Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Coffee ttotinfn IJrogreoa, Vol I. No. 40 RINGING DENIAL IS MADE BY J.R.WALKER TO LETTER OF PURVIS Congressman Denses Point Blank Statement Made by Ocilla Man and Claims Letter to Prove That Reparte Remarks Were Not Made Congressmean Walker has issued a .statement branding as untrue a cer tain statement made in a letter appear ing over the signature of O. V. Purvis, of Ocilia, in which it was stated that Congressman Walker had stated "that it did not matter about the one horse farmer and laboring people.” Mr. Walker declares that such a statement is absolutely untrue, and that he did not make such a state ment, or any similar statement, to Mr. Purvis, or any one else. Mr. Walker’s Statement. My attention has been called to a re cent letter appearing over the signa ture of 0. V. Purvis of Ocilla which letter has*been published in most of the Eleventh Congressional district by my political opponents as paid ad vertisement. Mr. Purvis states that I told "to go back and get the endorsement of the business men. Don't matter about the one-horse people; they cut no figure with me.” This statement as well as others made by Mr. Purvis is untrue. I did not make this state ment nor any similar statement,, to Mr. Purvis or any one else. Mr Pur vis contradicts himself. He states in another paragraph of his published letter that I told him that the one re ceving the greatest number of endorse ments would receive my recommenda tion. These two statements are direc tly in conflict. IC certainly could not have made them both. In a letter received by me from Mr. Purvs, dated Ocilla, Ga., Feb. 7, 1914, which letter was in reply to one I had written Mr. Purvis, advising him that I had recommended Mr. Colson for the Ocilla postmastership, he stat ed among other things, the following: "You told me and urged me to get all the recommendations I could, either by personal letter or by petition.” If this statement is true, then his published statement about the one horse farmers and laboring men can not be true. Purvis Letter Denied I note that Mr. Purvis says if I de ny his statement he will make oath to it. Ido deny it If he swears to his former statement, I should be glad if he wiil include in his affidavit whether Q}' not his statement to meof Febru ary?, is also true. lam a poor man myself. I have al ways had, and have now, the deepest respect and greatest consideration for all classes of laboring people. I chal lenge anyone to cite a single instance where I have ever voted against the interest of the toiling masses, either as a member of the state legislature or as a member of congres. I was reared on a farm myself. Practically all of my people are farm ers today. I would be unworthy of the blood of my sires if I should cast reflection in any way on any class of farmers or laborers. I have never done so, but, on the contrary, I have championed their cause wherever op portunity was presented, both in pri vate and public life, and shall con tinue to do so. (Signed) J- R- WALKER, (adv.) Hardwick Commended in Letter of President President Woodrow Wilson has written a letter to the editor of the Savannah Press in which he highly commends Congressman Thomas W. Hardwick as “an ardent faithful friend of the administration from the outset. The presidents letter con cludes with this reference to Congressman Hardwick. He has won admiration and confidence.” The presidents letter was written in reply to a letter from the editor of the Press.' The following relative to the correspondence was published in the Wed nesday afternoon issue of the Press: “On July the 20th the Savannan Press addressed a letter to Hon. Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States, asking that if he could consistently do so he o-ive to this newspaper his views upon the candidacy of Hon. Thomas V\ . Hardwick for SeUnite<L3tate3 Senate to succeed the late Senator A. 0. Bacon. “The president was asked if Mr. Hardwick’s nomination and election, judging from his oast record would mean that the admidistration would ha\e in the senate a Democrat who could be depended upon to support it. President Wilson’s Letter The president has sent the following reply: ‘‘The White House ‘‘Washington, Aug. 3, 1914. ‘‘To the Editor of The Press: ‘‘l am very glad to answer your letter of July 20th. Mr. Hard wick has been an ardent and faithful friend of the administration from the outset and I should be sorry to hear of anything being said against him which would create a different impression. * *pjg has won my admiration and confidence. * ‘‘Sincerely yours, WOODROW WILSON. *' THOMAS W. HARDWIGK DELIVERED A FORCEFUL AND WINNING