The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1914-05-08
TEMPEST IN TEAPOT.

reference made by Gov. Hooper to
the Wilson administration in his
speech at the independent state con
vention. OF course the governor
would not claim that he was as com
plimentary of President Wilson on
| this occasion as he was when he
spoke here last December at the
Hutton banquet. That is hardly to
be expected. Last year Wilson had
not issued his "get together" advice
to the democrats of Tennessee, adj
vice that If accepted would mean
political doom for Hooper. Natural
lly at that time Hooper felt much
more kindly toward the President
than he does now. That is human
nature.
Hooper, SO far as we can ascertain,
made no vicious or malignant attack
upon Wilson. But his reference to
the "local option" administration
was unfair and unjust and dema-
gogic appeal to the prejudices OF
state wide prohibitionists. 1t is true
that Wilson has stated that in New
Jersey he would vote for local OPP
ton. But he has also said that If he
were a resident of Texas he would
vote for constitutional prohibition.
He does not believe In making pro-
hibition Of the liquor question a poll
tical issue, and we do not agree with
him. But the plain inference from
Hooper's speech is that President
Wilson would, were he living in Ten
nessee, stand with the liquor gang.
This is not true. No man who
knows the President or has kept up
with his public record believes for
one moment that he would stand
with the law nullifiers in Tennessee.
Prohibition itself is no longer an is
sue in the state; the only question
involving the liquor issue before the
people now is the enforcement of the
law. Wilson's record as law en-
forcer is just as good as that made
by Hooper and probably better.
When he was governor Of New Jer-
sey he did not hesitate to use every
power at the command Of his office
to enforce the laws against the dive
keepers and the liquor sellers. And
were he governor of Tennessee he
would do the same thing.
Pres. Wilson has never done any
thing in his life to justify the charge
or the insinuation that he would
stand with the liquor interests in
Tennessee. He is the uncomprcmis-
ing enemy Of all special intere sts
and that is what nominated him at
Baltimore. If he were not the foe
of these nefarious interests he would
not have the support Of the great
Bryan, who opposed his own party in
Nebraska when it entered into an un-
holy alliance with the powers of vice
and crime.
But the fact that Hooper was un-
just in his insinuations against Will
son does not warrant the charge
that he made malignant attack
upon the president. That is not
true. In the first place Hooper is
too good politician, and his
enemies will concede that, to make
such break. OF coures the Gov
ernor is a republican, reactionary
If you please, having publicly sup
ported Taft. But he is altogether
too wise to attack Wilson. Again
we have no doubt that Hooper has
a genuine admiration for the presi-
dent Of the United States, although
chatting under the Presidents thar
mony appeal"
Anyway no votes are going to be
affected by making a big tempest
about what Hooper meaent or said
at the independent convention. The
Independent democrats have not
voted for Hooper because he was
democrat; they all know now as
they did in 1910 and 1912 that he is
republican, and those who support
him this year will do 80 because
they believe that his election will
best serve the interests of all the
people of the state and in spite of
his republicanism. Hooper has made
a number Of mistakes, his public
record is open to attack, but no votes
are going to be made for the demo-
cratic nominee by constant -harp'
ing" on his convention speech It is
not respectable nonsense; it is not
worth more than a paragraph or two
at most in country paper, GER
tainly 1t Is not cause sufficient to
the editorial pages of
two great city dailies.