The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-09-14
BEN HOOPER
JOHN OVERALL
AN DABERNATHY SHOULD PROVE
A HARD COMBINATION
NASHVILLE WRITER POINTS
OFT THE PREPAREDNESS THESE
REPUBLICAN LEADERS HAVE

all and Abernathy will prove hard
combination for Tennessee democracy
when that party begins devising ways
and means to decipher the polilitca4
eradication OF The republican StaI'
ticket. And at the same time, couid
scarcely find three men more at yari-
ance in their way of campaigning an
their methods of going after votes, St
to speak.
First, consider Ben W. Hooper, po-
ideally forecast la the toll and uncut
SO many times, that any prophecy re
garding him and his future fortunes
in politics are taken about as serious
ly as the farmer regards the weather
forecast--and you know that is GER
tainly officilly official every time you
take it for granted it will not rain,
for it positively does.
Gov. Hooper's political brains have
several times outweighted those OF the
WiSCuCItS, anu " lISil II NN'o ''' w.
over and the flowers were growing
over the graves filled with the dead
hopes of his opponents, they have all
said with one accord, hes the smart
est man in Tennessee politics. HOW
ever. some of them snarl, and some
of them are painfully solemn when
they say it. SO, what will be the
story on the morning of November
Sth? You just cant say for certain.
But as this is being written, it would
cerainly be interesting reading TO
have an insight into the political
mind of Tennessee's democracy.
In a few more days Ben w. Hoopel
will take the stump, in fine form,
keen as a steel trap and fairly rear
ing go" after his oponent-for
though he has not said that he would
make it interesting for Mr.. Mckeliar
everyone knows Hooper, and it is per
fectly natural for them to expect
some entirely new and original cpl
grams on democracy and her stand
ard be: ters ere the campaign ends,
for Hooper is noted for his aggreS-
siytness, originality fearlessness ana
fiebt His utterancos on the stump
viii ~ once be classed as Hooper
isms.'
There never has bee ma more strih-
gent campaigner in Tennessee than b.
w. Hooper, and if his equal has ever
stuck his head up, he pulled it down
as soon as the former governor be-
gan to get bead on it. And the
beauty of all of Hooper's campaign
ing, estimating it on far ana I'M
martial basis, is. he ha salways NcEef
M the dust that kept hidden the po-
litical tickery of tsate politics, h'
matter what it uncovered or whose
ewes ii got into. In fact, his cree1
or nolitical ethics is straight from th'
shoulder, punching whatever IS u
front of him and he makes no apollo
gies to those that disagree with him
when he thinks he is right. On thl'
ground Ben w. Hooper has bullde'
his political career, and so dependa
ble is the foundation, and so harden
ed and solid are thes eprnciples Il
the hearts of men that it's the MAJ
as much as it is the party that he
will vote for. In fact, it is unqu2s
tionably, in Tennessee, when ii come
TO casting vote, the man, and No
the party. So basing forecast 0
this ground, taking everything int
con alteration regarding Hooper an
his opopnent, X. d. McKellar,
Memphis, il is goin gto be a hot can
paign, and Hooper is going to go
the United States senate.
John W. Overall
John w. Overall. gubernatorial a
pirant on tn erepublcan ticket, NJ
Developer NpllNlclIui oiNASti -
last four weeks, which is the tir
month since headquarters opened
Nashville. Mr.. Overall is not a "pu
syfooter" nor is he 'gumshoer,' b
he Is not noisy bit when it com
to seeking votes. He is a spleno
type of the successful busines mf
with a clean personal record, holdi
the respect and confidence of eve
man who knows him, democrat or
publican. black or white, and in
matued way he commands the cons
GRAFTON of all He is plain man
the people a farmer-though at
banaing anu merchandising he
been exceptionally successful, yet
is a great big man. Mr., Over
makes no pretentions one way or
other regarding himself. but he is
of the strongest men in Tennes
when it comes to principle and eh