The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-02-28
WHO PREACHED THE FArrHi

WIN pnGNNTIb TIE TNsus
According to the Nashville Banner
Mayor Crump has made hard and
fast deal with the regulars" as the
result of which the manufacturers
law will be repealed, the prohibition
law will be modified, the election ma.
chinery transferred to the liquor
power, the back tax machine white
washed and a number of progressive
measures, already enacted, repealed
and the redistricting bill allowed to
die without q struggle.
Proceeding upon the assumption
that this statement is true the Ban.
ner berates Mayor Crump for his de-
sertion of the fusion forces and seeks
to create the impression that he and
not the fusionists have preached the
faith. Now is this true? Did not
Mayor Crump live up faithfully to
his agreement with the fusion lead
ers? Was not it the latter who were
Iduped by John l. Cox and other hq-
uor leaders into breach of faith
with the Memphis Mayor?
Soon after the election of the ,egis.
Ilature, when it appeared from the Of
fetal returns that the fusionists had
elected a minority of the members of
both houses, Col. Jonas T. Amis,
chairman of the independent state
committee, Senator Luke Lea and a
number of other independent lead
ers, sought an agreement with Mayor
Crump whereby the existing prohibit
ton laws might be safeguarded, the
election laws maintained, the back
tax machine destroyed and Patterson
retired to private life. They realiz-
ed that in view of the hostile MAORI
ty against prohibition in both houses
of the legislature that an arrange
ment whereby majority could be as
sured against the repeal of t,.ese
laws would unquestionably rebound
to the good of the temperance cause.
They agreed with Mayor Crump that
in return for his pledge that the ex-
listing laws would not be impaired
that no further effort would be made
to extend the temperance statutes.
This agreement was so manifestly
in the interest of the temperance
cause that when it was submitted to
the Anti-Saloon League for approval,
it received the cordial endorsement
of a majority of the legislative COM
mittee of that body. 1t also received
the approval of number of the tenn
perace leaders over the state and the |
endorsement of the editors of several |
of the strongest and staunchest ad- |
vocates of the cause, including the
editor of this paper
Mayor Crump faithfully and fairly |
lived up to his agreement. His del
egation voted for Independent demo
Gratis for every state Office and for
the senate for both the long and I
short terms. His delegation voted
for independents in the organization
Of both branches of the legislature;
they voted for the choice of the re-
publicans and Independents for cleo
tim commissioner; they voted for
he separation of the offices of insur-
ance commissioner and treasurer;
hey voted for progressive measures
hat would rebound to the credit of
Iov Hooper's administration and
he interest of the fusion cause. All
his time Mayor Crump asked for
nothing. He sought no office, Meth
er did his friends. He made no eff
ort to repeal or emasculate the tenn
,erance laws. He asked for fair
treatment upon his local legislation,
ind that there be no effort to further /
extend the temperance laws.
Shortly after the session began, s
seeking an opening to break the al
lance between Crump and the fu- {
'ionists to the end that the fusion
,ause might be utterly destroyed, t
he regulars presented a Flaw en-
'orcement" resolution. They were l
nanifestly and patentedly insinoere.
Had they been sincere upon this is
ue they would not have been "regu- s
ars" but would have joined with the t
and elected a !aw-en- I
orcement legislature, which was not
lone Their whole object and pur- q
'ose was to break the Crump-fusion 1
greement and then destroy the fu- /
ion cause. Led by John I. Cox in /
he house,they have about succeeded b
n their object. Without any inten. e
ion whatever of passing the law-en-
orcement bills, they insisted upon Fl
heir consideration hoping that the
would walk into the Ia