The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-08-29
JUDGE SHIELDS COURSE.

hudt he WOulu DdT from Omcldl raw
all independent democrats who wi
not join the regulars" In Tenne
see, was natural and expected. Hent
that paper expresses surprise thu
The Herald, the Banner, the Chat;
nooga News and the Jackson Su
have criticised the junior senator, il
timating that such criticism is nc
only unwarranted but is a refiectio
upon those newspapers appreciatio
of the true political situation.
Now what are the facts? Hav
Judge Shields political alignment
been such as to justify the cours
that he proposes to pursue, that i
to deny recognition to the independ
ent democrats of Tennessee? Ha
the senator been the consistent enc
my of fusion or has he been it's sup
porter?
Let us recount the political histo
Ty of Tennessee briefly. In 1870,
Judge Shields was an ardent support
er of the late Senator Carmack, who
really commenced this fight for goot
government in Tennessee. Although
defeated in the primary Senator Car
mack took the position that the plat
form subsequently dictated to the
democratic party by NJ r. Patterson
was not binding upon the people. I'm.
der the leadership of Mr.. Carmack
then the editor of the Nashville Ten.
nessean, legislature was elected
that repudiated the Patterson plat
form, enacted a state wide prohibit
ton law and an honest election law.
Judge Shields supported that move
ment. He gave aid to the enactment
of the above mentioned laws. His
whole sympathy was with the prohi-
bition movement.
1t was so well recognized that
Judge Shields was the uncompromis-
ing opponent of Patterson and Patter-
sonism in Tennessee that when the
judicial campaign opened in 1910 he
was marked for slaughter by the Pat
terson machine. Precedents and ira
ditions of the democratic party were
ruthlessly defied, it's party law ig-
nored and scheme devised that
would have given Patterson absolute
control of the states judiciary.
Judge Shields led revolt that soon
assumed the proportions of a revolu-
ton. He was the leader, the heart,
the very soul of the battle in 1910 for
a -non-partisan judiciary. For the
first time in the history of Tennessee
the democratic nominees for the ju-
dietary were defeated Judge Shields
Jed the ticket He was in fact the
acknowledged successor of the late
Ward Carmack in the lead
ership of the good government forces.
He Was the very idol of the temper
ance people of Tennessee. In re-
Spouse to the overwhelming senti-
ment of the people of Tennessee he
was elected chief justice of the new
court
During the judicial campaign the
republican state executive committee
at Nashville. Every effort
vas made to have the republicans
tut third judiciary ticket in the {
ield. But patriotism and not parti- !
anship prevailed, and although the
epublicans had no recognition what =
'ver upon the judicial ticket, which q
vas composed of ten lifelong demo- "
rats, the committee by large ma 0
ority endorsed Shields and his col u
eagues by name and commended q
hem to the republican voters of the n
tate. This action of the republi- ~
an state committee insured the II
lection Of Shields and the entire 1o
cket. Republicans all over the u
n
tate loyalty supported the indie o'
endent ticket Every republican Ve
,ronghold in the state gave Shields cI
nd the ticket large majority. The IN
ctory could not have been won az
ithout this support. Had the re-
lblicans been more partisan and i'm
IS patriotic they would doubtless he
I'VE elected the entire judiciary. 81
In the campaign following the in wi
spendent democrats endorsed B. w. i'm
ooper, the republican candidate for tn
vernon, upon a good government all
bipartisan platform. Judge Shields Ma
pported and voted for Hooper and Su
vised his friends to take the same exi
urse and they did. In the cam an
ign of last year Judge Shields hol
We nominal support to McMillin Sh
IT as Senator Lea and Gen. Gates an,
Geo. Milton and others did. But enc
IN them he repudiated their plat 1871
m and the senatorial primary. he
opposed the election of the ire ate