SPEECH Spoke Saturday Afternoon for Nearly Two Hours to a Court House Full of Enthusiastic Listeners-—Jumped on Slaton Goad and Hard—Made Many Friends Here. Saturday was political day for this city and county sure enough. From arly morning people b. gar. to rcnic into town from all sections of the county and adjoining territory to hear the various sneakers who were booked to deliver addresses. Hon. Tom Hardwick was advertised to speak at 11 o’clock, but when he ar rived here he discovered that Mr. Wal ker was also advertised to speak at the same hour. These two gentlemen held a conference and after Mr. Hard wick learned that Mr. Walker was to deliver three other addresses that day, he very graciously stepped aside and postponed his own speaking until 1 o’clock. A great crowd was on hand to hear Mr. Hardwick who was introduced by Col. Lawson Kelly, a schoolmate of Mr Hardwick’s. Mr. Kelly spke eloquent ly his erstwhile chum, and among otlfer things said that Tom Hardwick knew no such word as “defeat.” and that he had been a winner from boy hood, and Col. Kelly predicted that in this race. Mr. Hardwick would come out ahead of his opponents. Mr. Hardwick was warmly received when he arose to speak and through out his address he brought forth much hearty applause from the packed court room. Mr. Hardwick said that he believed he was entitld to the place he was striving for upon his record. He stated that he had had many years of service that peculiarly fitted him for the po sition of senator, and pointed out the necessity at this time of eleciing a man who had the confidence of the ad ministration and introduced into his speech a letter from President Wilson to the editor of the Savannah Press commendatory of Mr. Hardwick. Mr. Hardwick said that when a rail road wanted a man for any position the one was chosen who was host fit ted for the work. This same thing was true, he said, with banks, stores and farm industry. *And, he said, that if competency played an important part with selecting men for places in the commercial world, it should certainly be an all important consideration in the selection of a public servant. He pointed out that the Unit'd State today faced a crisis that was fue grav est in the history of the country. That the great powers of the old world were at each others throats and that the Uniteed States would have to be on her guard at all times through the crisis. He said that the President of this coun try had chosen a corterie of advisers and that these advisers had selected others to advise them. That the ma machinery of the government was a wheel within a wheel and that at this time perhaps mora than at any time in the history of the country, the admin istration should not be hampered with untried and untrained men. He said that he had had twelve years exper ience in the halls of Congress and that he knew how to do the work that falls upon the shoulders of a senator. Mr. Hardwick laid stress on the fact that Mr. Slaton had had no experience fitting him for the office and that Mr. Slaton double crossed Joe Brown in getting Mr. Brown to stay out of the short term race and run against Hoke Smith, as was originally intended with Slaton as opponent of Smith instead of Brown. Mr. Hardwick thought that this sort of scheming had hurt Slaton and that Slaton had discovered it. Douglas, Georgia, Wednesday, August 12th 1914 Mr. Hardwick has a very happy way of illustrating his remarks and the crowd was with him from the begin ning. He added greatly to his strength in Coffee County by his address. He said in explanation of his stand parcels post that he had worked and and voted for the law all the way un til they wanted to amend the law by the weight limit. He said he was opposed to this proposition b cause it would burden the mails to such an extent that the people would be getting their freight by mail and thir mail by freight. Before closing his address, Mr. Hard wick paid a splendid tribute to the memory of Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, and also to the President, whom he char acterized as the gratest president the United States had ever had. and whose policies had proven to be the best for the greatest number, and who, if giv en the proper assistance would soon be able to aid the farmers and others who are now badly in need of federal aid because of the war raging in Eu rope. From here Mr. Hardwick went to Nicholls where he spoke late in the af ternoon to a large and enthusiastic audience. BIG GAINS BEEN MADE Plitics has crowded out much mat ter this week and among other import ant news items that we have had to omit is the contest. But the primary will son be over and we can then all get back to living a normal life; that is those of us who outlive the strenu ous work of the campaign. Some good gains have been made as will be seen by the list: Miss Lila Sapp 45,250 Mrs. J. B. Cooksey 19,250 Miss Ethel Tanner 63.000 Roy Vinson 34.925 Mrs. Velma Touchton 36,350 Miss Edna Moore 49,625 Horton Christopher 7,250 Miss Georgia Livingston 122,400 Miss Gukfeie Roberts 132,800 A. H. Huekabee 4,625 Miss Mary Annie Ferguson . 