The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1910-04-22

state ana the party held the goo
lOqinion Of all the world The con
monwealtn was one Of the best gov
erned in the Union. Saloons wer
being closed and school houses werr
being opened at a rate unparallele,
in the history Of any commonwealth
Progress and peace and prosperit.
ruled everywhere; passion and hat
and recrimination we're unknown Il
the politics of the State. There wer,
no party leaders nor party faction
appealing TO the lawless and the de
PRAYED Whatever differences Of opin
ion existed as to party measures and
party methods were the honest diner
ences OF honest and patriotic men
There were no organized attacks upOT
the churches and the women's or
CARNATIONS; on the contrary public
servants were, as a rule, the surest
defenders Of such aggregations. Ten
nessee was the most economically gov
erned state in the Union. Its Gov
ernor and other servants lived frugal
lives; our salary list was among the
lowest in the Union. The penitsn-
tiary was making . rroAt Of a quarter
Of million OF dollars a year; there
was no pardon brokerage establish
ment, on the contrary Tennessee's
pardon list would then have compared
favorably with any in the Union The
finances of the State we're the pride
of every tax payer; every obligation
was met before it was due, a million
year was being paid on the debt Of
the State, the per capita cost of gov
eminent was less than a dollar.
Such were the conditions that ex-
listed when Patterson in August 1905
announced his candidacy for Cover
nor He Immediately arrayed class
against class; he bitterly denounced
the Democratic government of the
State and without shadow of founda-
ton for it, he made wholesale charges
Of fraud and corruption in govern
ment; he declared that the trail of
the serpent was over every depart
ment of government" With an ut
terly reckless disregard of the truth
he poured out the most venomous
strepm Of abuse.
OF course there were mal-contents
in the State, there we're those whom
the people and the Democratic party |
had repudiated These speedily raj
led to his cause. For his appeal was |
directed to the disconnected. Many |
good citizens were deceived, they too
hastily reached the conclusion that |
where there was 30 much smoke there !
must be some fire. They gave a too
'eady ear to his wholesale charges of
they reached too hasty
conclusion that the Augean stables
needed cleaning The result was a
Iictory for Patterson although to ach-
eve it the precedents and methods OF
he Democratic party of century in
his State were ruthlessly trampelled
lnder foot and he received his COM
mission from the mob.
Once in power Patterson continued
0 fan the embers of hate. He !
teadfastly refused to recognize the
trength and determination of the {
loral forces of the State. His |
harges of corruption in high places '
ell of their own weight. Commit l
ses which subservient speakers NAM I
d, were unable, after the most search t
lg investigation, to find where the {
party had been recreant /
, it's trust or it's servants had been f
Use to their commissions. Pat a
'rson proved to be bogus reform t
and a self-convicted slanderer s
Elected as the great tribunal of the
sople and the implacable enemy OF V
e machine, he proceeded with indie II
mt haste to fasten upon the people O
e most desperate and conscience Il
IS machine free people ever knew. RI
losen to reform the finances of the NJ
ate his administration proceeded at 81
lce to squander the substance OF
e. people in riotous living; selected
Governor to "resore power to the
ople' he was precipitate in his eC
ste to deny them every privilege In
at the Democratic party had confer o.
/ upon them. Elected by bitter de- of
of the whiskey record OF on
opponent and by eloquent appeals ex
the temperance forces he speedily tn
came the subservient tool of the of
uor power. In,
{ was Patterson and not Prohibi- TIL
n that famed the fires of factional a
,judice; 1t was Patterson and not ca
that arrayed class fes