The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-03-29
SENATOR LEAFS CHANGE.

cate of temperance, and 1t DeiieVes
hat the enactment and maintenance
Or repcal of laws prohibiting the sale
and manufacture of liquor, are morai
and personal questions and not inc
proper subjects Of party platforms
and party caucuses and that the peo-
ple should express their wishes upon
these questions in the election OF tne.
members of the general Assembly.
The foregoing paragraph would De
Tho declaration of che democratic
party of Tennessee this year upon
The liquor question if Senator Luke
Lea should be the writer of that doc
ument. In an interview given out at
washington the junior senator de-
clares that this statement embodies
what Re believes should be the cor
rect policy for the party in Tennes-
see and he urges members to agree
that when convention is held y De
adopted.
This is the most surprising, the
most astounding feature Of the I'M
usual developments Of the past few
days in political circles of the state
That Senator Luke Lea, the irst
owner of a great daily paper IN the
state to advocate state wide prohibit
ton. should take the same position
upon the issue that is taken by all
those who have in the past fought
him is, to put the matter mildly,
simply astounding. When did Sena-
tor Lea discover that prohibition was
purely personal and moral issue,
and not proper subject for platform
declarations?
Two years ago, when an abortive
effort was made to perpetuate the
Patterson machine under the guise
of harmony, the platform makers
sought to adopt this identical policy
Senator Taylor made his campaign
for Governor upon this dodge Where
was Senator Lea in that campaign
Then the liquor question was moi
"purelv a personal and moral ISSUE
on the contrary it was the great Is
sue Of the contest and Senator Leas
paper, the Tennessean, said so every
day. That paper advocated the cleo
ton of B. w. Hooper, the republican
candidate, who stood squarely upor
a state wide prohibition platform
II earnestly and consistently opposed
the election of Taylor, the candidate
Of the "liquoris-a-moral-issue people
Senator LEAFS paper away back il
February or March, 1908, weeks be
fore the late Carmmck opened hi
campaign for governor, announced
it's advocacy of state wide prohibl
ton Although in that campaign Pat
terson stood where Lea now stands
the latter fought him to finish ant
helped to pass the prohibition law
over the Governors veto. Their
has been no more complete reversa
Of position upon great issue thai
that of Senator Lea. At one step h
has zone from leadership in tn
ranks of prohibition to the espousa
CT the policy advocated by ever
friend of the saloon in all this land.
LEAFS position now Is that OF ever
anti-prchibitionist in this Who'll
country. It is that of Henry WA
terson. of M. R. Patterson @
"Cousin Chawles,' of Gilmore an
all the rest of that grand galaxy @
disinterested patriots who believe
any settlement of the liquor que'
ton that does not interfere with tn
right TO make and sell the damnabl
stun.
II the LIQUOR question Is not pol
tical issue, then Luke Lea owes
apology to every advocate OF tn
liquor power in Tennessee for h
more than any other man, his papt
more than any other in the stat
made the liquor question a polittc
issue and by making it polite
issue closed the doors of every legs
lied saloon and distillery within Il
bounds of this fair commonwealth
1t is idle to deny that the iiqu
question is a political issue. Eve
question that goes to the legislatu
of a free people for final settleme
is political issue. Every ISIS
which is the subject of legislati
by the representatives of free p'
pie, lie a political question. The
are propositions that cannot and
not he denied. Even under Seaa'
LEAFS suggestion of a dodge and
miserable bubble and backdown
this question, 1t would remain p'
teal issue to vex and harass a