The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-07-12
PREsToN,s SPEECH.

Seldom have the people of Maury
county heard an ADLER or more ex
haustiye discussion of the affairs Of
the state than they heard on Tues
day from the lips OF Hon. Thos. R.
Preston. 1t was singularly free. from
demagogic rot. 1t was not an ap
peal. to prejudice or passion. It was
an able and painstaking analysis OF
the affairs of Tennessee from the
standpoint of the pracsical business
man. 1t was not the idle twaddle Of
the Office hunter 1t was the speech
Ct statesman who knows and appre.
GATES the difficulties of the state and
has practical remedies to offer.
If the reforms advocated by Mr..
Preston for the financial adIhinistra-
ton of affairs in Tennessee were car
ried into effect we should have ten
times more efficient government than
we now have at less than half of the
cost. He Is the first democrat in
many years who has devoted his
time to study of the real business
affairs of the government and his
familiarity with the states finances
and business problems is tribute to
his ability.
Mr.. Preston's arraignment Of the
back tax laws and their beneficiaries
while severe is deserved. Too long
have the affairs Of Tennessee been
administered in the interest OF the
oficeholders and their little ma.
chimes. But the power of the special
interests and the office brokerage
machines should not be discounted
and we fear that any candidate for
the democratic nomination who
stands upon the common-sense pa
triotic platform upon which Mr..
Preston's candidacy is founded will
have rough shedding before the goal
of his ambition is attained. The
people will have to be educated and
aroused ere we get away from ma
chine government for the Office
holders and the Office seekers.
Mr.. Preston's plea for the enforce.
ment of the laws was distinctly dis
appointing to the law loving people
of the community. He practically
Eullified his declaration in favor Of
the majesty of the law by declaring
against any measures that would
make possible the enforcement OF the
law in lawless centers of crime and
iniquity like Nashville and Memphis.
He would allow the perjured officials
Of those cities and the counties in
which they are located to continue
tc nullify the laws of sovereign
state upon the demagogic plea that
the people of those communities can
have in office whomsoever they de.
sire.
That is all very well. They are
entitled to elect grafters and per-
jurers If they desire to do so, but
they should never have the right to
deliberately nullify the laws Of a
sovereign state enacted by all of the
law makers of the state and for the
interest of the whole state. Old
Hickory, the patron saint of demo
crazy, eighty years ago effectually
ended the doctrine of notification as
applied to national laws. Woodrow
Wilson the new leader Of National
Democracy, effectually ended the
same doctrine of nullincation as ap.
piled to the laws Of New Jersey,
What we need in tennessee is an
Old Hickory with the power and the
will and the courage to end the reign
of lawlessness through official CONN.,
vance that disgraces the cities of the
state and disgracing the cities dis
graces the state of Tennessee. The
laws OF the state SHOULD be supreme.
"By the eternal" there should hc no
power higher than the laws of the
sovereign state save those of the
general government and the candi-
cate for governor who does not SUBJ
scrige to this doctrine is not the
proper person to execute the laws of
the grand old state Of Tennessee.