The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1915-01-07

u
viii BE- shaken % iis moral f0unaa~
tiOns. exactly a. II was during the de-
hates over slavery. Furthermore. II h
believed 10 Washington that MF.
fsOOSeVeIfs voice viii be heard IN the
IOudeEt and most waTIIke Of the oral
demonstrations
I ~ the present leader Of the pro-
hlbltiOn sDeIlblndcrs, Coy. Patterson
is 10 position 20 know and TO state
what's 10 happen and how IL Is 10
happen II the programme Of the Anti.
Saloon League Is carried out. Like
Saul Of Tarsus. be has seen a light
and heard voice out of Heaven, He
TOO. was persecutOr.
"If there Is any honor Ia being re-
formed drunkard." he observed 10 me,
Il cannot claim such distinction for
myself"
Yet be Will tell almost any one that
he used 10 drink liquor 10 excess, oc-
casiOnaIly. He voted q prohibition
law passed by his own Legislature and
then, having put a powerful argument
against prohibition into type and seen
II circulated all over the United
states. he changed his words, almost
over night, and began preaching q
doctrine, which on the day before, he
mad utterly detested. ProhibitlOnists,
he had thought were long.baired and
disagreeable persons and not alto
gether sound In their upper stories.
His Past Life In Memepbis.
Today. in his Journeys from the city
city. he finds men distributing printed
copies Of his messages outside the
halls and churches where he liz 10
speak or has spoken. Prohibition .
80 reads the first sentence OF that
message, Is fundamentally and pro-
foundly wrong as government policy.
He now declares that prohibition Is
fundamentally and profoundly right"
and so tells his audiences before he
tells them anything else.
Il was reared IN Memphis" he said
TO me. 1T is q river town, and In
my youth II may had many saloons.
Liquor dealers and liquor drinkers
elected men TO Office. My father was
a lawyer, and had been the colonel
OF the Fifth Alabama Cavalry In the
Confederate army and was In comfor-
table circumstances. Abraham Lin
coin split rails as a young man; split
the wind In keeping pace with the
young men In my class.
Such was the atmosphere In which
| was brought up, At the age of 20
was the district attorney OF my
country. Saloonkeepers. by law,
where required to pay licenese. Even
that law was habitually disregarded.
The liquor interest was predominant.
| never stopped and ashked myself
any questions. Whiskey would al
ways be made. was sure. and men
could drink II or let II alone.
"Stlll felt shock when | came to
Congress and found liquor for sale In
both the Senate and House restau-
rants, The jug. not Objectionable to
me personally. was getting, I thought
rather close to the flag and the other
sacred institutions Of our government
Also, saw senator's and Representa-
tives tipsy while on duty, | drank. on
occasions. too much liquor myself.
my belief then. and my belief after
wards. as Governor OF Tennessee, was
that the people OF the cities and coun-
ties should have the right TO vote the
salon In or out. according to their
lights. etnirtse sya kabka:
lights. interests. desires and circum-
stances. So voted the bill making
Tennessee a prohibition state. The
bill, however. was passed over my
veto and became a law. left the
Governors Office and returned to the
practice OF myp rofossion.
Sorrow Changed His Views.
Then sorrow stole into my life like
a thief Of the night. whiskey struck
at my own family. found also that
was not so strong that had always
imagined. ri say no more except
to confess that fell on my knees
before God and that when arose
| was prohibltionist, have drunk
no liquor from that day to this. A
happiness that thought was impos-
sible possesses my soul, would
rather do the work In which l am
now engaged than hold the highest
political oftice within the nation"
Though very earnest man. Gov
Patterson Is not an emotional con-
vert, Allied with the zeal OF new
understanding. He has no harsh
words for the men engaged In the
liquor business. While on the plat
form, he puts no tremors into his
sentences. There is no pulling at the
cuifs OF his shirt He has no name
to toss on his forehead and out OF
his tyes in the ecctasy he conjures
up over the squalor he sees and the
broken hearts he is describing.
I'VE are working" he told me. "for
an amendment to the Constitution of
the United States prohibiting the man
ufactnre and sale Of alcoholic bev-
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