The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-10-08
STATES CREDIT FAST
OOZING AWAY
UNDERH|SADM|N|STRAT|ON
Four Years He Has Been Hanging
On With Short Time Notes
and Long Time Interest.
Especial Correspondence.l

Nashville, Tenn, October 5.--Gov.
Hooper is much displeased and dis
concerted little candidate. His bile is
boiling over and the venom in his ma
tufe is spilling. His opponents have
been pricking the bubble of his con-
ceited pretentions and reducing his
actual achievements to their real size.
He was elected to refund the state
debt There was way to refund it
and he missed it. For four years he
has been hanging on with his short
time notes and his longtime interest
methods until the states credit was
fast oozing away. Only during the
last few days was it saved and that
by democratic secretary of the treas
ury up in Washington City and other
leading democrats.
| He has run to cover on his text
book deal and only after protracted
silence has come out with a typewrit-
| ten explanation which practically
leaves the matter just where it was.
The questions his admirers and APP
pointees required applicants for teach
ers' certificates to answer have made
him a ridiculous subject for laughter
from one end of the state to the other.
Another matter he has been called
on to explain was that of his abscond-
ing legislators. A republican senator
has charged him with direct compile
ity in the abscondence and no denial
from him can eradicate the smell of
the crime from his garments. A
crime it was, as by virtue of the delay
it caused in refunding interest charges
1t cost the state something over $780,.
000 Also, as has been stated in the
public prints and not yet even denied,
the additional figures of losses from
salary grabs, increased expenses and
extra sessions will approximate half
million dollars.
Yet the governor asserts that he
has been participant in the poll
tical turmoil that has afflicted the
state since 1909. non-participant?
He has been the turmoil itself.
What is the answer he gives to these
charges? He declares that Rye ''is
too lazy to raise sweat" that he is
mot worth the powder and lead it
would take to kill him." and that he
is third rate country lawyer"
Surely the courtesies of respectable
political controversy have been thrown
over by the governor.
At number of his speaking places,
too. he charged Gen. Rye with harbor-
ing bootleggers and their trade in the
court house at Paris, Gen. Rye's home.
When he arrived at Paris and made
his speech he omitted the charges. He
didn't dare repeat this before the peo-
pie with whom Gen. Rye has lived for
years and who know the charges to
be calumnious and untrue.
1t is true that his petulancy has
been considerably provoked.
The audiences to greet him havesas
a rule been small smaller than dur
ing his former campaigns and coldly
lacking in the element of enthusiasm.
He has had to do much more explain
ing.
The alarm bells which he has been
wont to sound no longer clang as they
did They fail to thrill and to con-
vince. He has rung them too often.
He cant keep on fooling the people.
Instead of arousing them he has been
them tired. They are tired Of
his cant and clamor, of his riotous
iemagogy and pestiferous activities.
They want less politics and more busi-
ness. They want rest and peace from
the incessant turmoil he has given
them. They want the old party put
1ack-the one that for half century
mas controlled the destiny of the state,
guided it's fortunes, mastered its crises
md settled its issues. They want the
state made democratic again. with a
zane and safe, decent and dignifed
governor in the executive chair. They
want to elect Rye and George welch
Ind put the state emphatically on rec
,rd in support Of the Woodrow Will
ION administration.