The Atlanta Georgian. (Atlanta, GA.) 1906-1907, June 09, 1906, Image 3

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pi^5"g J ■■■' ' 11 ■ ■■'! IIHHHI wnTi-yj. 1,1 I I. -W»| HOKE SMITH WOULD HAVE EXCLUDED WATSON VOTERS FROM BALLOT BOX, IN APPROACHING PRIMARY ELECTION Clark Howell Makes Assertion in Friday’s Joint Debate. says committee was OF SMITH'S CREATION Charge* Profits From Piedmont Bar Were Applied to Mortgage on Hotel and Not to Charity. In hie speech In the Joint debate with Hoke Smith at the Peachtree auditor ium Friday night, Mr. Ho well said: Mr. Chairman, Fellow-Citizens and friends: Having recognised the fact that In politics, as In all other things, man must differ, I am glad to address vnu tonight, whether you be for me or "whether you bo against me, as friends anil fellow-cltlsens of Atlanta. •Just a few words,, fellow-citizens— just a few words by way of preliminary In making a statement as to why I asked for a Joint discussion hero to night. ‘ ••My adversary. In speaking on every stump In this state for the past year, has seen lit to attack me, to attack my record In the general assembly. His supporters here in the city of Atlanta, his newspaper organ, has seen fit to attack me from time to time, to maltc- inuslv misrepresent me. On every stump In the state of Georgia, dur ing the past year, my adversary has f? en fit to misrepresent me before the peuple 'of the state of Georgia by at tacking my record as made In the gen eral assembly of this state, for which time I have served the people of my home county: and my record as a member of the general assembly Is an open book for your Inspection. Reason for Challenge. • Gentlemen, the reason that I chal lenged my adversary to meet me here tonight at hla own meeting Is that In hla campaign In this state, covering a period of a year, he has attacked my legislative record, he nas attacked the honesty of my purpose, and I wanted to meet him, before the people who know him and the people who know me. In order that, having made the at tack* before this audience, that he has made In the different parts of the state, I might have an opportunity to answer him before my fellow-cltlsens. "He has spoken, fellow-cltlsens, he has spoken here to you for one hour, and I call your attention to the fact that here tonight, that during that en tire hour, he has not put his Angers upon one single vote that I ever cast In the general assembly df this state showing that I have at any time ever sacrificed the Interest of the people who sent me there, In behalf of any corporation. "Ah, fellow-cltsens, what an easy thing It Is for. a man to attack an other man's character without any specific statement- He makes a note now, and I assume* therefore, that. It is his purpose In his last halt hour, when he knows that I will have no opportunity to reply, 1 to attack me, when In hla first address before this audience he did not have the courage to do so. • Wanted Charges. Repeated. "He has not repeated to this au dience, my fellow-cltsens, to those who know him, and to those who know me. the charges that he has made on every other stump In the state of Geor gia. I had hoped, fellow-cltlsens, that he would do that tonight In hts first speech, so that I might have an op portunity to reply to him here. I know these iieople, and these people 'know me, and these people know him. "Early In this campaign, fellow-cit izen*. long before the primary election In this county was held, J made the proposition on every stump In Georgia n which I spoke that. In order to avoid nn unseemtng local conflict here it home between two home candidates, that I would cheerfully leave to my liome people an arbitrament as to which of the two should represent them. “I made the statement, fellow-cltl- ten», that If In such a contest If I could secure his consent, I would wlth- Irnw from the race In his favor, If I lid not carry, first, Fulton county; If I did not carry, second, the city of Manta. More than that, I made the proposition that I would withdraw from this race In hla favor If I did aut carry the own home ward In which le lives. Would Leave It To Bar. "Who should know him best—who ihould know him. If It Is not the mem- »r* of his own. profession, the mem bers with whom he has served here luring the post thirty years? .Who ihould know him best, If It should not >« the people of his own county and il» own ward? "And yet, notwithstanding my prop- raltton, repeatedly ' made to him hruughout the state of Georgia, what 'as his answer to It when he first 'name cognisant of It, In his speech at ktndersvlllo, Qa.t "‘Mr. Howell wants to leave the *et- lement of this contest to the city of Mania: I repudiate the. suggestion.’ It said: *1 repudiate the suggestion lecause It Is an Insult to the balance of he state.* "He repudiated the suggestion to rave it to you, his fellow cltlsens, men f ho he knows know him, and who ®ow me. He repudiated the sugges- lon that the settlement of tbi* quea- ton should be left to you, as an Insult o the people of this state. He did not KENTUCKIANS GOING HOME. A large party of Kentuckians will tave Atlanta tomorrow afternoon at :S0 p. m. over the Southern railway i through sleeper for Louisville to at- rnd -The Homo-Comlns Week for •entucktans.