The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1910-09-16
Run Amuck.

ty and the Patterson machine there /.
not much choice. On the one hand We
have the robber trust-made tariff, pen
sion, departmental and congressional
corruption, on the other an unscrupu-
lous, constituencies political machine,
insulting to popular rights.
The outlook at present denotes the
election Of Hooper for Governor. The
administrationists are taking advantage
OF the Governors withdrawal to sound a
note of harmony. They ask for unity
and peace in the Democratic household,
and the independents see negro in
the woodpile." The supposition is that
the administrationsts want to control
the Legislature and repeal the State wide
law as it effects the large cities. There
is also suspicion that Governor Patter-
son wants the Legislature to give him
the United States Senatorship to succeed
Senator Frazier. These propositions
seem to be the incentive to harmony
and they are confirming large element
ofthe independents in the determination
to vote for Hooper.
The independents do not believe that
the administrationists are sincere in their
overtures to vote for any good man. 1t
is held in case the Independents should
select a candidate the administrationists
would swap places with them and fuse
with Hooper in order to further their
plans in controlling the Legislature.
AS far as The Commercial is concerned
it does not take to the theory that the
independents are obligated to turn Ten
nessee over to the Republican party as
the price of voluntary vote on the part
Of Republicans for the independent can
didates for the Supreme Court. If the
Republicans were moved by sinister
motive altogether in voting for the in
dependent judicial candidates then they
are not entitled to any reward II they |
were moved by sense of honor and pa
triotism to see the judiciary of Tennes-
see wrested from political domination
and influence then they are entitled to
some consideration, but not to the con-
troll OF Tennessee, and we will never con-
sent to vote it to them
But with all this it looks to us that
the impossiblity of electinga Democrat
for Governor confronts us. The Com
mer.ial would prefer to have corlpro-
mise candidate if it were practical, but
could the fighting factions ever be in
duced to get together Is it possible.
Will the administrationists ever vote for
Statewide candidate or will the State
widers ever vote for an administration
candidate, that is the question.
The Commercial wants to see the SOW
ereignty Of the people of Tennessee re-
stored to them 1t wants to see the D
election commission neither responsible [
to the Governor nor to the Legislature
for its appointment, but to the people
for its election and authority. 1t wants
to see many of the useless bureaus and
offices, whose existence is simply pro-
duct OF machine politics and burden to !
the taxpayers, abolished. 1t wants to
see the Tennessee State Fair bureau, one
of the same kind, abolished and the
State Fair where il belongs-to individ i
ual enterprise Government ownership
is the antithesis of Democracy, and
hence the State Fair owned by the State t
cannot be Democratic institution. a
The Commercial would come out bold h
y and advocate compromise candidate
on these grounds If there were proper !
assurances that the administrationists
would not turn to the Republican can
lidate for cooperation in their schemes.
This paper is against the abuse Of
power, State or national, against cor
-upt machine politics and therefore
against the present administration in
his State, but we do not propose to wor-
ship at the shrine OF Republicanism :,
whatever may happen--the Republican, /,
sm that is ruling and running every yes !.
,ige of American manhood and freedom :,
md heaping into the laps of the favored =,
ew its riches We decline the office of :.
political counselor in the present condi- =
ion of affairs and reserve the right to ~
.ct with Judgment and discretion during st
he remainder of the campaign. al