Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1918-07-11
SHIRLEY REPLIES
TO GROVES

To the Voters of Granger County:
My opponent in announcing his in
dependent candidacy for county court
clerk tries to show that am not
the regular republican NOMINEE. In
reply to that l desire to show 10 you
why l am the republican nominee.
You who know about the orsaniza-
ton of party affairs know thst each
party must have and does have its
regular party organization in the
state and in each county. My oppo-
nent knows that much because he has
always stood for party organization
up until now, and he has always
made his races until now at the hands
of the regular republican olganiza-
ton of the county. If he has always
been regular then / am regular now,
because the republican executive com
mittee of this county was re-organ-
lied about two years ago in mass
meeting of the republicans Of the
county in the court house 1t Rut-
ledge, just as has always BEEN done.
The Committee is composed If some
of the best republicans Of the county,
and | will admit that some If them
are friends and supporters of my op-
ponent. He says chat lie would not
have accepted nomination at the
hands of such a convention. Now /
want to ask him why he was SO ac-
tive at this convention and why was
it that he and his friends in Rut-
ledge and in the convention tied so
hard to elect the chairman Df the
convention that day? l will ,t9ll you
why. You who are familiar win con-
ventions know that tho csya4 that
elects the Chairman of any convention
is in the majority, and that when
the chairman is elected then the can
dates who through their friends elect
the chairman will be the ones that
are nominated. l know, and so chrge
that if the other man who was voted
for as chairman of the convention
had been elected that my opponent
would have today been running as
the regular republican nominee in
stead of myself. AS to the question
of my being the regular nominee,
will submit my opponent this propo'
sition: We will leave it to the Regu-
lar State Republican Executive Com
mittee and if they do not say after
hearing the proof Of my opponents
own witnesses that I am the regular
republican nominee, | will withdraw
from the race and let him have {
clear track if he will agree to do thu
same if | am declared the nominee
Now, as to the charges he makes il
regard to the delegates leaving thu
convention hall, l will give you thes'
facts: A very few delegates did leav'
but that was on the Question Of whet,
er or not the convention would pu
out full republican ticket at tina
time. My opponent tries to moke yo'
believe they left because of bad AM
inhuman treatment at the hands o
some persons whom he calls "Bil
bosses," but l will tell you why the
left; 1t was because my opponent an
some of his "Big bosses" who wer
on the ground that day had told ther
that if they did not have votes G
nough to elect their chairman to the
walk out. "Big bosses! Oh you littl
fishes, who ever heard of a bigge
crowd of bosses than my opponen
and his crowd in Rutledge? The
are now the remnants of the old orig
inal Rutledge ring but now some
what reduced in rank and number
In fact he is about the only one i
the court house that is trying to hol
on tight, and that is caused only b
the plans and efforts of the old crow
of few republicans and few den
ocratic leaders here in Rutledge WI
have for some time been trying
dominate the politics and financial a
fairs of Granger County. Well
they know that if their old standt
my opponent, is defeated this tin
that the jig is then up for this o
ring for all time to lone. New vote
and tax payers, what do you say
: Will you vote to re-instate this o
) ring by electing my opponent, Il
man who has always been the re
: head for and advisor of this o
crowd. I will acknowledge that
| took the people a long time to fiji
him out in this matter but now tn