** This party leaving unday afternoon will occupy through leepera Atlanta to Louisville arrang- 1 lor all who desire making the trip; t'jvln* Lotdsvtlle Monday morning •••>■ Rate from Atlanta to Lonlsvllle n<l return $13.66: sleeping car rate tr double berth $2.60. Call at South- fh railway ticket offlee No, 1, Peach- ■** street, or Terminal station for ckets and sleeping car reservation*, tmthern Railway will also run Hough sleepers Atlanta to Louisville “ afternoon Tuesday, June 12th. ''-rplag car diagrams are now open “a reservations being made. .accept the proposition, fellow cltlsens, because he knew that If he had accept- uctAunc no mien imu u lie iittu ed It, then and there, would a quietus have been put to his campaign; by his own people here In Fulton county, and yet, fellow citizens—and yet, this In the man, afraid of hla own people, afraid to leave to them the settlement of the question of his candidacy, he hae himself gone sowing broadcast over this state, statements about me and my record, which he Is afraid to repeat here to the people of my home county. And this Is the man. fellow cltlsens. who has charged me with sine and with Iniquities of which he knows that he alone la guilty, and which he trice to put on other shoulders In order that they may be diverted from him. Paid to Fight for Rate Reduction. "He talks about the freight rate fight here In the city of Atlanta, and I would thank you to recollect what. I have tn say on this subject. He presents him self to you tonight as the great father of the freight rate fight here In Atlan ta. And the fact remains that before he ever opened his mouth one single time on the subject of freight reduc tions I had had fifty editorials on the question of freight; reductions, and he never chirped In behalf of reduced freight rates to the city of Atlanta, through the Atlanta freight bureau, until I went In my pocket to the ax- tent of $100 and hired, him to appear for this movement. : i "It la an easy, thing, fellow, citizens. It Is an easy thing for a man to come and try to soil another man’s conduct, and I charge tonight, before this audi ence, that never In one single syllable, directly or Indirectly, did he utter one word In behalf of freight rate reduction until, as an attorney, he was paid to do so by the Atlanta freight bureau, and I went In my own pocket to the extent of $100 to do It. Somebody called his at tention to this fact some time ago, and asked him what about It. and what do you suppose was his answer? He eald: 'Why, the Atlanta freight bu reau returned Mr. Howell's money,' and yet .he did not do me the common Justice to say to his friends tonight In your presence that that .money was not returned to me until every other mem ber of the Atlanta freight bureau was r id back by the guarantee fund that engaged to pay him, aa their attor ney, and I was the last man that gat my money back. Never Charged His People, •'I never received a dollar of railroad money In my life. More than that, fel low citizens, I never In my life, so help me God, I never, charged, the people of my home city one single dollar for de fending them. He has gone over thla state, fellow citizens, making the charge Indirectly, and by the means of all methods of attack,. the. unholy method, of the highwayman, the attack . by Innuendo, going all over this state, iriaklng It ape pear to the people of this state there was some kind of pipe line connection between me and the railroads of this state. ••He has not made that charge to night, because he dared not do so, and I state, fellow citizens—I state, ■ fellow citizens—If that charge has been made on every stump In' the etate of Georgia, as reported In the columns of the At lanta newspaper which represents him. If he chargee directly or Indirectly that any railroad on the face of this earth hai one particle • Interest in me, or In my candidacy, or that I am lined up and obligated, directly or Indirectly, to any railroad on the faoe of. this earth, he tells a deliberate falsehood, Not e Railroad Stockholder. "I never received e.dollar, I never received a fee, I never pub. myaelf in a complication directly or Indirectly; 1 never was a stockholder In any rail road on the face of the earth, even to one penny’s extent, and no railroad on the See of this ea$th ever owned one penny’s Interest In any propertyIn which I am now, or ever have been, C0 "My :t flrst obligation, fellow citizens, from the day that I attained the age of man, my first obligation Is, and always has been, to this great state, whlch l love better than any ™ the fare of the earth, and for which I would d *"And yet, let us look Into the record now of this man—of this man who seeks to tie me up with the railroads by • tern of falsehood, that he hM scattered broadcast over ever,’ P* n ° r t* 11 * and of which he falls to sustain a sin- rid* rhtirct 'tonight. Whom now, W* Jos' cltlsens, I charge with having not onTy tiTn tlJd up with the railroad, of this state for the greater part the past eighteen years, but I charge him with having frequently-accepted fees -from the