The Newport plain talk. (Newport, Tenn.) 1909-1939, 1913-03-27
SENATOR LEA
FIXES BLAME
Says That Change In Election
Law is Heoper's
Fault.
DROVE cRUMp AWAY

/ Been Outlined Which Would
| Have Resulted In Much Bene.
ficial Legislation Through the
Aid of Crump, That Hooper
| Drove Him Away.
| Nashville Tenn, March Ex-senator
Leafs Tennessean in an editorial SAYS
that the blame for the changing OF
the election law should rest upon the
shoulders Of Governor Hooper, mas
much as his failure to live up to the
agreement made by Independent and
Republican leaders with the Shelby
county delegation had not been lived
up to.
The Tennessean editorial is as fol.
lows:
The passage of the amendment to
the election law in the house Friday
by vote of 50 to Al Is clearly indica-
tive OF what may be expected to be
| done.
The cause of this is not hard TO find.
IT is traceable to one source and only
one, and that source is Governor
Hooper's arbitrary policy in breaking
faith with the combined strength
which organized the Fifty-eighth gen.
eral assembly, and which had the pow
er, if maintained, to do much in the
way of enacting progressive laws, ana
to prevent the impairment of tue elec-
tion or temperance laws.
This paper has fought day in and
day out for law enforcement and for
the preservation, maintenance and
perpetuation of the present election
and Temperance laws. We have been
for these laws and the vital principle
of law enforcement throughout the
long struggle for better conditions in
Tennessee, and we stand as firmly and
resolutely for these things now as the
most jealous of their advocates and
champions, but taking a practical
view of the situation we cordially COM
mended the agreement to allow the
| laws indicated to remain unimpaired
and undisturbed, in the end that 9TH
er important legislation might be en-
acted, and that ultimately the temper
ance laws might become effective
throughout the state through the oper-
alton of law like the Webb Law and
| if need to be further strengthened by
! legislation in future legislatures.
| A careful count Of noses after the
November election showed that the
republicans and the independent dem
ocrats constituted helpless, impotent
and hopeless minority. Without ad-
ditionai strength it was obvious and
combined strength of theindependents
and the republicans would remain a
minority and be powerless to do any
thing, but fortunately there were a
number Of important matters which
were of common interest to the Shelby
county delegation, the republicans and
the independent democrats, and there
fore triple alliance was made.
The result of that allowance was
that Patterson was defeated for the
United States senate, Dibrell was de-
feated for comptroller, and the indie.
pendents and republicans were award
ed what they asked in The election OF
officers.
Conscious of the fortune that had
come their way in having their forces
strengthened by afliliation from the
Shelby county delegation the friends
of these laws felt that it would be a
victory to preserve the temperance and
election laws. They felt that they had
won signal victory in an agreement
to not only preservethese laws but to
do many other things that were of
common interest to the three elements
constituting the alliance, ands they
| were going right on In a forward
movement that promised much good
! for the state, and all was well until
Governor Hooper broke taith, destroy
ing the alliance and dissipating the
unitcd forces, thus by his arbitrary
and tinwise course, converting domi-
nant and controlling majority into a
helpless minority.
The responsibility for the situation
that now confronts the legislature rests
on Governor Hooper alone.
The probability of the repeal of the
election and temperance laws was
Continued on Page p