The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1913-11-21

ton Love and Boyer. went over to the
| regular Democrats before the Legislature
| even met.
| The Shelby County delegation, three
In the Senate and eight in the House,
all controlled by Mayor Crump, were
free lances, ready to make with any
body any alliance that seemed advan-
tageous to themselves. Their most nat
ural alliance, however, at that time, was
, with the Republicans and Independents,
for the reason that Crump was the bit
ter enemy Of Patterson and Dibrell, and
that Patterson had been nominated by
the regular Democratic primary for
United States Senator and Dibrell for
Comptroller,
BALANCE OF POWER.
Crump plainly held the balance Of
power In both Houses, but he could not
afford to combine with the element all
ready committed to Patterson and Dibrell.
He, therefore, cast his lot with the Inde-
pendents and Republicans. This alliance
resulted In putting Patterson and Dibrell
completely out of the running. 1t also
controlled the organization of both Sen
ate and House, giving the Speakership OF
the Senate to White, an Independent, and
the Speakership Of the House to Stanton,
Crumpite.
This matter was arranged by Senator
Lea Maj. Stahlman Mayor Crump, Col
James T. Amis and a few others, and
was backed by Governor Hooper and
the Independent and Republican members
of the Legislature.
Much has been said about this alliance,
both by way of misunderstanding and
misrepresentation The criticism has not
been based on the agreement actually
made, for 1t is conceded to have been
sensible and honorable, but it has always
been based on something that never hap
pened. 1t has been charged that Governor
Hooper agreed to drop all law enforce
ment legislation, but not syllable OF
proof was ever offered to substantiate this
statement. On the other hand, the writ
ten memorandum prepared by Governor
Hooper and sent to Senator Lea, Mayor
Crump and others at their November
! meeting expressly declared that law en-
forcement must not be included in the
agreement. The Fusion members of the
Legislature were informed that there was
no agreement as to the temperance ana
law enforcement legislation, and there
was no real effort made to bring about
such an agreement until after the Legis-
lature had been organized and the Sena-
torial election was deadlocked. Then
while the Senatorial election was hanging
In the balance and the interest of all par
ties was intense, the shrewd and willy
Crump concluded that the time was ripe
to force the Independents and Republic
cans to yield on the law enforcement
question. He put the screws on all the
Independent leaders In the Senatorial
fight.
Some of them may have yielded on ac-
count of their great anxiety to win the
Senatorial contest but most Of them gave
in because they were made to believe that
no law enforcement legislation could pos
sibly pass, and that, unless they agreed
with Crump, the four-mile law would be
so amended as to exclude the cities. Sem
ator Lea expressed his view of the mat
ter and even some Of the leaders of the
Anti-Saloon League signified their will
ingness to accept Crump's terms.
Delegations Of Independent and Repub-
lican leaders waited on Governor Hooper
to secure his acQuiesence in this deal,
but he told all Of them in most positive
terms that he would not violate his plat
form and campaign pledges to the people,
and would resign his office before he
would yield his position on the law en-
forcement legislation
HOOPER coRNERED.
The true inside reason why Crump then
went ahead with Senator Lea and others
in the Senatorial fight was that he and
everybody else believed that, with Gov
ernor Hooper hemmed in a corner to
himself, the other leaders OF the Inde-
pendents could swing enough independ-
ent Legislators to beat all the law en-
forcement bills. This was what Crump re-
lied on. The mistake made was in I'M
derstanding the loyalty and strength OF
character Of the Independent Democratic
came to a final showdown not a single
Independent Legislator could be induced
to forsake Governor Hooper and vote
against the law enforcement bills.
Everybody remembers how, when the
fight was opened up on the law enforce
ment bills, Crump jumped the fence into
the camp Of the Regulars and became the
practical dictator at the Regular caucus
during the remainder of the Legislature.
John Isaac Cox has claimed the credit
of lassoing Crump and returning him to
the Regular fold But this boast of John
Isaac's is an empty sham AS matter
of fact when Governor Hooper COM
menced to line up his friends in the two
Judiciary Committees and they began to
report the bills for passage, Crump start
ed in a dead run for the only genuine
liquor reservation, the Regular caucus. He
needed no persuasive maneuvers from
Cox. 1t is true, Cox did put up a show
of favoring the law enforcement bills to
frighten Crump but Crump had already
broken with the Republicans and indie
pendents Moreover, he had sense enough
to know that John Isaac was only bluff
ing and that he would never vote for a
law enforcement bill until it had enough
votes to pass without his vote. Crump
was not afraid of John Isaac, but he was
afraid of a small number of Regulars
that it was always thought would vote for
the bills. He had not been worrying about
them, however, because he felt sure that
enough Independents could be delivered
to save the previous saloons of Memphis.
showed that none of the Independents
could be transferred to the liquor camp by
any combination of leaders.