railroads of this•»*»**. with having put himself under obliga tion to the extent of loans from the railroad owners of thle state, and more than that, fellow cltlsens, I charge him with having been the beneficiary ofthe very thing that he stacks on this floor tonight. That $40,000 Lean From Morgan. "Fellow citizens. In hi* address here tonight be has attacked the watered stocks of the railroads of this state. Let me call your attention to the fact that the only people on the face of the earth who could have been tl e beneficiary from the watered stocks of the railroads of the etate were the stockholders themselves. I never had one penny’s stock In any railroad, and I defy him In his remarks In conclue- Ion tonight—I defy him to deny that he became a’ largo stockholder In the speculative market of the Southern railway, that he negotiated hie $40,000 loan from Mr. J. Plerpont Morgan. Ah, fellow citizens, I do not blame him for having gone to Wall street to borrow $40,000 from t)\p‘o«ner of the Southern and the Central Railroads, at the very time that the columns of the newspa per he then owned were being leveled against these railroads operated In the etate, but I do charge that fron the day that they loaned thle amount—and I defy him to produce tonight one sin gle line during the entire pendency of that loan, covering a period of nearly two years—I defy him to produce a sin gle line In the columns of his news paper where any time during tha whole two years he ever attacked Mr. Mor gan or Mr. Spencer. In the state of G’eorgla. Atlanta Journal 8tock- "He telle you that he put up th« stock of his paper, The Atlanta Journal, as collateral at that time, be owning three-fourts In said newspaper then, and yet go back to the tax records of Fulton county and you will find that the collateral that was put upas seeur- ltyforthe $40,000 loan, which Mr. Tom Layless, of The Chronicle of Augusta, declares at the time he put hla eon- vlctlona In soak In Wall street, that the stock of the paper that he put up as collateral was sworn here In Fulton county as being only worth $20,000, and three-quarter* Interest for the entire loan. "Somebody a moment ago made the statement, 'What about free posses?’ In all probability, fellow citizens, the man was addressing Mr. Smith, and not me, because he knows more about free passes and private cars than I do. (Voice from the audience, ’Tell u* where you stand.') Favors Anti-Pats Bill. "I will tell you where I stand; somebody asks mg where I stand. Give me a minute, and listen to me while I reply. 1 am In favor of the passage of the bill known as the ontl-free pass bill now pending before the legislature of the state and which will paae,dur ing the summer seealon, but 1 do say, fellow citizens, I no say, that If I had ridden all over this country on free passes; If I had had private care at my command whenever I wanted them; if I could get a private car at any time l wanted It, merely by touching a bell and having It hitched on to some train to carry me from Washington city to Yellowstone Park; I would be the last man In the etate of Georgia to turn to another man and say, 'Slr. you-are a dishonest man, a rascal for doing tha same thing 1 have been doing ail my life.’ I dare him now, fellow cltlsens; I dare him now—listen to this and list en to his answer—I dare hlfn now In his concluding remarks to deny that he has used’ free passes over the rail roads, and 1 dare him to deny that when In Washington In tha Interior de partment, when It was hie duty to pass In Judgment upon the title to mil lions of acres of government lands In the west; I dare htm to deny that when he went out there, he went there In a well-equipped private cqr over the rail road system along whose very line he was called upon to act; and, fellow citizens, if he does deny It; If he does deny It. I will, If he asks me to do so, produce the proofs, and If I cannot pro duce the proofs I will get out of the race for governor. - “The Hope of the State." ' "Fellow cltlsens, some man In the au dience—I like to get questions from the audience—softie men In the audi ence says, 'What about the hope of the state?’ I assume you refer to the ne gro question. Now, Just listen a mo ment, and I will tell yon where I stand on the negro situation. You .know where Mr. Hmllh stand* now; you know where he stod five year* ago, but I defy any man In the state of Georgia to tell where he will stand on this or any Other proposition five years from n °‘j stand on this proposition Juat where I stood five year* ago, at the very time Mr. Smith and I stood hand In hand together before ths general as sembly of your state, urging them to detest the very measure that h* stands before you tonight, with unblushing ef frontery. end tell you thst It ought to hepsesed. Why, why- (voles from the audience, ’Hut he has chaogod his mind.’) Oh. yra. he has chshged hl. mind , he has changed his mind, but ha never did It until he became a candi date for governor. "Again, fellow cttlsens, I am opposed to this disfranchisement legislation for the very reason that Mr. Smith and T opposed It five Tears ago, becaiw* I know that the disfranchisement legla- , gta. and