11,500 Sam T. Harrell, of Quitman, Refuses To Discuss Publicly Charges He Has Pre ferred In Open Letter Against Henderson Sam T. Harrell is a lawyer in the County of Brooks town of Quitman. Some time last year Congressman Wai ker had a brother of Sam T. appointed Pstmaster at Quitman. When Farmer Jim Henderson had the audacity to an nounce for Congress against Mr. Wal ker who had connected the brother of the aforesaid Sam T. with the public teat by making him a P. M. Sam T. became indignant and prepared and on August the sth had published a letter reflecting on the business abil ity and integrity of Mr. Henderson which has been circulated over the district for the purpose of trying to defeat Mr. Henderson. HON, C. E. STEWART WRITES TO VOTERS ■ • Gives Account of His Stewardship and Reasons for Re-election. To the citizens of Coffee County: I am now finishing my first term! as your Representative in the Legis-! lature and I wish to give you a synop sis of my stewardship as your public srvant, and when you have looked yuo same I think you can appreciate why the Ringsters, are offering thousands of dollars for my political "hide.” When you elected me you were com pletely disfranchised as to the selec tion of the guardians of ycur finances, roads, public property, etc., the most important offees in our county. I im mediately had enacted a lav which not only placed the selection of these of ficers back into the hands of our peo ple but it places all the acts ofthese officers squarely before our people. Under this law every dollar expended and received by the Board of Commis sioners, must be made public. The new Board recently elected will have to furnish us a monthly itimized state ment of all receipts and disbursments and shall publish same in one of our county papers. Their salaries shall be •$3.00 per day and they cannot get pay for more than 36 days iu a year. I understand a County Commissioner, living a few counties from us, a few years ago, drew pay for 375 days in one year and it was not leap year, either. And for fear that this fellow might move over and be elected as noe of our commissioners, I thought it nec essary to place a check on same. I completely cut out the Chairman s sal ary, which amounted to S9OO per year. I also cut out the Attorney salary of S3OO. I considered them unnecessary. Each militia district elects their com missioner, and they are all vested with the same power and authority. It takes a majority of the whole board to trans act any business. All contracts for supplies and work to be done on roads and bridges must be handled by the Board as a body and all supplies and work amounting to over $25 shall be let to the lowest bidder. It puts the county’s matters on merit and compe titionand not on pull and politics. As an exemple, there is a bridge to be built in the county according to cer tain specifications, and A bids S4OO, B SSOO and C S6OO, the work will go to A because he is the lowest and best bidder, and not to C because he is a relative or friend of the Commissioner. Thereby saving the county S2OO. If (Continued from page 6) This morning myself and other friends of Mr. Henderson doubting the truth of the charges made by Mr. Har rell and knowing Mr. Harrell t be an able, shrewd lawyer and feeling that the people ought to know all the facts sent Sam T. the following telegram: Douglas, Ga., Aug. 11th, 1914. Sam T. Harrell, Attorney at Law, Quitman, Ga. Your letter of August sth at tacking the business and personal character of Jim Henderson can didate for Congress is being cir culated over the District. We, the undersigned Citizens and vot ers of Coffee County have investi gated your charges and state ments and find they are greatly ex aggerated and not wholly true. We believe the voters shuold hear both sides of every issue which concerns them as vitally as does this. Yqu are a lawyer and we hope an honorable man and should be able to sustain in public debate such serious charges as you make in your letter. We, therefore, in the interest of truth and justice and fair play ask you to meet a representative of J. A. J. Hender son in joint debate at either two, four or six County sites of the district between this and the pri mary in order that the true