The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-04-12
MORE CONFUSION.

Instead of clarifying the situation
the approval of the so-called editors
harmony plan by majority of the
yertrees committee will add to thu
chaotic condition of Tennessee poll
tics. 1t is practically certain that
Vertrees aud many of his followers
will refuse to yield acquiescence In
the will of the majority of the com
mlttee Now will they be the regu
lar re gulars or the boilers? The
committee in regular session by a
majority vote, in due parliamentary
fo.m called a primary for May 25 and
a convention for sometime in June.
Now is it within the province of a
majority Of the members, acting as
individuals, and in an irregular and
supplementary manner, to rescind,
anlul and abrogate this action
Technically speaking this cannot be
done. The primary call has not been
formally abandoned and the genuine
si,:lon pure regulars, those who hold
to the doctrine that party machines
when acting formally, can do no
wrong should, to be consistent, fol-
low the Vortrees faction and vote in
the May primary.
On the other hand it will be con-
tended that since majority of the
committee, although acting outside
of parliamentary law and in an ire
gular manner, has abandoned the
primary loyal regulars should like
wise abandon it and stand with the
majority. In other words, Vertrees,
the great prince of regulars since
Sep. IA, 1910, would be a horrid
better" May the Lord forbid the
thought! 1t would indeed require
Philadelphia lawyer to figure out who
Is regular and who is bolter in Ten
nesSee at this time.
However, it must be admitted that
the claim of real regularity is best
sustained by the democrats who fol-
low the former actions of the Vertrees
committee and participate in the
May primary. The editors harmony
plan is unquestionably a revolt by
the regulars participating therein
against tie DUR constituted party
authority whose regularity and in
the regulars" have not
questioned or impugned.
It is revolution and no regular who
follows the twelve boilers can here
after question the right Of the out
ragged democrats of the seventh con-
gre ssional district to organize re-
volution against the tyranical and I'M
democratic action of the congresslon-
Il committee. Every regular who
ollows the twelve boilers questions
he title of Senator Turner to the
democratic nomination in this dis
riot.
Tho situation involves some inter-
sting complications in Maury coun-
y This is the abiding place of the
rtSular-regulars," the members of !.
hat faction holding it to be the
ignt Of heresy to question the demo-
racy or propriety of anything that
hes"regular state committee may do. :.
'wo years ago the regulars" &C
ually bolted the regular democratic
ounty committee in Maury county :
nd organized another committee be- :
ause the county committee would :.
OF subscribe to the doctrine that y
tate committee could do no wrong.
low the regular" committee of =
his county has unanimously approx "
d the stand taken by Vertrees and o
ne question naturally arises, what =
ill it do next? Will the regulars "
ere follow the county committee ~
nd vote in the May primary or will p
ley follow a majority of the Yer
rees committee and participate in u
lie convention? In order to Feep -
leir regularity spotless let us sug- O
Est that they participate in both the IL
rimary and convention. ~