The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1914-03-20
Governor Hooper Asks Correction

Governor Hooper Asks Correction.
Editor Of The Commercial, Union
I City, Tenn. Dear sir; My attention
has been called to an editorial in your
issue Of last week, in which you do Gov
ernor Hooper gross injustice 1t is
not Governor Hooper's practice to UNI
dertake to correct all the mis-informa-
ton that is published about him and his
administration. He feels in this case,
however, that your mistake must have
been unintentional and that you will
cheerfully permit its correction in your
columns. He has therefore requested
me, as his private secretary, to make
/ the correction.
i In your editorial you use the following
Language:
Governor Hooper has posed for some
time as the only honest advocate OF law
nforcementamo the men who aspired
to be Governor OF Tennessee and thou
sand OF voters had come to look upon
him as the only safe man with whom to
trust the cause OF Prohibition, but after
a fight for years and the failure OF law
enforcement in Nashville he censures the
only man on the bench, Judge Neil,
who has had the courage to do his duty
in the name of the law. This censure
charged to Judge Neil for being oppres-
sive to negro bootleggers, isn't it time
to see the Governors motives as they
really are. Judge Neil has been making
i a vigorous fight to close the saloons in
Nashville and to prohibit the sale Of in
toxicants in that city, and the most sur
prising thing ofall is that he encounters
i the hostility OF Governor Hooper in this
work. The Governor says that Judge
Neil has been unduly rigid with certain
negroes violating the liquor laws, and
Judge Neil replies that Governor Hoop
er is altogether mistaken.
| What is the inference? Suppose, as
Governor, McMilln aud sCarmack had
done the same thing, what would have
been the inferenceH"
i This entire statement is without foun-
dation. Governor Hooper~rhas never
had any controversy with Judge Neil in
regard to the Judges recent efforts to
enforce the liquor laws. He has never
censured him for being oppressive to
negro bootleggers. He has never said
that Judge Neil has been unduly rigid
with certain negroes violating the liquor
laws. All these assertions relate to
something that has never occurred.
Such misstatement is peculiarly un-
Just to Governor Hooper in view OF his
record on this question Of the enforce
ment OF the liquor laws. He has never
extended clemency to any man, white or
Iblack, in Nashville convicted Of vio-
lating the liquor laws. In three years
!, OF his incumbency, he has extended
clemency to only eight men and women
convicted Of liquor violations, and in
part Of these cases his action was a
Communication or conditional pardon. In
/ Patterson 3 four years he pardoned 207
bootleggers. In McMillin's four years
he pardoned Al bootleggers.
The only time Governor Hooper ever
criticised Judge Neil in connection with
the liquor laws was two years ago, when,
! 10 an open letter. he called Judge Neil's
! attention to the open violation Of the
law and proffered to furnish his court
and grand jury with the evidence Of it.
take it that you fell into error
through mis-interpretation of what Gov
ernor Hooper had to say about the case
LOT John Williams, colored, whose sem
tence OF death was COMMITTED to life
imprisonment. In that statement be
called attention to the fact that Will
liams, at the time OF his crime, was
beastIy drunk on whiskey bought on
Sunday in saloons in Nashville, allowed
to operate illegally by connivance Of
public officials.
II Very truly yours,
n RoBT. s. HENRY, Secretary.
Nashville, Mar. Z.
We publish above letter this week from
IMr. Henry, private secretary to Gov
ernor Hooper, relative to some remarks
!, in The Commercial on the 9th inst. con
cerning Governor Hooper's criticism o.
Judge Neil OF the Criminal Court O
! Davidson County. We admit that w
, were not accurate as to facts OF tht
case The paragraph in error was Al
q follows:
The Governor says that Judge Nei
has been unduly rigid with certain ne
= groes violating the liquor laws, AMI
: Judge Neil replies that Governor Hoop
CT is altogether mistaken.
e Now the trouble in question reaIl,
d was the charge made by Governor Hoop