The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1914-03-27
Mr.. Preston.


date for the Democratic nomination fol
Governor. His appearance in Wash.
ington soon after President wilson
appeal for harmony is significant. SEN
ator Luke Lea and Mr.. Preston seem
to have something in common; it was
understood that they had working in
terest two years ago. This year the
Tennessean announced the harmony
movement and Immediately Mr.. Pres
toms advance courier was in every baili-
wick in the State.
| Now, Senator Lea may be about to
make another mistake If he is groom
ing Mr.. Preston for the race. Like
McMillin and Taylor, the candidacy Of
Mr.. Preston two years ago was regarded
as friennly to the whisky interests. He
declined to commit himself to State
wide Prohibition, But Mr.. Preston is
likely, like all others trying this year
for the nomination, to get clear over
the fence into the Statewide pasture.
1t was becoming popular then. Every
body knows it is popular now, and there
are going to be lots Of heroes for the
cause, especially among the candidates
Mr.. Preston, however, is taking an
other tack. He is announcing oppo-
sition to the back-tax law. That is also
easy. All Of the candidates will be glad
to sail under the same colors, and there
is little probability 0 fanyone fayoring it.
But how about the independent vote?
Wouldn't it be better for Mr.. Lea and
Mr. Preston il they would retire to the
anteroom for awhile and let the voters
make few suggestions. 1t seems to
us that the candidate who wins this
year must have record for bis interest
and support of Statewide Prohibition.
A pledge simply to support the temper
ance laws will not do. The man who
wins must not only pledge himself for
the temperance laws but he must have
a record behind that pledge. A man Of
this kind. must be found who did not
vote for Governor Hooper. II he voted
for Governor Hooper the regulars will
not support him. So the middle ground
must be taken-a rock-rbbed State
wider voting the regular ticket must be
selected. Mighty hard to get an extrem-
est either way to acknowledge that such
man exists, but one thing is certain,
only this sort of man can draw from
both factions.
I. r. Preston cannot answer to this
call. Therefore Mr.. Lea will make a
mistake in asking the factions to vote
for him. Mr.. Preston cannot, to save
his soul, make better campaign than
Senator Taylor did, Notwithstanding
any pledges be may make to the indie
pendents.
There is another thing about Mr..
Preston that will not serve him we'll in |
some quarters. He favors exemption
of land notes from taxation, offering
the reason of double taxation. III it is
wrong to tax land notes then the entire
system Of personal taxation is wrong
The land should bear a tax, it is true,
but there should be a more equitable
way OF equalizing the tax. The farmer
should not pay the taxes on both the
land and the notes and then the inter
est on the notes besides.
Mr.. Preston, from away over here,
does not measure up to the standards
that viii meet the exigencies of the
occasion. There are mighty few men
who do. It is very delicate situation,
and it takes mighty good judgment and
discretion to decide. Congressman Sims
would make mighty good candidate, II
but we cannot afford to do without him j
IN Congress not for the world. Then |
there are Judge Cooper and Judge Swig-
CART. All these men, we are sure, voted
for McMillin, but they left no doubt ]
about their position in regard to the
laws. They were for State
wide Prohibition and law enforcement.
Senator Lea is accustomed to take the
lead, and he is sometimes little care |
less about it. Better 60 little slow !
about putting things over" 1t may /
be the safest plan alter all. u