The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1914-09-18
LIQUOR QUESTION
FOREVER SETTLED
DECLARES Mr.. RYE
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE PLEDG-
ES HIS FIDELITY TO TEMPER
ANCE PLANK.
CONDEMNS DERELICT OFFICERS
Says That There ls No Excuse for
the Officer Who Refuses to Do His
Sworn Duty and Execute the Laws.
Favors the Custer Law.
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
CAMDEN, Tenn, Sept. 17.-Thos.
c., Rye, democratic candidate for gov
ernor of Tennessee, spoke here today
to an immense audience, receiving a
great ovation.
In his speech the democratic nomi-
nee declared that the temperance
question was settled in Tennessee and
settled forever; that never. again did
he expect to see legalized saloon in
the state. He also declared emphat-
ically in favor of the enforcement of
the laws and severely denounced any
official who would not execute the
laws and obey his solemn oath.
On the question of law enforcement
and temperance Gen. Rye spoke in
part as follows:
There is no temperance question
to settle now. That question has
been settled, and, as / believe. set
tied forever; for in my judgment
there will never be a legahzed saloon
in Tennessee again. There was a
time when this question was one
about which there was different opin-
ions in the rank of the party. This
difference of opinion, however, was
more a question of the methods en-
ployed to reach the desired end and
bring about the same result than it
was a difference of opinion with ref
erence to the liquor traffic itself.
There were those of us who believ.
ed with strong, healthy temperance
sentiment in the state it would be but
short time until Tennessee would
be a prohibition state by pursuing the
same methods in dealing with the
questions that had been employed In
the past. There were others who did
not share this same opinion, but be-
lieved that their purpose could be
best accomplished by joining forces
with the republican party. 1t was
easy to make this agreement, and not
difficult to carry it out; and now that
1t is done, no matter how and when,
the democratic party in one of the
most representative conventions that
has ever assembled in the state,
without any sort of equivocation, has
unanimously endorsed all the laws
and has declared that If other laws
are necessary in order to make these
laws effective, they stand ready and
willing to enact such laws, to the end
that Tennessee shall be in fact pro-
hibition state. | said awhile ago that
it was easy to make this agreement
with the republican party, for the
reason that these honest, conscien-
tious democrats who believed the
combination necessary in order to
have these laws passed honestly,
wanted to see the temperance legis-
lation enacted, while the republican
party honestly wanted the offices and
the emoluments thereof that this
agreement would bring to them;
hence these laws, like all other laws
on the temperance question in Ten
nessee, were passed by the democrat
ic party, the rank and file Of which
has always stood for temperance and
against the saloon, and is and has al
ways been party of law enforce
ment
at matters not to me that there
are those conscious of their own hy-
pocrisy and deception, have adopted
the cry of Stop thief in order to
create the impression that the demo-
cratic party is not sincere in It's utter
ances on this question. Has that par
ty ever attempted to deceive the peo-
pie by a platform declaration on this
question? If so, when? And Is 1t
not one of the crimes laid at the door
Of this party by the enemy that Its
platform pledges and declarations
heretofore have not been in accord
with the principles announced by its
last convention? When the demo-
cratic party favored local option as
a means and method Of dealing with
the liquor question, it openly and
boldly declared for the same. Not
withstanding the fact that in the face
of platform declarations of this kind
in the past, which the enemy meant
the repeal of the prohibition laws of
1909, and the return Of the open sa-
loon, and Notwithstanding the fur
Their fact that the democratic party
has had a majority in both houses OF
the legislature since that time, no bill
has been introduced and no effort
made on the part of that party to
modify or repeal or in any way
change these laws. If as matter of