that It will put the ballot In ’ the hands of untold thousands of edu cated negroes In this state. Smith's Negro Appolrtments. "How does he propose, how does my adversary propose to disfranchise the ! negro? t call attention to tha o(Tidal record of the Interior department under his administration. In which It la shown that mare negroes were ap pointed to office from the city of Atlan ta thnn any other Democratic ad ministration had ever made since the civil war. tVoice from the audience, ’He wanted them tn wait on him.') "Fellow citizens, he proposed to dis franchise the negro In the state of Georgia by giving him ofltce. Bom* friend 111 the audience suggests that while he was In Washington he wanted negroes to watt upon him there, and I call your attention to the official re cords of that department In whlrh Henry P. Turner, of Atlanta, the eon of Bishop Henry M. Turner, was pro moted by him to an offlee which paid him In salary and expenses $2,000 a year, hie duty being to examine white pension applicants Says thp full record of these appointments, these salaries ranged from $?S0 to $2,000. a year, and he does not deny It; he admits that he made these appointments, and what do you suppose his excuse was? He says he made these appointments be cause It was necessary to make them In order to get the negro vote In some of the states out West. And yet In the etate of Georgia. fellow citizen*, why should he appoint negroes to get doubt ful states In the West? ^ "End Justifies the Means." "Gentlemen, you have heard the story of a' campaign, shibboleth, which Is playing a considerable part In the cam paign, nnd that* la the shibboleth that the end Justl.'ei tha means, and It lonks like tonight as If Mr. ■Smith's friends believe It. for they do not want to hear the truth. "It I* anything to get votse—any thing to get votes; go over this slate traducing and deliberately lying about me from ono end of the etate to the other, and yet when he stands before a home au,lleru-e he dares not tell you the truth. *o you can hear him. I thank God that I do not believe In that unholy motto, that the end Justifies the meant, and It seems to me most strange that a candidate who began his campaign nine months ago, on the statement that he was divinely called, should, In so short a time, have to change hie motto for that unholy dec laration that any end Justifies any means, and that he has gotten It over Ms audience and hit hearers here to night. ••Nor/, fallow citizens, I believe that nine-tenths of the people here tonight want to hear arguments on this cam paign discussed; we are here tonight for the purpose of entering Into a legit imate discussion of theta Iss'ies and of telling the truth concerning these Is sues. I charge that my adversary In not a single charge that he tiaa made against me from the beginning to the end, has don* me the falrnees to tell the truth nbout It, and I will add that hit campaign from beginning to end Is based upon deceit and misrepresenta tion. This cnmpalgn of decslt tnd mis representation began more than a year ago, and n glaring example of It was In the answer inailo to my friend Rufe Hutchins, down hero In Tallapoosa, Oa., when ha Interrupted Mr. Smith with the question, apropos of what he was saying at the time, ‘Mr. Hmllh, don't you own nn Interest In the Piedmont hotel bar In Atlantn?’ (Noise and In terruptions from the audience.) "Ladies and gentlemen. It was un derstood here tonight that r was Invited nit the guest of Mr. Smith and hi* friends. When the statement was made that they would bo entirely responsible for order being kept nt the meeting I did not.thlnk for a moment It would bo qecessary for me to ask that my friends should, be given at leait' half of the representation of thosa who were to keep order; I had full confidence that when an Invitation cam* to me to ad dress this meeting that I would be treated with .at least tha same consid eration that my friend* extended to the gentleman who gave the Invitation to me. Asks to be Heard Out "Getlemen, thle Is a long atory, and I am going to tell It; understand that every moment's Interruption Is taken out of my time, but I am here for the f urpos* of making this statement, and am going to do It, and I trust you will do me the kindness to llsteq to me. "When Mr. Smith was asked In the town of Tallapoosa by Mr. Rufe Hutch ins If he did not own a third-interest In the Piedmont bar In Atlanta, he vary promptly replied yes, he owned a third Intarest In the Piedmont bar, but, h* says, I do not touch ona dollar’s In terest of that unholy and that dirty money. 1 have nothing to do with It; my partner haa gotten me Into this Iniquitous business without my knowl edge or consent. Smith’s Bar Account. "Now, fellow citizens, 1 have got some very Interesting record* tonight .to show now. This Is a small thing, per haps Mr. Smith may think, but let's see the truth of the Piedmont bar bull nese.