The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-26
BREAK OF DEADLOCK
 IS GREAT SURPRISE
Election of Lea to the Senate
 Upsets Forecasts
CAUSE OF THE BREAK
Plans of the Regular Democrats Are Upset and Luke Lea Carries on the Honors By Quick
 Action

| NdSnN1lle, January Zo.-lne CllIndX lO
 the weird and peculiar caperings of the
 whirligig of Tennessee politics was
 reached in the sudden breaking of the
 legislative deadlock lasting two weeks and
 the election to the United States Senate | of Luke Lea, lawyer and publisher of 1 this city, who will not only be the na- l tional senatorial baby in actual age, be- 1 ing but g, but who has never before
 held popular office of any kind. The
 lengthy and strenuous contested battle
 for Senator Fraziers seat involves in it's outcome what turns out to be a | beautifully planned and finely drawn bout
 ors the political chess board between first sworn friends and then sworn enemies.
 Gov. Malcolm R. Patterson and the final | ly successful eontendant, each remaining completely under cover until, with re- markable keenness of political vision, Mir
 Lea suddenly made his move that check
 mated his opponent and ended his game apparently for time.
 What now develops to have been the apparent line of battle on the part of each chief figure, although the governor l fighting for his final opportunity to re- l main on the political map, did not get the l opportunity which like his opponent he
 has been hopefully awiting, was that I each was to take advantage of the dead | lock, allowing other contenders of their l factions-"regular" and independent" dcmocratic-to first exhaust themselves | and then step in at the psychological moment With exactly timed precision | Lea entered the lists and upon the first ballot walked away with the situation | with one vote to spare. his election be- ing rendered possible by disaffection among the Shelby county delegation, four of whom turned from McMillin, who as
 regular favorite from the start, was | fast fading. He was able to command the same republican vote accorded En- l Joe.
 That the "break of the game came as it did seems undoubtedly due di- reetly to the action of Gen. Luke k. Wright. former governor general Of the | Philippines and Secretary of War under the Roosevelt administration. The Pat terson plan of campaign, according to well understood rumor, was to try out
 first McMillin and then Wright and when I if was demonstrated that neither could
 win the governor would thus be placed in | the ultimate attitude of being apparently
 forced into the game as the logical and sole hope of victory for the regular | faction of the democrats.
 Two republicans, Houk and Davis, were | not only known to be personally very l friendly to Governor Patterson, but were | in addition strongly opposed to the pres ent statewide laws. These voted inva- | 1iably for a republican, and the under standing is that had Governor Patter- son been apparently forced into the game, with the regular strength shown McMl- lin these would have immediately switched to him and would have been sufficient to put him over. They, 1t is alleged, were simply stai.ea e"t'' for this | lIftlA standing continues, was encouragihs Wright to hope for second go after Me Nillin was exhausted. Wrights Influence with the Memphis delegation being nec-
 essary to carry through the regular l programme as projected. Wright. accoru- | ino to a story sent out from Memphis by his friends after he suddenly left the scene Friday and returned home, became convinced that the governor was douDle- | crossing him and had no intention or using him other than McMillin had been used and immediately set about Tor | ,.o,oa ,,bich res,iltad iu the sWltchlns oA
 .enes ", e" votes in favor of Lea, whose name was immediately presented after Wrights angry departure from the neiu. The Final Chapter
 l This final chapter in the bitter per | sonal-nolitical conflict between Luke Lea
 and governor Patterson suggests the | strange recollection that Lea was respon- | sible for Patterson's first election as gov | ernor in 19O6 when the democratic con | vention was broken up In riot Luxe
 Lea. then Patterson's leader on the noor, 1 cant,lred the chairmans gavel and tried | facetiouslv to preside over the tumultuous | conplomeration. When order was re- | stored Governor Cox. Patterson oppo- nent. was routed although at the time | of the discordant mele his forces were in | the ma ioritv with a chairman. It Will be | recalled that it was Luke Lea who through his paper, the Tennessean, was | patterson's fercest enemy during the newt gubernatoriel bout. when Carms ck
 was defeated Then also following Sen | ator Carmaclx became editor or ms paper
 with the tragedy involving the life Of the
 hr,,liant former senator coming soon aft
 erwards.
 Having undoubtedly made Governor
 Patterson he was again very materlai
 Mctor in his final undoing through his
 paper and otherwise, both during the
 late judiciary fight growing chlehy out
 of the governors attitude In the Car
 mack murder trial as displayed in his nardoning of Col. D. B. Cooper and
 finally in a journalistic coup whereby
 control with republican assistance was
 acquired of the Nashville American and
 the regular democracy was left With out an official vehicle of expression in
 the capital of the state.
 The American Was SWdlioWeu up pS his paper, name and otherwise, for the
 first time. This was the final blow that
 influenced Governor Patterson to with draw from the gubernatorial race and
 which now in the light of present re- suits renders it more than likely that the governor has been eliminated for , keeps.
 Personality of Lea
 The new United States senator is a son of wealthy parentage here and of a family that has stood high for cul- ture and character. His inexperience in statesmanship, it is contended by his , friends will be well enumerated by f his education and study of public af- fairs and the knowledge of public mat ters gained through the conduct of his f paper which he started about five years ago and which is known to have cost several barrels of money to con.
 duct. It is understood that his father
 Oyerton Lea, whoeis a leisurely gentle
 man of the old regime with one of tho
 most beautiful country residences here ! abouts and a fine stock farm 4s side diversion, staked his son to hfs pei
 nroiect. and it has been commbn inti-
 nation locally that both his and his II lfathers ambition and hope wal Tor tht o ultimate political success of the bene n ficiary. MT. Lea is graduafe or Se : vance and of Columbia univerfity, New
 York, at which latter institution h' " completed his law course. Hf married 2 about five years ago Miss Mary Louis' - | Warner, daughter of Percy Warner " nresident of the Nashville Railway ant Is Light company. and has one daughter
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