Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-12-25

versally believed that if the bills could
ever be forced to vote they would pass
Governor Hooper believed that they could
he pressed to d vote In a twenty-day ses-
sion when nothing else was before the
Legislature. AS he expressed 1t, "if you
hold a mans nose to the grindstone long
enough the blood will finally squirt"
But the trouble was to get the bills to
a vote. The fourteen independents and
Republicans and three Regulars in the
Senate, where the Speaker was favorable
would bring them TO an issue, but in the
House, where the Speaker was merely
rubber stamp for Crump, the forty-four
independents and Republicans had. not
been able to get a vote because the six
Regulars supporting the bills would not
assert themselves against the arbitrary
rulings Of the Speaker, Here was where
the mass meetings got in their work.
They stiffened the backbone-e Todd aud
one or two other Regulars. Todd wants
to run for Congress IN the FIFTH District
and the law enforcement people are
strong and wide-awake in that district
Todd evidently dreaded to go up against
he situation in a second special session.
IS he came out in an interview opposing
aud critieislng the calling of the last spe-
"idl session.
WANTED THE CREDIT.
another feature OF the situation that
was difficult to handle was the fact that
the bills, six in the House, and three in
the Senate. were childishly anxious to
monDpolize all the credit for passing the
hills. This lack of cooperation with the
Republicans and Independents perhaps
prevented the enactment of the bills at
he first special session. But in the last
session Governor Hooper went into the
caucus of the Independents and Republ
cans and advised them to lift the new
recruits up on the front seat of the band
wagon and let them crack the whip and
loot the horns to their hearts content.
He advised that the Independents confer
freely with the Regulars individually and
collectively.
This course brought speedy results. The
first move made was the adoption of a
new set of rules. which made it impossi-
BILE for the Speaker to lord it over the
House. On all these preliminary ques-
tons the aye vote ranged from so to
SO, but when it became apparent that the
bills were going to pass the opposition
broke and went to pieces. and the antics
and maneuVers of the Regulars to save
their faces were ludicrous to behold. Men
who had fought the bills for nearly year
engaged In a wild scramble for position
on the water wagon. The liquor lobby
permitted men who it owned like chattels
to vote for the bills. Even the three ex-
Republicans. Royston, Love and Boyer.
crawled into line. Men like Walsh and
Bryant of Gibson County were released by
doubtless upon the theory that they had
done all they could to defeat the bills, and
that their votes now might help to fool
the law enforcement people In their
county.
And John Isaac Cox. after exhausting
every resource of political and parlia-
mentary chicanery in his effort to de-
feat the bills. sneaked in under the water
wagon.
GREAT FIGHT.
Upon the whole it WAS a great fight
1t is no small undertaking to down the
powerful liquor interests. with their ire
mendous corruption fund and their expe-
ricnced and inscriptions political leader
ship. A weaker man than Governor Hoop
er would have gone down in discourage
ment last winter, when many of the lead
ers of the movement gave up. A less
slIilful leader would have been over
whelmed His following in the Legisla-
ture was resolute, loyal and well organ
lied and he possessed their fullest conf
dence at all times. While the victory of
the advocates of Law and order was not
complete it will be closely followed up IN
order that no ground may be lost and
that the work may be finished.