who first said, If the literal sense makes common sense, seek no other sense?

David Cooper, but that's not the entire quote.

"When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise." 1

(David L. Cooper, "The World's Greatest Library: Graphically Illustrated [Los Angeles: Biblical Research Society, 1970], 11)

The fundamental problem with the way fundamentalists approach scripture, is that even when applying a LITERAL interpretation, one is still obliged to research the correct translations of terms, the use of symbolism, idiom, metaphorical language, etc. which most fundee preachers neglect to do. Reading a text at face value, ignoring exegesis, is NOT reading it "literally." That is why they sew such confusion and conflict when none is truly warranted, particularly with their misunderstanding of Genesis 1 - 11.

The other problem is that they will ignore scientifically proven "fundamental truths" like evolution, astronomy, organic chemistry, geology, etc. in favor of their own flawed view of scripture, which Cooper is actually arguing against. The facts of our physical reality won't change just because they don't like them, or choose to remain ignorant about them.

Cooper's axiom is not that much different from the one published by the Rabbi Maimonides in the 11th C, which I'll paraphrase as: when the facts and scripture don't coincide, it's your reading of scripture that is in error.