The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-07-02
CLAIMS STATED BY
CHAIRMAN HILL
Williams AGREEMENT
Says Independent Races of 1910
Were Revolt Against the
Committee Mandates

Nashville, June 23-Judge l.. D
Hill, chairman of the state democratic
executive committee, tonight issued J.;
statement outlining the reasons VIII!
the voters of the state should supper
Judge Robert Burrow for the supreme
bench. He declares that Judge San
c. Williams, who received the Tepub
lican nomination, secured his ap
pointment to the bench by Gov. Hoop
er because of "a tacit if not direct
agreement that by a prOfessedly in
dependent race, he would aid Gov
Hooper in his candidacy for third
term as governor"
Replying to an appeal recently is
sued by Judge Williams, Judge Hill
declares that Judges Neil, Shields and
Beard in 1910 became independent
candidates only after their request
for a democratic convention was re-
fused by the state committee, which
called a primary in which to nominate
candidates for governor, United States
senator, members of the supreme
court and the court of civil appeals.
As to the Buchanan precedent"
Judge Hill states that Judge Buc-
hanan was a candidate for and re-
ceived the nomination of democratic
convention called for that purpose.
Judge Williams was not a candi-
Gate for the democratic nomination"
says Judge Hill, "but on the contrary
virtually said in his announcement he
I'D not want it."
The statement in full follows:
Tennessee for the last several
years has suffered from factional poll
ties as never before in its history
The most alarming and deplorable
feature of the situation thus produced
is the effort on the part of scheming
politicians to drag the highest judi
cal tribunal in the state into this
factional political ma elstrom.
The republican administration in
the state, aided by few men calling
themselves democrats, is making a
strenuous effort to elect as member
of the supreme court Judge Williams,
who is an appointee Of Gov. Hooper
and whose candidacy was Endorsed by
the republican convention. They pro-
fess that their support of Judge Will
Jams is based upon a desire to elimi-
nate politics from judicial elections
and that the judiciary may be free,
Independent and partisan"
'rhe public cannot credit these pro-
LESSONS. On the contrary, it is man
Tested that the appointment of Judge
Williams by Gov. Hooper and his
subsequent nomination by the repub-
lican convention is but a part of a
systematic scheme to disorganize and
disrupt the democratic party and to
republicanize the state.
Appointed Because He Agreed to Aid
Hooper.
Judge Williams was appointed upon
the tacit, if not the direct, agreement
that he would not submit his candi-
dacy for election to the democratic
organization but that by professed
ly independent race, he would aid
Gov. Hooper in his candidacy for
third term as governor.
It is obvious that Gov. Hooper and
his administration are for Judge Will
Jams, for the sole reason that Judge
Williams will reciprocate, by doing
what he can to aid Hooper in his eff
fort to defeat Gen. Rye, the demo-
cratic nominee for governor.
Without undertaking to discuss this
moderR theory in Tennessee, of an
independent non-partisan judiciary"
now so assiduously exploited by Gov.
Hooper's party, it is only necessary
10 state that by the constitution the
judges of all the courts in the state
are elected by popular vote.
Since the adoption of the constitu-
lion in 1870, by an unbroken prece-
dent, with one exception, the demo-
cratic party has nominated and elect
ed the supreme court. During all
these years the court was kept above
the realm of factional and partisan
politics, and the bench was adorned
by men of marked ability and intcg
rity, in whom the public confidence
securely reposed. Their names are a
part of the history of Tennessee and
in these disjointed times it is well to
recall them.
From 1870 to 1910 the following dis