The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1921-12-16

ment following the civil war and
which reached its climax in the unfor-
tunate boom" of 1887.
Mr.. Evans early took active part In
politics, first In the city, then the
county and finally the state. In 1884
he was nominated for congress from
the old third district. Hon. George
G.. Dibrell, the Confederate brigadier,
had retired and John II. Neal was the
democratic standard bearer. II was
the year of the close &Bate-R Reed
contest for governor. Evans was beat,
Ell by a close vote, said TO have been
brought about by the filing of amend
ed returns from one of the democrat
ic counties. Four years later he was
again the party standard bearer and
defeated Greed +. Bates, democrat, by
2SS votes and helped to give the repub-
licans their narrow margin in the
house of the flfty-first congress, the
most bitterly partisan congress the ma
ton has known since the war between
the states not even excepting those of
reconstruction days.
The election of their arch enemy to
congress was too much for the demo
Gratis. They fastened to "gerryman-
DER the third district and make such
an occurrence impossible again. The
Dortch ballot and registration and
poll tax laws indirectly resulted from
Evans victory Although again nom.
mated by his party in 1890 and 1892
Evans was defeated in the new dis
trict In 1894 Evans was nominated
for governor. The democrats re-nom-
mated Gov. Turney. The contest was
apathetic. 1t was the year of demo
cratic defeat everywhere. The peo-
pie returned an enormous majority
against the Cleveland administration
in the congressional elections and Ev-
ans was elected on the face of the re-
turns by 700 votes Immediately after
it was ascertained that Evans had won
a hurried conference of the democrat
ic leaders was held at Nashville. The
legislature was safely democratic in
both houses and it was agreed to in
stitute the first and only contested
election case involving the governor
ship known to the history of Tonnes
see. A bill providing method for
contesting the election was rushed
through and the taking of proof began,
The majority Of the committee re.
port was adouted in both houses by
rather narrow majorities; some of the
democrats declining to vote with their
party. Evans was denied the seat
and his friends sought to make him
the nominee for vice president two
years later but failed
Mckinley appointed him commits
sioner of pensions and he was later
made consul general to London where
he served with credit for five years.
In the mean time Walter ?. Brownlow,
elected to congress in 1896, had seized
the party machine in Tennessee and
driven the Evans followers from the
party councils. A ten year feud. fol
lowed the republican party dissipat
ing all of its energies in internecine
strife. Finally in 1906 the easy boss"
as Brownlow came to be known, was
at last IMMERSED and the party ma
chinery passed once more into the
keeping of Mr.. Evans friends. The
latter was given the nomination for
governor, but was beaten at the polls,
He never again made race for public
Office except that of commissioner of
his city on nOn-partlSan ticket. He
was elected and rendered splendid
service for four years.
Many a political foe of the distin
guished Tennessean will be shocked
to hear of his death. Time, the great
healer, had wiped out the animosities
and bridged the chasms of his earlier
political career. He was a patriotic
@ son devoted to his adopt
ed state, man of clean life and
most useful citizen The republican
party had few ADLER men in its ranks
in Tennessee than H. Clay Evans,
Peace to mis- ashes.