Col Cooper's
threat had made a cessation of the edi
torials mpossible-that if the Tennes-
sean never again used Cooper's name
the public would believe that the pa
per had been bluffed and it would lose
caste.
So. on Monday, November q the day
of the killing, there appeared in he
Tennessean this editorial:
THE DIPLOMAT OF THE ZWEl.
BUND."
ITO Maj. Duncan Brown Cooper.
who wrought the great coalition.
who achieved the harmonious con-
fluence of incompatible elements:
who welded the pewter handle to
the wooden spoon; who grated the