The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-04-21
ARE CARRYING OUT
WILL OF THE PEOPLE
SAY LEGISLATORS
THIRTY.FOUR FUSION MEMBERS
OF HOUSE ISSUES A
STATEMENT.
Whisky Men Seeking to Destroy Man
ufaeturers' Law Preparatory to Re
peaIing the Entire Prohibition Act
Are Loyal to Constituents.

flying themselves before the sover
eign people of Tennessee, to the bal
of whose opinion they submit theil
cause, and whose will they declare
they are carrying out, the thirty-toui
members of the flfty-seventh general
assembly who left early yesterday
morning for Decatur, to block the pas
sage Of the election law, which had
secured enough votes for it's passage
have given out statement. AS the
five votes secured from those who
were elected as fusionists were In d.
rect violation Of pledges usually held
the most sacred of any kind of obliga,
tons, both to their constituencies and
to their fellow members, the eonly
course left, the absentees say, was
to break aquorum and thus preserve
the will of the people.
The following statement signed by
the thirty-four absentees, was given
out to the press yesterday:
ITO the people of Tennessee:
For many years the State of Ten
nessee has suffered all the ills that
can arise from unfair election laws,
dishonesty administered The cor
rupt use of the election machinery
has rendered it possible for the whis.
ky interests to dominate the govern.
mental affairs of this State Finally,
the people revolted against these
conditions, and gained control of both
branches of the legislature in 1909.
"The manufacture and sale of whis.
ky was outlawed and an election law
was enacted, which gave the people
of Tennessee an opportunity to secure
honest elections. Under that lazy a
free and untrammeled judiciary was
elected over the protest of the whis.
ky machine, and Governor and one
branch of the legislature, representa-
tive of all parties and all elements OF
the State, were chosen in November,
1910. The Republican and Independ.
ent members Of the general assembly
were elected upon platforms doclar.
ing plainly and positively in favor Of
the maintenance and enforcement OF
the temperance laws, and the reten
ton on the statute books of the pres.
ent election law.
Thus, sacredly pledged to the peo-
pie. their representatives met in
Nashville and, after a struggle in
which the opposition filibustered for
several days and refused to be sworn
in, they elected one Of their number
as speaker and organized the house.
Subsequently in caucus, each and ev'
cry Republican and Independent l,em-
Der of the house pledged himself Grail
ly and in writing to abide by his plat.
form pledges in regard to the election
law, and to resist all efforts to amend
or repeal same. a
Recently, without a word of warn.
ing, and without the courtesy of a con-
ference Of his colleagues that had
elected him, the speaker Of the house
introduced bill which proposed to
amend the election laws in. such
way as to hand the election mschin.
cry OF the State over to the same 20
litical machine from which the peo-
pie had wrested it. In this action he
was Joined by one other Independent.
This bill was rapidly pressed to
its passage and In the face Of their
platform and campaign pledges and
in violation of their written agree
ment with their colleagues, three Rs
publicans and two Independents vot-
ed for the bill, giving it ffty-one
votes, one more than the number nee
essary for its passage. Thus we wit
ness the complete failure of repre-
sentative government. Men elected
to Office, pledged in every way known
to honorable men, have trampled
their pledges under foot and broken
faith with the people of this Ctate.
They have attempted TO justify them
selves by saying that they sought
party harmony, and the representa-
ton of all political factions on the
election board AS a matter of fact
there was no element of harmony or
fairness in the bill.
Neither Republicans nor indie
pendents we're to be consulted in re-
gard to the selection of the additional
members of the board, but their al
legged representatives we're to be pam-
ed for them by a combination be-
tween the whisky Democrats and Re
publicans of the legislature, aided by