The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1922-05-19
VOLUME XXXV1ll
CANDIDATE T. w. SIMS
GIVES OUT LETTERS.

Lexington, Tenn May 18th
Especial. )-Thetus w. Sims, candi-
date for the Democratic nomination
for United States Senator has given
out correspondence with the "Non-
Partisan Political Committee" of the
Tennessee Federation Of Labor and
Railroad Brotherhoods concerning the
endorsement by the committee of the
candidacy of Senator Kenneth Me-
Kellar. The correspondence includes
a letter from the committee to Mr..
Sims and his reply, the letters being
as follows
Nashville, Tenn, May 8, 1922
Hon. T. w. Sims, Tulane Hotel, Nash
vile, Tenn, Dear Sir: At a meeting
held at the Chisca hotel, Memphis,
Tenn, on Thursday, May A, 1922, of
representatives of the Tennessee Fed
Grafton Of Labor, Brotherhood of Lo-
comotive Engineers, Order of Rail
road Conductors and the order OF
Railway Telegraphers, it was decid-
ed to form the State Non-P Partisan
Political Committee of the Tennessee
Federation of Labor and Railroad
Brotherhoods. The purpose. of this
committee is to bring about unity Of
political action by all groups of or
ganized labor in Tennessee.
after full discussion and consid-
GRAFTON of the records and chances of
election of the various candidates for
United States Senator, it was unan-
imously voted to endorse Senator X.
D. McKellar for reelection and to
urge the organized labor movement in
this state to go into the Democratic
primary and vote and work for Sen
ator McKellar.
"While the conference was not un-
mindful of the fact that your record
of twenty-four years as member Of
congress, as far as. labor is concerned,
was entirely friendly, 1t was the. judg-
ment Of the conference that if labor
were to divide its vote between you
and Sonstor McKeliar, the resait
would probably be the nomination OF
Fitzhugh.
"While we are appreciative of your
past services to the cause of labor as
a member Of congress, we felt that as
Senator McKellar's record as men,
Der of congress and as senator was
equally as favorable as yours, and be.
lieving that he had the best chance of
success, it was determined by the
conference to support Senator Nickel
lar.
Respectfully yours,
STATE N0N-PARTISAN P0LITI-
CAL COMMITTEE OF THE TEN
NESSEE FEDERATION OF La
BOR AND RAILROAD BROTH
ERHOODS.
II. V. REID, Chairman.
Nv. C. BIRTHRIGHT, Secretary"
DAVID HANLY, Vice-C Chairman.
Mr.. Sims reply was as follows:
Lexington, Tenn, May 10th, 1922.
State Non-P Partisan Politician
Committee of the Tennessee Fedora
tion of Labor and Railroad Brother
hoods, Nashville, Tenn.-Gentlemen:
| am in receipt of your letter of May
8 informing me of your action taken
by your committee at Memphis on
May 4th, endorsing Senator Nickel
lar for reelection, and urging organ
lied labor in the state to vote for him
in the Democratic primary. You state
that this was done Notwithstanding
the fact that my record for twenty
four years as member of congress
was, as far as labor was concerned,
entirely friendly; that you did this
from the fear that otherwise
Capt. Fitzhugh might be nominated.
In other words your desire to defeat
Capt. Fitzhugh is such that you are
willing to lay aside all moral obliga-
tions to serve the public interest in or
der to politically destroy one of Mr..
McKeilar's competitors. | did not
seek from organized labor an endorse
ment of my candidacy, nor did | OBJ
ject to the endorsement of Senator
McKellar's record in congress; but /
do most emphatically protest against
any action intended to prevent any
Democrat from voting in a primary
election for his deliberate choice of a
candidate, uninfluenced and unembar-
rassed by the action Of any commit
tee of any kind or character of organ
ization. | believe in free and un-
trammeled primary in which every
citizen can vote conscientiously for
the best qualified in his judgment for
the office.
4 have always understood that the
slogan of organized labor is equal
opportunity 1t is now almost three
months until the primary election. !
have canvassed but small portion Of
the stste and have had practically no
opport unity to get acquainted with
the voters. Mr.. McKellar has can
vassed the whole state in the senator
ial and run-off primaries held in 1915,
and also canvas sed the entire state in
the general election Of 1915. Are you
fearful that with time to canvass
the state between now and August 8,
/ may prove to be more acceptable
to the voters than Mr.. McKellar? Is
il because Of this fear that you are
willing to deny me fair and just op-
portunity TO make such a canvass? Is
Il on this account that you thus seek
to preclude the independent individ-
ual choice Of some forty thousand
voters Of the state? Your course