The commercial., October 29, 1915, Image 1

About The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?

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OR. E. M. LONG
', DENTIST .
Over White 4t BurcKnrd't Drug
Store, Union City, Tenn.
Telephonei v
Office 1 44-J, Residence 689-J
TT TT
DR. E. M. LONG
DENTIST
Over White & Burchard'a Drug
Store, Union City, Tenn.
Telelphone
Office 144-J; Residence 689-J
RCIA
tTnlon City Commercial. established 1890 1 ..... . .
West Tennewee Courier, established 1897 1 Conwwdated September 1. 197 .
UNION CITY, TENN, FRIDAY, OCOTBER 29, 1915.
VOL. 25, NO. 31,
WHO'S WHO FOR THE SENATE
ed face, an honest looking face that
looks out at you from the eyes. And
it is not only a relaxation, but a
A little t politics now and then, I soothing stimulation, to consider Mr.
Mippose, is healthful for one's pa- McKellar's political record and char
triotism, for it generally stirs his acter after having somewhat an
ble, raises his "dander" and brings alyzed those of the above named
all the vociferous fool there is In gentlemen. Mr. McKellar, so far as
fcim to the surface; so gives him I can find out, has a good record
tuite a vigorous shaking up which behfnd him, especially as a repre
renders him, like shaken compound- sentative in Congress, and that fact
4 medicine, more efficient and per- is very reassuring to us that he
fcaps more bitter or vitrolic. But I would make good In the Senate if
WORKING CONVICTS-ON I
BOATS PROVES SUCCESS
too "much politics is baleful In their he should be elected. ' ...
etffettt on one'a moral character, Hence About the only fear that I have
t& majority of rank politicians are for Mr, McKellar's success in this
loud of voice and conscienceless of
fceart. "Their hearts," said Haw-
' t&orne of politicians, "wither away
And die out of their bodies. Their
- consciences are turned to India-rubber
or to some such substance as
Mack as that and which will stretch
as much." '
As I shuffle the cards of my ex
cogitation about the candidates that
are out for the United State's Senate,
the first one I turn up has a min
iature photo on it that bears a very
close similitude to Malcolm R. Pat
terson. Mr. Patterson, I have heard,
has experienced quite a moral and
political revolution somewhere in the
Immediate region of his conscience.
race is that too many of his friends
will fail to support him at the pri
mary, fearing that he might be de
feated and that they thereby would
have to support one of the other un
desirables at the final election. But
let us, remember," and not forget, that
the crucial time with Mr. McKellar's
candidacy will be at the primary and
that then is the supreme time for us
to show our allegiance to him and
to exert ourselves to secure his elec
tion. In failing to support him, we
should in reality be supporting his
opponents. And if finally we should
have to support either Mr. Patterson
or Mr. Lea, we should do so, not
from choice, but from an honorable
I heartily hope that it is true, for sense of duty to our own integrity
Heaven knows (and I speak it re
spectfully) he seriously' needed it
I have no reason upon which to base
any doubts about Mr. Patterson's re
ligious conversion, and I bid him
God's speed, not in politics, but in
religion.
Mr. Patterson, I suppose, is really
a powerful force on the lecture plat
form for temperance, and being such,
I am persuaded that he could do us
much more good on the platform
than he could in the Senate. And
being also, aB his past life indicates,
naturally a man that is very sus
oeptible to evil tempations, it would
be better for Mr. Patterson morally
that he should stay out of politics
Consequently, .both for his and our
own good, and even as a matter of
conscience, I ought to vote to keep
Mr. Patterson in the temperance field
and out of the political forum. .
- Besides Mr. Patterson's past po
inicai career, wnen it is dug up a
little, is very offensive to my po
iitical olfactories. What pledge has
I believe, however, that Mr. McKellar
will get the nomination by a good
majority.
. EUGENE F. McSPEDDEN.
RICE SAYS McKELLAR
, HARBINGER OF PEACE
Attorney Says He Alone Can Bring
- ' Real Unity in Party.
Dyersburg, Tenn., Oct. 23. All
Dyersburg and most of Dyer County
joined this afternoon in giving Ken
neth D. McKellar a magnificent ova
tion. The Congressman spoke in the
Dyer courtroom to an audience of
850, and hundreds were turned away
because no standing room was avail
able.
