The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-07-30
THE vERHINE CASE.
Senator Shields Secures Release From
The Draft For q Son Of
Rich Friend.

John v. Verhine is the SON Of a
wealthy and influential friend Of
Senator Shields, in Obion county.
Paul Rye is the only son of the
governor of Tennessee.
Verhine holds a safe place with
the shipping board in this country,
where he will no doubt remain until
the war is over.
Paul Rye is with an infantry regi-
ment in France, where he will no
doubt remain until the war is over,
if his life is spared.
The Verhine case has been pub
lished and it is a precise and un-
changeable record showing the con-
duct of General Crowder, Governor
Rye, Senator Shields, Major Smith,
the local board and appeal agent of
0bion county and young Verhine and
his attorney.
There is no need to dispute the
facts in the Verhine case. 1t is a
public record, and no part Of it can
be denied.
This record shows that Verhine,
like Stahlman, wanted a favor that
he knew he would not receive if the
laws were impartially administered,
and, like Stahlman, he fled to Wash
ington and the protection of Shields,
and Shields heard his prayers and
saw to it that he was excused from
the firing line and given a nice place
in the government service.
There are other young men that,
like Verhine, have tried to find a
soft and safe place, and he is no
more to be condemned than they.
There are other young men in this
state that have volunteered like Paul
Rye, and neither he nor his father
deserve more credit than other sons
who have gone and other fathers who
have blessed their going.
But, when we consider that in these
two cases, there is fully revealed the
patriotism and the character of Tom
c. Rye and ]. X. Shields, we realize
the Verhine case is of tremendous
importance at this time. The friends
of the Senator say he has done nc
wrong in that case, and, of course
ife he has done right, he will not
hesitate to do the same thing agar
and again as long as he is in the
senate. Also, he has probably done
the same thing in other cases, anC
already there are probably many
Verhines that Shields has planted il
Washington.
Shields is revealed using his off
cial power to relieve from danger thc
son of his political friend, and thu
son of Rye faces the dangers thai
are borne in common by the sons Of
the men who are neither wealthy MOI
influential.
We have been promised that thu
burdens of this war, its hazards anC
its sacrifices should be shared impair
TALLY by the rich and the poor, The
humble and the powerful, and learn
ed and the ignorant, and that al
should receive the same impartia
treatment, and should be impartialll
called for service.
Judge for yourselves from these
two cases whether Rye or Shields car
best be trusted to see that this prom
Use of impartiality is observed.
Back of all the Verhine cases, there
lies this great tragedy. For every
mans son who avoids his place or
the battle line, some other mans sor
must take his place. When VerhinC
was taken from Camp Gordon, res
assured that his place was filled.
If you approve the course of Sen
ator Shields in the Verhine case, anC
if you are willing to supply your owr
sons to take the places of his wealthy
and influential friends, by all means
give him your support.-Nashvillt
Tennessean.
What has come over ]. Dos:
Brown? He cussed John Shields fol
several years, and it took the com.
bined efforts of his friends to keer
him from fighting Alex Susong be.
cause he was supporting Shields. How
men do change.
What about your Uncle Jimmy
Allen? Do you think he is fol