The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-08-04
Carmack Shooting, Cooper
Pardon and Prohibition
Veto Fail to Daunt Him.

racy of Tennessee united if Carmack
had not been editor of newspaper.
Defeat left its sting, and one inof-
fensive looking article poking fun at
Colonel Robin Cooper's ''zweibund"
changed the whole course Of Tennes-
see politics.
This caused the shooting Of Car.
mack despite Patterson's effort to
calm the Coopers and the natural
The Memphis Scimitar came out
with an editorial which charged Pat.
terson with being responsible for Car
mack's murder and practically said
that he had arranged with his friends,
the Coopers, to do it, because he could
pardon them, while If he did it himself
there would be nobody to exercise
clemency in his behalf.
What Patterson might have done it
left to his first impulses will never be
known, for his friends and advisers
prevailed on him not to send any mes.
sage to the Scimitar
Vetoes Temperance Bill.
Four months later the Coopers were
both found guilty, and the jury fixed
their sentence at twenty years in pris-
on. The country at large pretty much
agreed in this verdict. Appeal was
taken to the supreme court, and the
case was held up for year.
In January, 1909, the legislature, by
a vote of nearly two to one, passed a
state wide prohibition bill. Governor
Patterson promptly vetoed it, saying:
I'm the name of temperance refuse
assent to an Incorporate measure
which will cause more evils that it
pretends to cure, and in the name of
morality I will not sanction law that
will foster hypocrisy and invite eva.
sion and deceit in the people,
The courage of the man was shown
by the fact that his inaugural was due
to take place within ten days. On Jan.
q he took the oath of Office for the sec.
| ond time. and. as his prohibitionveto had
| inf1amed the popular mind in Tennes
see, he made dramatic appeal to the
people, inviting them to put him or
trial in the courts or in the senate sit
ting as court of impeachment il
they thought him guilty of the Sian
ders that had been circulated about
him. He was never tried.
So the governor was reinaugurated
his administration ran on for more
than a year, and things were becom
ing comparatively quiet in Tennessee
when the supreme court handed dow1
long decision granting Robin Cooper
a new trial. but affirming the guilt Of
| Colonel Cooper.
Governor Patterson did not wait tt
read the decision. No sooner did BIZ
learn its purport than he seized a par
don form and signed it. This Sc
Colonel Cooper free and made it prac
tically certain that Robin would neve
come to trial.
The people had expected Patterson
to help his friend Cooper, but the,
had never dreamed that be would
snap his fingers in the face of the su
preme court. And in that momen
was born the issue which is to deter
mine the result of the gubernatoria
election this fall
Judges Fight Back.
Hitherto the nominations for the su
| preme court have been made at a sep
arate convention, SO that they SHOULD
not become involved with the polite
Of the state ticket According to som
Of the judges, Patterson intimated t
the supreme court that he would Xix
to have the Carmack case decided il
favor Of the Coopers. and when tn
court refused to accommodate him b
sent them word that he would not Civ
them convention this year, but woul
make them go into the regular part
primaries for their nominations.
Three of the judges retaliated in
way which he little expected. The
refused to go into the primary and dc
clared they would run independently
The judicial election comes in Al
gust The other nominees will b
voted for in November. The boltin
judges ask for Republican and indie
pendent support in August in the hop
of defeating Patterson's nominees. l
exchange they will throw their Unfit
ence and strength against Patterso
and the rest of the Democratic stat
ticket in November
| nlAhN ran ,asa1 aa,r