Mr. McKellar was given an elo
quent introduction by Hon. Ernest
Rice, an ex-speaker of the State Sen
ate. Mr. Rice was formerly well
known in Tennessee politics, but his
law practice has kept him out of
politics, until he decided to re-enter
recently in order "to bring peace and
h BVpr Rnlfimnlv marip ttiA npnnlo
and not willfully broken? When'ra!lqumlt3r to. the. Demcratic Party
did we implicitly repose confidence
in him without being openly betray
ed? When did we ever look to him
to give us strength and unity that he
did not bring us reproach and di
vision? To trust him again with
leadership would not be a simple
mistake, as I see it, it would be a
foolish blunder. We sent Mr, Pat
terson to Congress, and during his
. last term he voted one time and drew
ten thousand dollars. Such derelic
tion and dishonesty were
to him and a high-handed insult to
- the people. The surest way to judge
of what a man will do is by what he
has done. "For he will inevitably
repeat the same offence," says Shop
enhauer, a great . German philoso-
- pher, "or do something tanta
mount to it, should the same occa
sion return." If I am duped one
time I may deserve pity, but if twice
,by the same fellow in the same way,
I should deserve, if not contempt,
at least ridicule.
I shuffle the cards again and there
upturns the picture of the incor
rigible and most pugnacious Luke
I turn the card over and to my sur
prise the same picture is on the oth
er side both pictures facing out
ward. Ofcourse, however, a double
and reversible photo is in good keep-
ing with a double, reversible and
crobatical character. It would seem
like a piece of pleasant human or
sarcastic irony if one should ask me
, if I were going to support Mr. Lea
for the! Senate. If I were to go out
to shoot ducks I would waste no am
munition on a treacherous didapper.
We do not need a professional ducker
and dodger in a high position. A
trong master of men, Lea is a pit!
ful weak servant of himself. Am
bitious for a position of power, he
will stoop to any expediency to ob
tain it." Having gained a high office,
he uses it to aggrandise himself and
to chagrin the people.' Professing to
erve his State in Congress, he is
ontinually intriguing with the Leg
islature to promote his own interest.
If we must have Mr. Lea in our own
State, forever meddling . with the
Legislature and trying thereby to
dominate State politics, let us not
ho so disrespectful to that gentleman
as to' burlesque him by pretending
to send him to Congress. '
I shuffle the cards again and this
time I turn up a new and well favor-
in Tennessee by the election of Mr,
McKellar." Mr. Rice introduced Mr.
McKellar as the harbinger of peace
and as the man who was not born
with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Mr. Rice also said that Mr. McKellar
would not give the people of Tennes
see just lip service as their Senator,
but that he would be working for
their interests all the time.
Perhaps the brightest point in the
Congressman's successful day was
the finpprh nf Miss Stella Walter in
a shame .. ;. . ' "
presenting mm wun a bouquet at
the conclusion of the speech. She
said: "I predict that in your race
for the Senate you will not be driven
on a Lea shore, nor sunk by a dere
lict ship loaded with spoiled Ham."
Mr. McKellar did not deviate from
his campaign speech in any impor
tant details. He received his great
est applause when he gave his com
parison of Patterson and the prodigal
son of the Scriptures. He said the
prodigal son came back to act as
servant and with a contrite heart but
that Patterson came back crying,
"Democrats, I'm back; bring on that
calf,
Training School Wins Easy.
On Saturday, Oct. 16, the Train
ing School won over Mayfleld High
School in a fast foot ball game, 26
to 0. The score does not Indicate
the comparative strength of the
teams. They should have won by 40
to 0. The Training School out
classed tneir. opponents at every
stage, even at fumbling the ball
The team showed up well, especially
McClure and Moss. Rogers is show
ing up well at quarter.
The team motored to Clinton last
Saturday to win in a real battle from
Clinton 7 to 6. Both teams played
like college boys. If you like rec
reation and sport come out Saturday
to the Martin game, which promises
to be a similar contest.
Thanksgiving Day will be the big
day when the Training School and
Huntingdon lock horns on the home
gridiron. Let's have a crowd to these
games.
An Exceptional Case.
Shooting at a President
Is criminal and stupid;
But we find no wrong Intent
In Cupid.
Coal Coke Wood Call Tel. 15P.
Test in Williamson County is Grati
fying to Board of Control.
