The Jones County news., 1913-11-06
THE CONVERSION OF EX-GOVERN-
ON PATTERSON, OF TENN.

From a political standpoint, we do
not suppose blacker-hearted repro
bate ever breathed the breath of lie
than Ex-Governor Patterson OF Ten
nessee. He was leader for the forces
banded together In that State to turn
Tennessee over to the whiskey element
and every other influence that opposed
a purifying OF the political atmos-
phere and eleyating the moral stand
ard of the public While in the Gov
ernor's chair, he encouraged and
abetted the cold-blooded murder OF
Senator Carmack, one OF the noblest
and purest men the South ever pro-
duced, and after jury had convicted
his slayer, Patterson used the pardon
ing power TO turn the scoundrels loose
upon the world, unwhipt Of punish
ment. He attempted TO wreck the
Democratic party in order to further
the interest OF the whiskey ring, aud
IL was only by the decent and law
abiding Democrats of that State
forming political alliance with Re
publicans, that his efforts were de-
feated Ex-Gov. Patterson continued
to defy the moral element of his State
and trample law and decency under
foot, until a few weeks since, when
the mask was violently torn from his
face. Patterson was arrested by the
police of Nashville In a den of in
fanny, surrounded by bevy of harlots.
The disgrace was so great that ii
seemed to have penetrated even his
rhinoseros hide, for the more decent
element among his followers was
shocked at the expose Of their leader.
Even Patterson's own family hung
their head in shame.
But the Lord moves in mysteri-
Gus way His wonders to perform y
Finding himself spurned by every
self-respecting person, and his in
tiuence despised, ex-Gov. Patterson
professed conversion and united with
the Presby byterian church. The result
was this detection 20 discouraged his
followers that the f shd of law, order
sstss sess y =.
by the Legislature a law that will run
from that State liquor dealers, and
the outlook is that Tennessee will now
be 'dry in fact as well as in name.
In speech before large audience
at Murfreesboro, Tenn regarding his
own position, Governor Patterson
said:
When | seLt Ia my message TO the
Legislature on the prohibition ques-
tion, and afterwards vetoed she bill,
| was AS honest and sincere with the
people as | knew how TO be, and al,-
solutely true to my platform pledges
''Snce then have tried to discover
whether the law itself was responsible
for the evils or It's non-enforcement,
and | have been iri esistibly led, as if
by the hand OF an unseen power, to
the belief that our trouble was not in
the law--not altogether in the nom
enforcement of the law-but in the
accu sed thing itself,
"You who have followed me in the
past and rallied around my flag when
the smoke was thickest and the fight
ing fiercest, will ask, Is this the man
we once knew And'I answers Yes;
the only difference is that have cast
off the shell of my environment cut
the cord which bound me and entered
upon new, and, hope, happier and
better life.
II know that every man in Tennes-
see who has been my real friend will
never find 1T in his heart to censure
There are others who will charge me
with inconsistency; those who have
used me to their own advantage, and
those who Wish to be unmolested while
they coin money from the walls of
children, the tears and heartaches of
women and 6egration OF men.
''To those who charge Inconsistency
any reply shall be an admission to
the fact. am inconsistent-my views
NOW are not what they were-I am
lad am inconsistent want and
mean to be Inconsistent. How has
this change come about? 1t did not
come through me or by me. | hav
felt my countrymen, like one cropping
In the dark.
81 know suffering and sorrow, and
/ have pitied it in others, have felt
my weakness and insecurity and need
of help. / could not find it in cold