The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-14

ly rendered him hors de combat 8 far as
 l political preferment was concerned.
 1 IL was about this time that Lea under
 went a change of sentiment as regarding
 1 the administration of affairs in Tennes-
 1 see particularly as to the liquor inter-
 ests. and he commenced to use his news
 I paper, which had been of liberal turn. in
 the aid of prohibition He espoused the
 i candidacy of Edward w Carfnack for
 the governorship after the latter had been
 i defeated for tho United States Senate
 l by Robert l.. Taylor. Of recent years, the
 public well remembers thls notable cam
 1 paign, which resulted in Carmack being
 1 defeated and Patterson being reelected
 Tor second term.
 The tragedy in which Carmack lost his
 life while precipitating the passage of i statewide and the manufacturers laws. would not alone have caused such wide l spread sentiment over the state had it I not been for Luke Lea. He had conduct l ed an assiduous campaign and one that l insured ultimate success. Continuously
 he has fought for prohibition principles, I at least in name, and has won a reputa-
 ton in that respect, if not actually plac- 1 ing prohibition into positive effect. Another Bout With Patterson Another bout that Lea had with Pat | terson was in the famous judiciary fight | Tn the summer of 1910, when the supreme 1 justices, led by Chief Justice Shields, re- l volted against Patterson after the pardon I of Colonel Cooper in the Carnlack mir- I der case. Lea supported Shields and the | independent judiciary ticket that I swamped Patterson by 44,000 majority. The defeat, while not personal to Patter- | son. was so crushing to his forces that l he gave up the third term nomination for l governor and let the party things care | for pfua ha is I he became a nationwide prohibition ora | tor It was popular old Bob Taylor who | then took up the robe that had been dis carded by Patterson and attempted to re- habilitate the democracy of the state and which had suffered it's first judicial fight 1 in all of history.
 Lea opposed the Apostle of Sunshine''
 in the governorship fight in the fall of 1910 and the success of Hooper in that hsht when he was then but an obscure l mountain lawyer, is said to have been the cause of the break in the health of "Our Bob that resulted in his death while serving in the United States Senate, he | having never relinquished 'lis office while making the race for governor of his beloved Tennessee.
 The defeat of Taylor brought into prominence the strong fusion alliance in | the legislature more compact than the
 one elected in 1908, when statewide pro- hibition was first enacted and the cleo
 tion machinery of the state taken. The I lines were so closely drawn in the leeis.- 1 lature election In 1910 that the Lea Hoop l CT forces, fearing that the eI, ction ma- l chinery might be changed back to the democrats, formed the first hegira to Alabama, and it was seiaimed and never denied that the reIiaway of the members was planned Ky Maj. k. B. Stahlman a i'd Lea ip theelatter's office
 GOvernOrship in 1912
 .31n the goyernorship campaign of -g12, Y Lea was in harmony movement like the one that brought the recent great l convention together. Benton McMilfan I had won the gubernatorial nomination m l a primary before the convention defeat | ing T. R. Preston, whom Lea supported and having taken part in the primary Lea 1 feigned to support McMillan, but lam ba st. 1 ed the democratic platform that con I tained local option plank inserted at | the last moment hy ex-Governor Patter- | son. The attitude of Lea in still declar- | ing for harmony made him prominent in i the state convention and he was sent to 1 Baltimore as an Underwood delegate He | however only voted for Underwood l Lea was of the chief moguls who I organized the legislature two years ago l against the democratic party. He t,ok d | lending part in the senatorial fight before l that general assembly and did his utmost to defeat Senator Shields whom the reg l ulars supported. after Shields had shown Willingness to come back into 5he party 1 The success of Shields and the feeling | aroused at that time was the beginning l of the political feud that is now being l carried on between Lea and Shields in the distribution of patronage from the federal ] pie counter.
 1 Elevation to Senate
 1 As to l,ea's own elevation to he United 1 tat 1 legislature prior to the time Judae l Shields was chosen, it might be termed ! nore of a victory than m the usual term l as eyes had been turned rather content l edly upon Benton McMillan the demo- l cratic nominee. The plum was snatched 1 from McMillan at the last moment Of Lea's record in ths United States Senate during the half period of his six | years term, there has been nothing ma. icnally important. Hs ssrved on the ]; Ioi1r1er committee, has instituted and dropped fight against certain railroads I has been a strong advocate of national prohibition, and on the other hand has attained some little distinction b.~a.;s,, l of the fact that he was the youngest
 member of that august body at Washing- 1 ton when elected.
 Much of his time has been devo. d to l the Tolitical situation in Tennessea, and | in this Lea has never relaxed constantly l keeping che eye on Washington aud the 1 other on the Volunteer State AS well l known, lis latas. effort is espousing the cause Of Rye for the governnrship. In l doing this he holds the standards for a l man, who, while a regular democrat. has heen rather prohbitonist and a strict
 observer and er.forcer Of law
 | General Rye has mary years of sue l cfssf, lav practice so his ere lift while | his political career has been most nota ble
 as attorney general of the Thirteen iu- d'Slal district. the post he now occupi, g. l At one time, however he was commented l Win he pensio'. bn eau at Nashinetou. l Lea has lots of friends i': Tennessee and | lot Of enemie-i maly If whom clam | tha. ne iias politically turned turtle not once but more times than Peter denied