facts may be told as to the respective records of Mr. Walker and Mr. Henderson. Dates and places to be agreed upon. We urge an im mediate answer by wire. J. H. DENT, J. W. QUINCEY, W. C. SMITH, J. A. MOORE, M. J. PEACE, W. R. FRIER, O. F. DEEN. To this telegram he replied as fol lows: Quitman, Ga., Aug. 11, 1914. J. W. Quincey. Your wire reed. Walker has challenged Henderson for public debate, and Henderson declined. If Henderson will meet Walker wire me and then I will reply' to your wire. SAM T. HARRELL. In answer to which the following telegram was sent: Douglas, Ga., 3-11-1914. S. T. Harrell, Quitman, Ga. Henderson has made no charge (Continued on page 8) RANDALL WALKER DELIVERS A RING ING ADDRESS TO VOTERS HERE Denied in Toio That He Had Been False to Anyone When it Came to Making Appointments—-Went Into Detail Regarding the Only Opposition That Has Developed Against His Being Re-elected CROWD WAS WITH HIM FROM START TO FINISH Will Carry Coffee County and The District By Big Majorities—-Made Many New Friends Here. Spoke in Interest Of Dr. Hardeman Hon. R. L. J. Smith addressed a fair ly good sized audience at the court house Monday evening in the interest of Dr. L. G. Hardeman’s campaign. Mr. Smith's speaking here had but little advance announcement, and at the hour that he was booked to speak, 5 o’clock, a heavy downpour of rain came along and it was necessary to postpone his address until after the supper hour. Mr. Smith spke earnestly in behalf of Dr. Hardeman, and at times he was warmly applauded. Dr. Hardeman has many ardent sup porters in his race for governor in the city and co una.yt ndeh bt- • city and county and he will get a good vote in the primary. I SEED SELECTION DEMON STRATION WILL BE HELD There will be a gathering of farm ers at the farm of Mr. John Peterson Friday morning beginning at 10:00 o’clock, to hold a seed demonstration. Mr. Cunningham, district agent, and Prof. VanEttor, of the State College, will be on hand to entertain those that attend. Edmondson Spoke For Joseph M. Brown Here Hon. Grover C. Edmondson spke at the curt house Saturday at 10:30 in the interest of Joe Brown’s candidacy for senator. Mr. Edmondson had but a handful of men to haer him, as he proceeded Mr. Walker and Mr. Hard wick and the crowd did not seem in terested in tiie gentleman whom Mr. Edmondson represented. Mr. Edmondson spoke for about 10 minutes and was given good attention by those in the audience. He is a good speaker, but seemed to realize that he had a hard subject to deal with in this city and county. — MR. JULE BOYD PASSES A\V A 1 Mr. Jule Boyd died at the home of his brother, Mr. N. S. Boyd, in West Green, Monday. He had recently re returned from California where he had been in hopes of restoring his health The funeral took place at the family burying ground in this county. Mr. Boyd was a brother of Mrs. T. J. Dickey and Mrs. Lon Dickey, of Fitz gerald. J. E. McLean (Colored) Dead. J. E. McLean a highly respected ne gro, died at his home here last Friday after a lingering illness that exteded over a period of several months. He taught the negro school for some time and had accumulated a good bit of property. DO YOU WANT TO BE A PARTY TO THIS ? Mr. Voter of the 11th Congressional District: There are a few politicians in the 11th district who are very anxious to go to Congress. They well know that they can’t beat Mr. Walker themselves, but they are now trying to deceive the farmers by telling them what a won derful man “Farmer Jim’’ is and what a blessing it will be to them if they will only send "Farmer Jim” to Con gress. These politicians are keen fel lows and will deceive the very elect if possible. They know that “Farmer Jim” will make a complete failure as a Congressman, and in the windup two years hence they are hoping that the political lightning will strike them and in this round about way get to Congress. These politicians are too cwardly to attack Mr. Walker upon their own ability but by placing “Far mer Jim” between themselves and Mr. Walker, they hope that in some way they will be able to waken the strength of Mr. Walker and win at last upon the failure of “Farmer Jim.” “Farmer Jim” may be all that his friends say he is, his success as a farmer, saw mill man, turpentine op erator and all of these may have been all that his friends could ask fr, but does it follow that he would be pre pared to meet statesmanship in the halls of Congress, just because he has made a bale of cotton to the acre on some of his farms? Then, too, Mr. Editor, do please look at the “lineup.” When and where has any one candi date ever had as many professional politicians tied to his coat tail as this same “Farmer