That it is altogether feasible and
practical to use State convicts in
building public roads has been dem
onstarted in a test made in William
son County, according to members of
the State Board of Control and of
ficials of the county. The county
has built miles' of good roads, the
health of the convicts has been im
proved and to say "the least the
State has not lost any money. As a
result of this test the Board of Con
trol has announced they are ready
to make contracts for next year with
any county desiring to use Stte con
victs on their county roads, aad al
ready officials of a number of coun
ties are negotiating for the use of
convicts.
Fifty-five unshackled State con
victs, all negroes and sent up for
various offenses, have been at work
on the roads of Williamson County
for the past three months. Twenty
four of these have been made trus
ties, and only one man has been
shackled and that for a short time.
This has been accomplished thru the
honor system, with only five guards
and tut three men have escaped. The
prisoners are apparently all well sat
isfied .wijfch the nature of the work,
and many so expressed themselves
to your correspondent who visited
the camp to-day. The health of the
convicts and the general sanitary
conditions of the camp are good, and
farmers living in the vicinity stated
there had never been the least ob
jectionable feature to the camp.
For many years the question of
working the State convicts on the
public roads has been discussed. The
last session of the Legislature passed
a bill giving the Tennessee Board of
Control, which has charge of all
State and penal eleemosynary insti
tutions, full authority to contract
with any county for the use of con
victs on the public roads. This was
passed in May, and while the board
notified the officials' of each county
of the law, it was so late in the road
building season that only one coun
ty, Williamson, availed itself of thei
opportunity.
The bill was drawn by Hon. W.
M. Nixon, of Chattanooga, former
member of the State penitentiary
commission, and recently elected
warden of the Brushy mountain
prison. The bill, before it was pre
sented to the Legislature, was gone
over, by the Board of Control and
by Governor Rye, and was intro
duced and championed by Senator
J. Murray, now Secretary of the
State Department of Highways.
The law provides that with the
approval of the GoVernor and the
State engineer, the Board of Control
may contract with any county in the
State for the use of State convicts
in building public roads. The State
guards, feeds and takes care of the
prisoners while the county must fur
nish the county engineer or superin
tendent ana all tools, but the men
work directly under the foreman
furnished by the State, and no one
else is permitted to correct the pris
oners, but all complaints must be
made to this foreman. The county
pays the State $1 a day for each pris
oner for the days worked.
This afternoon Chairman J. S.
Denton, W. W. Baird and W. T. Mur
ray of the Board of Control, and J.
J. Murray, Secretary of the Depart
ment of Highways, made a careful
inspection of the camp and the work
being done in Williamson County.
They were met at the camp by
number of citizens of the county,
who expressed thorough satisfaction
with the work being done, and the
county officials have already made
application to the board for the use
of convicts next year. Under the
law they can be used on the public
roads only between April 1 and De
cember 1. A number of the prison
ers yesterday stated that they hated
to see December come, for they were
so much better satisfied on the road
work than in the prison walls.
SOLUTION OF PROBLEM.
I am afraid to tell the men they
will have to leave the road," said
Capt. - James Battle, foreman in
charge of the camp, "for fear they
will try to run away. In all my ex
perience in working convicts, I have
never seen men do better work than
these men are doing. I am fully
convinced it is a solution of both the
road-biiilding question and the ques
tion of more humane treatment of
State convicts. I am glad ye do not
have to use shackles. Their health
Is much better and their conduct
very much improved. I have had to
correct less than a half dozen and
seldom have to reprimand a prisoner
for carelessness . in his work. ' All
seem to try to make good prisoners,
so they can. remain on the road in
stead of being sent back to the mines
or the prison walls."
While the summer rains interfered
with the work to some extent, yet
the fifty-five convicts have graded
three miles and surfaced two miles
of road In less than three' months,
besides quarrying and crushing the
rock for the roads. Two miles were
built complete In forty-six days and
cost the county approximately $1,250
a mile.
County officials claim they can by
the use of convicts not only build
better roads, but at a much less cost,
since the labor costs them but $1 a
day.
The State Board of Control, of
which John S. Denton is chairman,
has been keeping a close watch on
this work in order to determine
whether the board can afford to let
the men out at this price. While
they have made no money on the
project, they claim they have broken
even and that the profit the depart
ment formerly got off the men is
overbalanced by the benefit the con
victs are to the State in general in
helping get good roads.
