The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1913-10-17
PATTERSON SPEAKS.
AS Long as Life Lasts Foe to
Liqor Traffic.


forcement mass-meeting held here this
afternoon on the call Of Regular and
Independent Democrats. The address
was considered by both his friends and
enemies one OF the notable ones Of bis
career. The trouble, " he said, was
not all over the prohibition law, not
altogether in the non-enforcement of
the law, but in the accursed thing it.
self.
From now as long as life lasts am
the uncompromising foe Of the liquor
traffic"
The great battle to be fought, he de-
clared, was to dissolve the connection
Of the United States Government with
the manufacture and sale OF liquor, and
to interdict it by constitutional amend
ment.
A splendid audience OF old Ruther-
ford's citizenship greeted the ex-Goy-
ernor at the Opera House at O'Clock.
Upon his arrival from Nashville on
the noon train he was carried in an auto
mobile directly from the station to the
Opera House, and was welcomed with
applause as he entered. The meeting
was called to order by Representative
A. L. Todd, and, on motion OF DIR. ".
L. Logan, P. A. Lyon was elected Chair
man.
Quite number of ladies were present
in the audience. Governor Patterson
seemed to be in fine form, and his
speech made profound impression.
His unriyaled oratorical powers and his
ability to sway his hearers were never
shown to better advantage. 1t is be-
lieved the effect OF the speech will be
far-reaching.
Mr.. Patterson was introduced by the
Chairman, Hon. II. A. Lyon. In
opening his address, Governor Patterson
said:
EXCERPTS FROM ADDRESS.
The object Of this meeting is to ex-
press the views OF the citizens OF Ruther-
ford County for law enforcement Did
you ever think Of the anomaly OF a
situation such as confronts us now
that in the twentieth century OF civili-
cation, in a republic dedicated to liberty
under law in State whose illustrous
men have embeIlished nearly every page
Of its history, that itshould be necessary
for God-fearing and law-abiding men to
assemble to pass resolutions for the en-
forcement OF law or to petition their
members OF the Legislature to stand for
such an obvious and necessary thing as
law enforcementY''
ATTITUDE OF PARTY.
Speaking Of the attitude Of the Dem
oeratic party to the liquor traffic, he
said:
THE Democratic party, if it shall ever
again become ascendant in Tennessee
and be power for good, as it is now in
the republic, must cut itself loose from
the liquor traffic now and forever.
ITO protect this iniquity is to seal its
own destruction.
Paying his respects to city bosses, he
said: The city bosses call themselves
Democrats, but have not the faintest
idea OF what the splendid truths OF
Democracy mean. Their ideas OF De-
mocracy begin at the brewery and dis
tillery and end with the dive-keeper,
the brothel and the gambling hell.
"They have raised the red flag against
order, and the hand OF every honest
citizen should be against them.
ITO assert organized lawlessness to
the States mandates is not toassert any
principle Of free government or human
liberty, but it is to assert principle Of
anarchy, Of disease and death to the
body polite, he declared.
The city bosses, he continued, do
not want the prohibition law repealed
.hey do not want it enforced. They
want to retain. unmolested, their tyran-
nical power and crack the lash over the
backs OF their slaves.
Regarding liquor itself, he declared:
Liquor poisons everything it touches.
It is q public enemy, and as such il
should be treated.
HIS OWN POSITION.
Regarding his own position, Cover
nor Patterson said:
When sent 10 my message to the
Legislature on the prohibition question,
and afterwards vetoed the bill. was as
honest and sincere with The people as /