-and If he misrepresents that-la sue why isn't It likely that he has misrepresented ev»ry other campaign statement that he has made. He stated that he had only a third Interest In tfia Piedmont bar, but he had nothing whatever to do with It; that he would give that money to charily; now let's see what became of this one-third In terest In these profits; now here are the facte and here are the figures, and I charge that not ona single dollar of hts one-third Interest In the Piedmont hotel bar has gone to any other pur pose on the face of the earth except 10 pay hla mortgage Indebtedness on the loan which he negotiated for the building of the Piedmont hotel. Mora than that, I' produce her*.tonight an exact transcript from the ledger of the Piedmont hotel, (A voice; 'It mpkes no difference where It went.') (Mr. Howell: That’* right. It makes no difference where It went, but It didn't go to charity.) But here Is.a tran script from the ledger of the Piedmont hotel. I would not have a tingle man In this audience think I am a saint, because I am not; yat you know it. and I know It, and the only difference between Mr. Smith and myaelf la that he thinks he I* a saint, and you don’t think *o. Transcript From Hotel Ledger. •Now, fellow citizens, her* Is the rec ord of the Piedmont hotel bar, taken from the ledger of the Piedmont hotel; he would not have the dirty money, but he would give his third to charity. Her* I* an Itemized account from the Piedmont hotel books showing that from the second day of February, 1 Ml to the following November, Mr, Hmlth patronised the Piedmont hotel bar on hi* own person* I acconut, charged to him here, lo the extent of about $100, and on every dollaF* wrorth of Inter est In the liquor that he bought from the Piedmont hotel he got one-third owner's discount. Just wait a minute. went to give you all the facts; I am not dealing In glittering generalities. 1 [,led re you I make no statement about Mr. Smith tonight or any man in tha state of Georgia that le not born* out by hts own record* or by th* sworn testimony or the official records which Read "Listen to this: .Mr. Hoke Smith, the ledger account of the piedmont hotel, a transcript of bills made lo Mr. Hoke Smith—this candidate with the divine call. "'February 20. two bottles Somerset liquor, $4.50.' Now, listen to this—1 know the friends of Mr. Smith don't want to hear It, but they have got to If they have to stay her* all night: •April 17. Mr. Ho|)e Smith, one quart sherry, $2.50.' One quart sherry. $2.50: why. what terribly expensive sherry Mr. Smith muBt have been drinking! •"April IT, one bar account, $7.60: !0th of May, $».’ Listen to this; fellow citizens. 'December 14 (nearly. Christ mas ' time), BomersOt whisky. $$, and water, 40 cent*.' "Now, wait a minute, and let a have thle etory out; now hear It all: I want you lo hear It all; about Christmas time, •$» ■ worth of’liquor and 40 cents' worth of water. He didn't take but mighty little water .with .the liquor. Now, Helen. April'21 (and tbl* In rad Ink, now).' on# bottle of specially fine liquor, $$.’ • • •' ’ . , "Now, listen to this: : Here I* where the rebate question cpmee In—I wonder If this went :to charity? "December 15, again—all, happened about Christmas time—here Is the re bate question, here In red'Ink, figures approximating about $25, < one-third owner’s rebates-r-not for charity, hut for th* ownsr. / ■ (A voice: "What about the freight rateT’ Mr. Ilowell: "I will t*H you about the freight rat*.”) "So, you see. fellow-citizens, that he wa» the object of charity to which he made referenoe In Tallapoosa. Ths Freight Rat* Question. "Now I will tell you about the freight rate question/ I am- going to.give you a very plain statement about the’ freight rate question/ That Is what l» wanted, but will you do me th* kind ness to see that’I have the opportunity to make a statement on It?" 1 hold, fellow-citizens, that as far as my Ilf* na a citizen of tho town' is concerned, that as far a* my record In the city of. Atlanta Is concerned, raised aa 1 was to love this city and serve Its Inter ests—I Wish to say that my life, sa lived In thle city, should ba sufficient pledge to you to know that no Interest ever begun and no movement ever started In thla city for the welfare of this city could have other than my undying devotion and my every effort, nnd as far as thla freight rate ques tion I* concerned, t will let Mr. Smith and no other man on the 1 face of the earth make any Issue with me on the freight rate question. . • ”1 will allow no man to go further than I will go In the statement that no movement ever Instituted by this town to reduce freight rates, If your freight rates arq too high, and they are. If you have been discriminated against, and you have, In some Instances, I will state that no man In th* city of At lanta has gone further, or will go further, than I wilt go to protect you against any unjust discrimination. Favored Freight Rate Fight. "When the business men of title city, through the Atlanta freight bureau, undertook this movement In behalf of lower freight ratee, It* committee came to me for a subscription to help carry on this work, and I cheerfully re sponded. I make the statement now; I repeat now what 1 skid before, that I had numerous editorials on this sub ject. Fellow-cltlsens, as to the freight rate question, I eay there Is not a man In thla audience who knows me. there Is