Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-10-24
NO FLlNCHING
FROM III: ENEMY
S. H. RauIston, Candidate for
Re- Election IS Representative,
Announces His Position.
WOULD DEFEND
EXISTING STATUTES
Defends His Course in the Leg.
isIature, and SteadfastIy Re-
fuses Any Alliance With
the Liquor interests.

To the Voters of Marion County:
am a candidate for reelection to
the Office of Representative for Marion
County in the next Legislature, and it
being impossible for me to see all the
voters, I take this method of announc-
ing my position on the various ques-
tions which are now paramount in the
minds of all good Tennesseans. How
ever, before going into this, desire
to first briefly explain my position on
certain questions which came before
the last Legislature of which l was a
member.
am advised that certain designing
and unscrupulous politicians are cir
culating the false report that voted
for and received what is commonly
termed "the salary grab" Of the last
Legislature. This report is utterly
without foundation and is being circu-
lated for malicious purposes. voted
against the measure allowing each
member 5000. 90 extra. and declined to
accept the same after it was appropri-
ated, and if any person tells you that
l ever received one cent of this money,
challenge the statement as false, and
refer those who desire to know the
truth to Comptroller Frank Dibrell at
Nashville, Tenn. -....
am also advised that some of those
who are unfriendly to my candidacy
are endeavoring to create sentiment
against me because left the state and
went down into Alabama for short
period during the session. l first de-
sire to call attention to the inconsist-
ency and insincerity Of the crowd who
is making this criticism, which is
most thoroughly demonstrated by the
fact that they fail to utter one word
of criticism against the Senators who
fled to Kentucky during the previous
session of the Legislature, and most of
the fellows who are criticising the
flight to Alabama we're in hearty ac-
cord with the Kentucky journey.
If it is treason for member of the
Legislature to leave Nashville and go
to Alabama during the session, why
then is it so commendable and upright
for another member to flee to the State
of Kentucky Is it possible that the
Constitution of the State and the laws
are so drawn as to make 1t violation
Of official duty to run away to Bir-
mingham, and at the same time CON-
STITUTE A TRIP TO. KENTUCKY
A SACRED AND PATRIOTIC OF
FICIAL DUTYP
merely make mention of the above
as one of the hundreds Of instances
which might be mentioned to show the
absurdity of the position of those who
are now pleased to call themselves
REGULAR DEMOCRATS" and are
WHINING" about the bolt of the
last Legislature. To say the least of
it, I think they are placing very low
estimate on the intelligence of the
people of our commonwealth, to be-
lieve that such demagoguery as this
could be utilized to deceive them and
cause them to forsake the sacred prin-
ciples for which they have so long con-
tended, and go back and join the sa-
loon denominated element in Tennes-
see politics. ..
In the organization of the last House
of Representatives, those allied with
the good government element were in
the majority. This upset the plans OF
the crowd who were determined, If
possibl to overthrow certain statutes
which had been placed upon our books
by previous Legislature, but when
the crucial test came, some of those
who had been elected on platforms up
holding the election and temperance
laws (which were so obnoxious to the
lawless element, for some reason best
known to themselves, yielded to the
persuasions of our opponents, aband-
oned their pledges to their constitu-
ents, violated their promises to their
fellow members Of the Legislature and
Joined hands with their former politi-
cal enemies.
Since the majority in the beginning
was with us, we concluded that the
majority of the people of Tennessee,
who had elected all the members, be-
lieved in retaining the election and
temperance laws as they were. When
they deserted their post and surrender
ed themselves to the minority. it was
an outrage upon the State and undem-
ocratic in principle.
When the will of toe people as ex-
pressed at the ballot box was about to
thus he foiled by what regarded
treachery on the part of a few, which
| considered an abiect surrender, felt
it my duty to leave the state, If neces-
sary, in preference to having the min
ority thus put in power for the pur-
pose of repeating certain laws making
it possible for the lawless element and
liquor interests of the state to manipu-
late the elections in the future. Such
would have brought our state into
shame and disgrace throughout the
country, and would have threatened