Jim” has tied to his? Read the list of those whom he car ries around with him on his special train. Go into any of the little towns $1 Per Annum The doubting Thomases had their eyes opened Saturday morning when Hon. J. Randall Walker made his ap pearance at the court house to fill an engagement to address the voters here for from the trae he set foot on the steps of the bulding until he was well out of sight of the crowd after the speaking, there was no room for doubt but that Randall Walker had the peo ple of Coffee County with him. Mr. Walker was booked to speak at 11 o’clock and a great crowd, one of the largest ever seen in the Coffee County court house was on hand to hear him. Mr. Melvin Tanner introduced the speaker in his usual timely and gra cious manner and when Mr. Walker arose to take the stand a mighty shout went up that could be heard for a long distance away, and the shout was a spontaneous and hearty one, not the sort that is bought and paid for. Mr. Walker spoke for only thirty minutes/ but in that time said many things and explained many things that the people wanted him to say and ex plain. He handled his subject with out gloves, but not one word left hia lips that attacked the character of any man. His freedom from mud slinging was remarkable and many have re ferred to this fact who heard the able speech of Mr. Walker's. Denied Belittling Small Farmer Mr. Walker said in part that he had been too busy at Washington to pay much attention to his interests here in the district, but that his friends had taken a deep interest in his welfare and he believed that the people were going to recognize the work that he had been doing for them and that they were going to return him to Congress so that he could finish what he had started. He said that the claim that one Purvis of Ocilla had made that he (Walker) had belittled the small farm er was untrue absolutely. That he had never had it in his heart to say any thing against the working man or the small farmer. He stated that he had been born on a small farm and had had to work hard to get enough to en able him to get an education. That his father was a farmer, and that his kin folks were at this time, most of them, farmers, and that he would not be worthy a place in the respect of the people were he to go against his kin, especially. He referred to a letter that he had received from Mr. Purvis which con tradicts the published statements (The letter in question and Mr. Walker’s answer to Mr. Purvis appear in an other column.) Dwelt on PostofHee Matters. Mr. Walker said that it seemed that the opposition to him could find noth ing to attack in his record at Washing ton except the fact that he could not appoint more than one man to a post office. He said that if he had been able to appoint several men to each offide, maybe, there would have been peace in the district. But. he said, he could only appoint one man, and that he had treated each and every ap plicant with courtesy and due consid eration, and that the appointments he had recommended seemed to the people at large, for he had tried to (fr a3ed no panai}ao3) and take a look at the “lineup” follow ing "Farmer Jim” and see hw many you will find to be farmers. Take the town of Douglas, and take a peep at the list. On which side do you find the politicians? Do you find those politici ans supporting "Farmer Jim” or Con gressman Walker? Without any fear of truthful contradiction we assert boldly that nine out of every ten of the politicians are for “Farmer Jin ” When in the history of the worih has it ever occurred before that all the pol iticians were out in the interest of a farmer? This is enough to make any reasonable man stop and look for the cause. We know that there is always a cause if we can only find it, and we think we located it in the beginning of this article when we said that the pol iticians desired to kill Mr. Walker, politically, with a farmer, hoping thereby to be able to defeat “Farmer Jim” on his own weakness two years hence. We venture the assertion now that this is the only campaign that our neighbor over in Irwun County will be known as ‘F“armer Jim.” Two years from now these politicians now whoop ing him up as the leader of the farm ers w'ill be calling him “Failure Jim” or the man who “thought he was a farmer.” If we could we wuld like to liye un til the next Congressional election just to see what our friends name would then be. Let us now give our friend a little advice: “Be careful how you deal with these professional politicians. They are now making up your record upon which to fight you two years hence, should you be so unfortunate as to de feat a good man now.” OLD FARMER.