The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1910-10-21
Democratic Ticket.
Not Us.

1t seems TO us that the Democratic
candidate for Governor of Tennessee
has pledged himself to all that sensi-
BILE Statewide Democrat could wish.
Elect me, F" said he, and the tenn
perance laws of Tennessee will be en-
forced just as far as lies within the pow
or of man. Has Hooper ever made
any stronger declaration that that? Has
Hooper any record to prove that he is
more loyal to the cause Of Prohibition
than Taylor Admitting that Hooper
is determined to enforce the Prohibition
laws Of the State, has Taylor ever vio-
lated his pledges to the people of Ten
nessee? What is better to judge a man s
sincerity with--his record or his prom
Uses?
No reasonable man can question Bob
Taylor's honesty. This paper supported
Bob for United States Senator not be-
cause he was better qualified than Car
mack to represent Tennessee in the
United States Senate, but for the reason
that he had saved the State from the
treachery of those Democrats in Ten
nessee who aided the Republican ticket
against Bryan. What were his motives
in that campaign? Was ever anything
but pure patriotism credited to his race
or to his administration? Is there any
reason to believe in the light OF his pub
lie record that Senator Taylor is moved
by anything but patriotic impulses in
the present campaign? Is he given to
the habit OF making empty pledges?
But il is claimed that the Patterson
machine is not dead and that it is now
acting in conjunction with the whisky
interests in Taylor's support If the
Patterson machine is not dead there is
no death. Patterson has been totally
obliterated in Tennessee politics and his
political machine has been torn limb by
limb into lifeless pieces. His election
commissioners have been long ago re-
tired, Patterson himself by the force OF
circumstances was effaced from the po-
ltical map Of the State, his committee
was doomed and disbanded, and there
remains nothing but his official APP
pointees to constitute the machine.
Can these appointees control Bob
Taylor Have you any reason to believe
that they will?
Personally Hooper may be very eX-
cellent citizen. No doubt he is But
have citizens Of Tennessee any right
to doubt that he will not be controlled
by the Taft administration?
The Commercial stated few weeks
ago that it would not support Taft Re-
publican for office, and for that reason
the name Of Hooper will not be placed
before the readers as our candidate for
Governor
With the Patterson machine disman
tied and Senator Taylor pledged to the
enforcement of law and order in Ten
nessee we cannot find any excuse what
ever to support Mr. Hooper, the Repub-
lican candidate for Governor.
Mr.. Hooper is no more nor less than
an instrument in the hands of the Ma
tional Administration, Republican of
the Taft type There is no use trying
to disguise the facts, and the man who
would rather support him than Taylor
for Governor, TO say the least of it,
must be losing regard for the principles
OF Democracy.
To say that we can wipe out Patter-
sonism entirely by the election OF Hoop
or and then reclaim the State to De-
mocracy again two years hence is carry
ing assurance beyond the limits OF
reason. In the light OF events it cannot
be done. When Bryan was repudiated
the slogan was to swing the party back in
to power in four years, but twas not done
and has not been done to this good day.
The election of Hooper will mean the
same thing. 1t means that Tennessee
goes into the Republican column and
remains there two years hence unless
there is revulsion of feeling against
that party all over the country
To our minds the Republican party,
under the administration of President
Taft, is, since the days of Washington,
more prohigate, more corrupt, more