not a member of the Atlanta freight bureau today who knows me, but who know* that my heart I* In the york. It has always been there. ”1 havo co-operated with them from the beginning to lho end of It, and I repeat now the etatemont that I made In the beginning of those remark*, that I was engaged In thle fight long before Mr. Smith ever opened hi* mouth on the subject, and that he did not appear on the scene of action until J paid him to do It. He can not engage me In a discussion before this audience by making It appear to you that 1 Am here to defend high freight rates, while lie Is hire to maintain low freight rates; nothing could be further from the truth. Howell Heavy Freight Psysr, "I am Just aa much In favor of low freight rate* for the city of Atlanta as he Is—a thousand times mdre than he. For where, fellow-cltzens, he pays on* dollar freight to bring hie good* Into the city of Atlanta, I pay one thousand dollars. There Is not a man on this attge, there Is not a man In thle town, that love* thle beloved city of mine greater than I do. There Is not a man In thla audience tonight who would do more for the city of At lanta, or who has tried to do more, than I have done, and there le not a man here but who knows thst there has not lieen a time when the call for good cltzens to com* out In defense of the business Interests of the city came that 1 have not always cheerfully and gladly responded by effort and by subscription. "How do 1 stand on freight rates, you say? There Is my record In my newspapsr, where 1 have fought for redured freight rale# ever since I have been old enough to write a line. I challenge him tonight to tnke one single line that ever appeared In the editorial column# of The Constitution and show wherein 1 was not Just as earnest In behalf of freight rate re duction as he has been, and without charging the. city of Atlanta one tin gle dollar for my services. That Reprinted Editorial. "He hsa paraded before this audience tonight something that he **y* appear- ed In the columns of Th* Constitution as reproduced front the columns of The Macon Telegraph. Why, fellow- citizens, do you suppose, does he sup pose, that I am responsible for every reproduction that appears In , the col umns of tny newspaper from some other paper? No more, fellow-cltlsens. than tlie editor of hie newspaper or gan I* responsible for whatever may appear In th# column* of that news paper aa coming from another news paper. and In reference to the special Item to which he refers, I never even saw It In Th* Constitution until he read It on this platform tonight. ••go w* will moke no Issue about ths railroad question, or about the matter of railroad rates, because I tell you that I am Just as earnestly In favor of II, and I will do Just a* much as he has done, «r Juet a# much as he can do, to bring them about. Credit for Reduction of Rstaz. "He tells you In his remark* tonight thst the railroad commission In re sponse to some statement* of mine In which I made th* statement that the railroad commleelon during the poet year had reduced rates, he tell* you It was not so. thst the railroad com- mlealen had not reduced rates; and then In the very nezt breath he admits, In the same eentenc* almost, that freight rate* have been materially re duced In the city of Atlanta during ths Dost year, Just as I claimed they had been reduced. He »ay* then that th* railroad commission had reduced freight eretes—but he eay* thst th# railroad commission deserves po credit whatever for having don* so, because they did ao at the request of th* At- |ant freight bureau, and that he com pliments the Atlanta freight bureau For li* work. In which ht Is eminently CO "Therefore, he admits, fellow cltt- sena, that freight rate* have been re duced and through the Instrumentality of the Atlanta freight bureau, which la true. It la a noble organisation. Nothing In this world can be done without organisation. There never wax a better organization In the city of At lanta, and I never contributed to a work more cheerfully In my life, and I am here tonight to add testimony to the fact that the admirable army of figures whlrh they presented to- the railroad commleelon did contribute largely to the action of the commission In reducing'railroad ratee. and they did good work for It, and the attorneys who were engaged In that service, and for which we paid out of our own pockets did good work also, but I re spectfully submit that they did not do the whole business. Defense of State Official*. "Now, fellow cltlirnK this campaign, begun .nearly a year ago, hoe been based upon the principle that there were only a few honest men In Geor gia, and that the officials of thla state, as a general thing, your courts, your legislature, and your county official* now and for the poet twenty-five yean have, been more or less corrupt. Now I am sufficiently optimistic, fellow clt Isens, to look upon the bright side of things, and to believe that this old world of ours Is not so bad aa some people would picture It, ”1 believe In the honesty of man kind. I would rather believe that any man.on this earth Is an honest man, unless It can be proved by absolute specification