The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1914-10-16

1T was while we democrats, Tour
years ago, were having a family
quarrel among ourselves that the
old republican party woke up one
morning in the back room of a
friendly saloon, and seeing us fight
ing,' said to himself, now is the
time for me to take the Kelley
cure, and take advantage of this
democratic fracas.' So he staggered
out, ate a few cloves to kill his
breath, and started off for Cooke
county to find a Moses to lead
him out of the wilderness.
"That was four years ago. Since
that time nobody but the recording
angel can tell what has happened
in Tennessee politics.
"There is nothing too mean for
Hooper to say about Luke Lea and
Crump, yet the time was, only a
few months ago, when he used to
get cold feet and he would run and
crawl into the bed between them
and pull the cover up over his
head to get warm.
Nobody will sleep with him now
except Ebenezer Stahlman and Gus
Dyer.
"But my fellow citizens, the peo-
pie of Tennessee have grown weary
of this hypocrisy. They know that
the open saloon is gone and gone
forever, and that the democrats
that went off after Hooper on that
question are all coming back to the
old democratic standard, for we
have in this campaign platform
endorsed by the democratic masses
of Tennessee, that has no uncertain
ring in reference to whisky. 1t
stands for statewide prohibition
and for the enforcement of law.
"And on this platform we have
candidate, a young West Tennes
sean, whose life is as clean as a
womans and whose Interpretation
of the platform leaves no doubt in
the minds of any honest man.
BUSINESS GOVERNOR
"My fellow citizens, four years
ago, when the democratic ship with
sails torn and compass lost, was be-
ing beaten to pieces by the pitiless
storm, it was then by the lamented
Bob Taylor sought to save her from
utter destruction and bring her
safely into port.
"It was at that time that Gov.
Hooper, as the fusion candidate,
opened his campaign at the Ven
dome theater in Nashville. His poll
tical godfather, Major E. B. Stahl
man, presented him to his audience,
and in making his introduction, Ma
jor Stahlman gave as his chief rea
son that he was for Hooper was
because he was business Tan,
and that Tennessee needed Dusi-
ness governor, and not buffoon, a
| clown or a fiddler, like Bob Taytor,
"Four years have come and gone
since that eventful night, and Gov.
Taylor sleeps among the hills of
his native heath, with his memory
forever pillowed on the hearts of
Tennesseans, but as one who loved
him and in the name of the thous-
ands who followed him, l want to
ask Major Stahlman and his bust
ness governor if they have ever yet
funded the state debt, or paid a
dollar on it.
"What are the facts about this
boasted business administration of
Gov. Hooper? After four years, and
up until the first of October, not
dollar has been paid on the state
debt and with the accruing advanc
ed rate of interest it is $500,000
more than when Gov. Hooper be-
came governor of the state.
Instead of funding the state debt,
as a great business man would have
done, after junketing committees
and specially hired lawyers, that
cost the people thousands of dollars,
the funding of the state debt was
failure, and the states credit was
hawked about until the proud old
Volunteer state, pressed by her
debts, stood on Wall street among
the money changers, like a miser-
able beggar, with a tin cup in her
hand, asking aims with which TO
pay her interest, until the great
democratic secretary of the treas
ury, McAdoo, a Tennessean himself,
who loved his old mother state,
went to her rescue and saved her
from finincial shame and degredal
tion.
alabama at the same time was
borrowing money on her bonds at
per cent, Georgia at 1-2 per
cent, yet Tennessee, under this bus
mess governor, was asked 8 per
cent until she was saved by McAdoo.
"Since the first of October Hooper