Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1915-09-23

ID
every expenditure during that war, including
the purchase of several battle cruisers and aux
Hilary ships, didn't cost us but hundred and
4 fifty millions, and yet ever since that war
we have been spending nearly that sum each
year. / believe in securing larger number
of submarines, as they seem to be the best
method Of warfare in the sea.
Should Senator Lea Be Nominated by Demo
Gratis. His Record as a Republican and
as Democrat.
NV friends, | am going to discuss now the
official and political records of my opponents.
| shall first turn my attention to Senator
Lea. In discussing Senator Lea and Gov
ernor Patterson and Judge Sims, | am going
to avoid all personalities. | shall not engage
in any mud singing or vituperation or abuse
of any kind. l shall confine myself to dis
cussing their official and political records, and
hope to be able to do this without referring
to those things that might tend further to
divide the democratic party and mJure Its
prospects of success. BY united efforts we
have already brought about degree of har-
mony in our party, and my wish is to add to
this harmonious action among democrats
rather than take from it.
This is the first time Senator Lea has ever
asked to become the candidate OF the demo-
cratic party When he was elected to the
Senate he was not the candidate OF our party
On the contrary, he was the candidate OF the
republican party. He was nominated at
caucus of the republican party in the legisla-
ture. Governor McMillin was the chosen
nominee of the democratic party, and Sena-
tor Lea, the chosen representative OF the re-
publicans, was elected Senator over this
chosen representative of the democracy. He
was nominated by the republicans and elected
by the republicans
Since Senator LEAFS election his political
course has been varied. He was elected by
tbo Tao1ilor dannOnrqfiR
nominee In the campaign before his cleo
ton he and his paper had supported b. W.
Hooper, the republican candidate for Gov
ernor, and had aided very greatly in electing
him. After Hooper's inauguration he gave
to Senator Lea not only all the republican
votes, but he gave him all the votes and the
support that came from his being at the
head of the State administration. Major E.
B. Stahlman, an independent democrat in
politics at the time, believing he was acting
for the best interests of the State of Ten
nessee, joined with Governor Hooper and
brought about Senator LEAFS election in the
legislature. At that time, according to Sen
ator Lea and his paper Hooper was the Mo-
manned of Senator LEAFS political religion,
and Major Stahman was his prophet. This
situation continued Until rshe spring ct 1917,
when Senator Lea APPARENTLY broke with Gov
emor Hooper, and joined a movement for
democratic harmony in the State He
espounsed the cause of Mr.. Thomas r. Pres
ton, of Chattanooga, for the democratic
nomination. In the primary Governor Nc
Mlllln was nominated. Thereupon Senator
LEAFS ardor for democracy seemed to pass
away, and it is claimed that for months be-
fore the November election Governor Nc
Millin's name did not even appear in Sena-
tor LEAFS paper Many believe that Senator
Lea did not vote for Governor McMillin. Sem
ator Lea says he did Many believe that
| ~ 81, o1Iy fo1,
ton in the primary. Of course Senator Lea
says he was. With these issues of fact
have nothing to do. But if any of you, my
fellow citizens are interested in them, | sug-
gest that you ask Mr.. Preston what he thinks
about Senator Lea's support in the primary
that year, and ask Governor McMillin what
he thinks about Senator LEAFS support in the
election that year.
The fact is, however, as soon as the cleo
ton was over, Senator Lea again joined with
Governor Hooper in organizing the legisla-
ture against the regular democratic organi-
cation. This condition remained until the
spring Of 1914. Then again Senator Lea
Joined in harmony movement in the demo-
cratic party, and this time the candidate se-
lected by the party was more agreeable to
him and he supported him in the election of
1914 Thus we see that since Senator Lea
has been a Senator, for about three years Of
his term he has been fined up with the re-
publicans and for about fifteen months of
that term he has been lined up with demo-
Gratis
His Attack on State Committee.
Think about it, democrats Not in anger
or In prejudice, but think about it calmly and
diSpassionately. What assurance have you
that Senator Lea has definitely turned his
back on the enemies Of his party? What as
surance have you that his fifteen months of
service to the party is going to be perna-
nent Why, take his record before the re-
cent meeting Of the State Committee That
shows that he does not intend to be governed
by the party organization. Though he had
hardly been In the party long enough to feel
at home, he at once began to abuse it. He
went before the committee in Nashville, on
August 4th, and in substance denounced the
members thereof for calling this primary at
all at this time. 1t is true that the members
Of this committee had been democrats all
their lives, that had never fought against the
party, that they had always fought for the
party, and that Senator Lea had been acting
with the party for Cnly fifteen months; and
yet, because they didn't do his bidding, he
poured out the Walls Of his political wrath
upon their heads. His newspaper has since
taken up his cry, and since the date of the
meeting Of the committee that paper has been
engaged in daily abuse of the committee for
having called the primary in November He
calls the action Of the committee snap action,
and yet he wanted that primary put off until
this committee was no longer in office. In
other words, he wanted to put the primary
off until he could get committee to do his
bidding and appoint such election officers as
he wanted. One of his principal objections to
the committees action was that the commit
tee was going to hold the primary itself and
not turn it over to the county committee.
His Advocacy Of Stevens Bill.
This is indeed a strange objection coming