that he Is a dishonest man. I call your attention now to the fact that In thla entire campaign of tra duction, covering a period of a year, that In not one single Instance could this man put his finger upon on* single dollar of the state’s money gone wrong nor a single piece of maladministration during all this lime, and we are enjoy ing today a greater degree of prosper ity than thla great old state hat ever known, and I submit that these honest public servants of Georgia during th* past twenty-five years deserve at least their mite of praise In bringing thle about, rather than that they should be hamstrung without having had sub milled to them one single speclficatloi of wrong doing that they might an swer. Not only has the good name of your state been traduced, been held up before the world as an object of contempt and ridicule; not only that, but your Democratic executive com mittee today has been held up before the contempt of the people of thle state for Its action a few weeks ago. If you will do me the kindness to hoar me out we will seo who Is responsible for IL Th* Yeomans Committee. "Your committee, the organized com mittee of your party, In simply de claring that thle should be a Democrat Ic primary. In which only Democrat* should vote, without regard to past political nfltllatlon* whatever, every while man In the state of Oeorgl* wo* Invited to come In, whether Populist or Democrat or whatnot In the past— tha gates were thrown wide open to Democrats nnd all Invited to partici pate with the simple statement that they are Democrats. Now, having taken that ncllon, Mr. Smith’# paper has denounced that committee a* hav ing exceeded Its authority. Mr. Smith himself tonight has attacked hie party organization, It having been -this action which he says has shut out a great many Populists In (he state of Georgia. “Listen to what I am going -to tell you, and I want every man In this au dience to hear It, and I want him to hear It. Thla executive committee Wo* elected two years ago. Its says that Mr. Yeomans, who Is Its chairman, #p- polnted some corporation representa tives on the commute*, leaving th* In ference that the whole committee was appointed by the chairman. The truth of th# matter wo* thst thirty-eight member* of this committee were elect ed by tha state convention and. only four from the state at large were ap pointed by the chairman and the thirty-eight men elected by the etate convention were elected by the atate convention which wo# absolutely dom inated by Mr. Smith when he Instruct- ed the convention for Judge Parker. Wanted to Block Watson’s Gama. "W* have not got to th# Interesting port of this proposition yet. Her* 1* the whole story now, I have Just begun It: This convention elected this com mittee; at that time th* preeent state administration, th* governor and oth ers, were strongly against Instructions of that committee to Its delegation to go to the Ht. Louis convention, prefer ring that they be sent unlnstructed. It happens-about that time Mr. Watson was strongly supporting Mr. Hears!, and Governor Terrell and other* were In favor of Hears! and an unlnstructed delegation. Mr. Smith presided over the caucus that mot at the Kimball house and the word went out that no one’ but Parker men should go. Mr. Griggs was defeated, the vote to In struct the delegation was carried, and among the first to revolt wo* Mr. Wat- Wstson Attacked “Smith Ring." Mr. Watson a few days after that In a speech here In th* city of Atlanta at tacked tha ring headed by Mr. Smith, who was responsible for suppressing th* vote of th* people. It transpired then that Mr* Smith dominated the Democratic ring In the otat* of Ooor- (In, whlrh hod suppressed th* vole* of the people and forced upon the people sn Instructed Parker delegation and Mr. Wataon, In thle very city, mode a speech In which he lambasted Mr. Smith from top to bottom as being the head of th* machine. Now, let'* see how the atory developed. Mr. Wat son, dissatisfied with the action of the national Democratic convention In nominating Judge Parker, Immediately announced himself as a candidate tor president against Judge Porker and as the Populist nominee for president. Mr. Hmlth took the platform In Georgia In behalf of Judge Parker, for. whom he hod had this delegation Instructed. "He himself spoke In th* city of Au gusts, In which he charged Mr. Watson with being the Instrument of the Re publican campaign committee to divide the Democratic party. Wanted “Pops" Barred. Ht coma* Ihck to’the city of Atlan ta and the first thing he does when he gala back hare now, fellow citizen*, and t My him now to deny one single charge thst I am going to make—I want Hoke to hear this—I charge that he came back to th* city of Atlanta. •I goes to the telegraph office, sends v telegram to Mr. Yeomans, the chair man of the state Democratic execu tive committee, then aa he Is today, the snme chairman elected by Mr. Smith’s convention, the name chairman that Mr. Smith Is now denouncing - and telegraphs Mr. Yeomans to pleu-e come tn Atlanta tomorrow, I am anx ious to see you. Mr. Yeoman*, thn chairman, comes. He ha* a confer ence with Mr. Smith at tha Pid.n .nf hotel, nnd now what do you supp—o .Mr. Hmlth tells him: what do you sup pose ho wants with him? He says: "'Mr. Yeomans, I havo sent for you to ask you to call the atate executive committee together Immediately.' •"What for?' says Mr. Yeomans. ■•Hmlth says: •' 'I want the state executive commit-, tee to meet here and act on Watson # announcement that he la going tn run for president as the Populist nomine— against Judge Parker.' "Mr. Yeomans says: •• 'What do you want It to do?" •'Hmlth replies: Smith's "Anti-Pops” Resolution. •' 'I want It to paas a resolution de claring that every man who votes for Thomas H. Watson shall not vote In the Democratic primary to be hold In the year 1*05! • "Mr. Yeomans, the chairman of th# committee, told hljn that the Demo cratic party In the state of Georgia had never taken any retroactive steps look-jjdj Ing to the binding of a vote by retro active measures. Ho eald. wo have got a porfoct right to say that a man! cannot vote unless he votes the D cratlc ticket now. Mr. Hmlth sayBRH must suppress this Populist vote. If a. man vote* for Watson wo must pul him on notice that he cannot vote In our, primary next year. Mr. Yeoman* gore! to Governor Terrell nnd tells him what Mr. Hmllh had said, and he asked ihe governor what he thought about It. The governor says, 'You cannot do lt;< It will be unjust.' He then goes to Warner Hill, Mr. Hill was tl», chair man. I believe, of the committee on resolutions of the state convention. Ho asked Mr. Hill nbout It, and Mr. Kill tell* him the same thing that the gov ernor haa, and then he goes to Jin k .Spalding, who nn this stage hae be n criticized by Mr. Smith tonight as lo ins In tho employ of n corporation, and yot was made the vice chairman of tho state executive committee by Mr. Hmlth himself, und Mr. Smith was In mucus with Mr. Spalding before ha was made the vice chairman. Took Part In Caucus. "Mr. Hmlth was In the Parker caucus the night before Mr. Studding was made vice chairman. Mr. Smith and Mr. Orady were In caucus with him and he was made vice chairman next day, nnd Mr. Hmlth now Jumps on a man that he made vice chairman. He goo* to Spalding with the earns propo sition. ami he says: •"Mr. Spalding, you arc a Parker man like Mr. Hmlth, what do you think of Mr. Smith’s preposition?’ "•It won't do,' sold .Mr. Spalding, ‘we can't do It. You would have n„ right to take this stop,’ and Nmlth was noti fied by Mr. Yoetnan* that he would not call tho executive committee to gether. “Now, fellow eltlzens. in conclusion, let me say I shall not detain you much longer. I/'t me say that tho first lesson that I ever learned In the rlty of At lanta was tho lesson that I learned in love my city and love my state. The beat advice that I ever got In iny life came to mo In a letter written on th* day that I achieved the ngc of man hood, 21 year* of age. whon dear old Henry Orady, the man that I loved bet-, ter than any man that ever lived on lho face of thla earth aalde from my own Immediate family, when on that day, writing me congratulating me upon having attained the estate of nmnhood.1 he made use of this expreaslon: Grady’s Advle* (o Howell. ^■You do what you can to hmid op your city; do what you can to build up your state; remember, always, that) there are plenty of men In Georg!a who can be depended upon to do all) the tearing down that le ■oeesaary.* (Orest applause.) "And so, from thst day to th whether nr not l have always lived to the spirit of that suggestion, though I have always done my best to do so. [ there I*'one thing that I can any, and' that Is, that from that day to this, never have I said anything ngalnst the honor or the good name of my native, state. A* old again today as I was the day that that letter w*a written. Us golden aentlmenta burned Itself deep Into my soul, and fired every Impulse of my manhood with a aplrlt of sternal devotion to my mother etate—Geor gia. "I have trod these hills and these vales when aa an Infant refugee In my mother’s arms, not knowing whether tny father wsa alive or de.nl on the battlefields around Ihls very town - l was born to love my etate; I was born to love my dly. I love Ihe old Demo cratic party. It ho# done more for the protection and salvation of ,ur people than all other Inslrumentaiitie* put together, and eo with every Impulse of my soul, with every breath of toy body. I Shall defend my state, and I will defend my party so long a* I m»y live. “They tell u* the time haa come for the Democratic parly to die. I do not believe It, and now Is the time when we must all rally to the party md stand by the party oa we have In the past. "The time ha* not com* for It >o die, and It will not die. neither by sui cide nor by assassination.” TWO MORE CONVICTS ESCAPE FROM CAMP Bperfcil to The Georgian. Rising Fawn. Oa., June I.—Two mt convicts escaped from the furns a ramp * f#W days elnco. This root* the number up togflM years. five In the pa»: th: Two hive been apprehended and re turned to th* penitentiary. REWARD IS OFFERED FOR ALLEGED MURDERER Special to Th* Georgian. Montgomery. Ala., ernor today for the am n IV. Me known en who ts rharz •• murde lie Jones, a if I lot) _ - - --