The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-06-07
HOUSTON COMES
BACK At BtESLEY
FOR THE LAST time
TIE CONCLUDING CHAPTER IT
MAY BE IN THE PROLONGED
CONTROVERSY.
CONGRESSMAN FOR PRIMARY
Or viii Leave Regularity of Nomina-
ton to Two Committees Without
ANY Attempt at Dictation or Di-
rection and Will Abide the Result.

!
Any Attempt at DIctation or Di-
rection and Will Abide the Result.
Hon. G. Beesley, Murfreesboro,
Tenn. Dear Sir:-Yours of the goth
ult to hand. have been at all times
and am still willing to let the demo-
Gratis declare in legalized primary
decl.1e who shall be the nominee of
the party at the November election.
Your question of who is the demo-
stated, is not only an improper but
an impossible issue to be submitted
to y primary. You must know that
the only issue that could be deter
mined at primary, is, who, as a re-
suit OF that primary, is the choice OF
the party. Your attempt to becloud
the matter with the consideration Of
past events is clear evasion of the
real issue and shows you are unwill-
ing to aid in solution of the demo-
cratic differences.
From the beginning your letters
nave been misleading A casual
reading of them makes the impress
sion on some that you are willing to
have primary TO settle the choice
of democrats for congress, but you
have always managed to stipulate
that the primary shall not be for this
purpose, hut to pass upon the regu-
larity Of cur nominations heretofore
received. This is so foreign to the
usual purpose of primaries that
many democrats failed to discern
what you were trying to do. But I
think by this time it is manifest to all
that you don't want a genuine prima-
Try, but want to switch off on side
issue to avoid getting the voice OF
the democracy Of the district.
i when 7 disapproved your idea OF
a primary for this extraordinary pur-
pose, you make this an excuse to es-
cape Iettipg the democrats say who
Is their choice for congress and an
excuse to avoid any primary at all.
This is a poor avenue of escape from
an honest settlement Of our differ
ences, for l repeat to you that | am
and have been willing to leave the
matter of primary to the two COM
mittees without dictation or condi-
tlors suggested by me and | will
abide by whatever they agree to. If
iyou really wanted a settlement for
halmony's sake and had confidence in
your own committee, you would agree
to this
You say that my plan to reopen
the whole matter and have primary
for the purpose of nominating a can
didate for congress will not appear
to democrats as being move in the
interest of harmony" | am utterly
unable to understand why this would
not appeal to democrats as fair
way OF settling and of obtaining har-
moly / submit to the intelligence
of democrats which of us is right on
this proposition. And, continuing,
you say: 1T will be regarded as a
scheme on your part to get new
man into the race to help defeat me-"
How comes this insinuation? Am I
not justified in believing that it was
born OF a mind much given to
schemes and scheming? Is it not a
case Of measuring my corn by your
half bushel
/ am sure the people do no. re-
gard me as schemer. trust I
have n character for fair dealing ana
open methods. and am content to let
the people of my district pass upon
this question.
| i repeat that your failure to agree
to legaiized primary for the pur-
pose Of nominating a candidate for
congress shows your unwillingness
to trust your candidacy to a fair ex-
preston Of democrats. Your refusal
'of my proposition to have the two
committees meet and settle the mat
tel without dictation from you or me
indicated clearly you care nothing for
hal Elony and that your efforts in the
correspondence between US have not
been prompted by desire to heal
democratic troubles and, as stated to
you before, further continuance of
this correspondence is futile. Yours
truly.