TO DERIVE NO PROFIT.
"It was not our expectation to de
rive a profit from the labor of these
men," said Mr. Denton, "but to help
the various counties in the State to
get better roads and at the same
time provide a more healthy occupa
tion for these unfortunates. We find
their healh is much better while out
on the roads, and they seem to do a
great deal more in the way of road
building. The men are pleased with
the change, as evidenced by the fact
that there are fewer infractions of
discipline, and besides, the men don't
want to go back to the prison. I be
lieve we will be able to greatly bene
fit the counties and at the same time
solve the vexing problem of more
humane treatment of the State's un
fortunates. It will enable us to' take
many of the men out of the mines
and the factories at the main pris
on."
The board cannot let out less than
fifty to any one county, and can let
out only a certain per cent of the
prisoners, and it is expected that be
fore next spring the full quota will
be called for. The board has ad
dressed a letter to officials of the
various counties, calling their atten
tion to this law, and it is probable
that many will take advantage of
the plan at the January term of
County courts.
In addition to the force in Wil
liamson County,,, the board is usin
some oi me men at tne mines in
helping build a railroad to the State
mines. Only those not needed in the
mines are being used in this work.
CHARGED WITH CONSPIRING
TO COMMIT MURDER
W. E. Hay Placed on Trial in Dyers
burg Jury is Completed.
Dyersburg, Tenn., Oct. 25. The
trial of W. E. Hay, charged with con
spiracy to take the life of another,
began in the Circuit Court here to
day. A legal battle is on, as both
the State and the defense are repre
sented by an array of legal talent.
Representing the State are Attorney
General Tom Morris, W. Campbell,
R. A. Ashley, R. D. Chambers, and
for the defense, Col. Poston, of Ala
mo, W. S. Draper and R. C. Cochran.
of Dyersburg. The jury was com
pleted this afternoon. The first and
only witness on the stand to-day was
Allie Yearwood, who was originally
charged with Hay in the conspiracy.
He has agreed to appear as a witness
for the State. In his testimony to
day, he stated that he had been ap
proached several times by Hay. Hay
stated, so witness said, that he had
insurance policies on two of his em
ployes Will Trull and George Craw
ford and stated that Hay had offer
ed him ?2,600 to assist in getting
these men out of the way. Witness
is a driver of a Jitney, and his part
in the transaction was to get the
parties to Reelfoot Lake. At this
stage of the testimony court adjourn
ed till 8:30 Tuesday.
At the time the incidents occur
red W. E. Hay was in the furniture
business. Last week his stock was
sold out by the United States bank
ruptcy court. He came here from
Humboldt less than a year ago. In
constant attendance with the' de
fendant at the bar are his wife and
aged father.
Cherry-llfloss Grain
pn 0
uu. mi
Winter Grown Barley,
Crimson Clover Seed,
New Crop Rye,
Rape Seed,
All Kinds Field Seeds,
Tennessee Horse Feed,
Tennessee Dairy Feed,
Corn, Chops, Oats and Bran,
All Kinds Feed.
CHERRY-MOSS GRAIN CO.
Wholesale and Retail
Grain, Hay and Field Seeds
Telephone No. 51
MONEY TO LMM S ffi
I am authorized to take applications for loans on lands in
Obion and Weakley Counties, Tenn., and Fulton County, Ky.
The terms and conditions upon which this money will be loan
ed are most favorable to the borrower. All or any part of a
loan may be paid after one year, interest being stopped on
payments made.
Now is the time to arrange your farm loans while the money
can be had at a low rate of interest and on long time.
O. SPRADLI
Attorney At Law Union City, Tenn.
"On
auty st lr
St
WE HAVE THE BEST GRADE
Winter Rye, Barley and Turf Oafs
Crimson Clover, Red and Sweet Clover
Timothy, Red-Top and Blue Grass
WE SELL THE
Improved Kentucky Grain Brill
Peering Corn Harvester, fleering Disc Harrow
International Gasoline and Oil Engines
Oliver Chilled Plows, Buggies, Wagons, &c
"Quality First"
Tisdale & lacKson
r
Farm L
On improved lands in Obion or Weakly County
FIVE YEAR TERM, l PER CENT INTEREST
CAN GET YOU THE MONEY WITH LITTLE DELAY.
$1 Pays for The Commercial 1 Year