Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-14
GORDON AT AMERICUs.
Fuller Extracts of the Opening Speech
of His Campaign.

speech OF Gen. Gordon at Amer
icus, as reported in the Macon Telegraph.
1t is fuller than the telegraphio report in
the MORNING NEWS yesterday and COW
ers several points not covered in our re-
port:
Bacon's position in this campaign re-
minds me of BOY at school who had TO
recite the speech of Patrick Henry, be-
ginning Il have but one lamp to guide
my teet." He repeated that sentence sew
eral times, but had forgotten the rest, and
could go no further. Finally his teacher,
becoming eXasperated, said, "COme down,
my son; that lamp has burned out by
now." Laughter. SO with my friend
Bacon. His lamp Of presumption by pri-
GRITTY of candidacy has burned out.
lamp being burned out, his twelve
years candidacy for Governor ought
to bar him out by what
my friend Willis Hawkins calls
the statue OF limitation. Another charge
is that l resigned from the Senate.
So l did. The constitution of the
State provided for such proceeding.
But generally a fellow is not cussed
or fused after for trying to get out of
office; the row occurs over his trying to
get into office. l did resign because l
thought had accomplished my mission.
The Governor of the State appointed my
successor without my cooperation.
Then ended my contract with the people
and the State. But there was time
when did not resign-from 1861 to 1864.
Applause and cheers. There was good
time to resign laughter, and / wanted to
worse than any man that you ever saw;
but did not. Applausel. l did not re-
sign from 1878 to 1882, when ali these South
ern States had no other repl esentatiOn in
the Senate than myself, for they were mis-
represented by set of cravens. Then it
fell on me, almost alone, TO guard the in
terests of these States. With what sue
cess did discharge that duty? The Tel
egraph says from a Republican President
came the order that took the Federal sol
diers from the Columbia capitol and left
Hampton free as Governor. The highest
valued possession of my life is a silver
pitcher sent that baby daughter by South
Carolina in testimony of my services to
the State, and also set of silver for my
self from the same source, in recognition
of the same service.
| left the Senate for other fields.
built the Georgia Pacific railroad when
had not one dollar of money, ana after it
had already wrecked three powerful cor
poratiOns OF the State. Atlanta having
sunk 100000 on it. A few months after
that road was built to the coal and iron
fields of Alabama, coal came to every con-
sumer of Georgia at less than one-half
what it cost six months before. | suppose
my friend Bacon has built a good many
railroads and saved good many States.
Laughter The Macon Telegraph, the
power behind my competitor, makes the
issue of this campaign, and meet them,
and l am ready to meet all it
may make. The last objection
is the Montgomery affair. That,
1t is said, was gotten up to boom me for
Governor. The night after Mr.. Davis
went to Savannah took a sleeper. The
Chatham Centennial party entered. de-
clined an invitation to accompany the
Davis party in order to avoid publicity.
While lying in my berth heard young
man from Macon say, in loud voice, to a
crowd of companions, that it was ga
shame, this monkey business about Davis
and Montgomery and Atlanta and Savan-
nah, just to boom Gordon for Governor"
l opened my curtain and looked at him.
He caught my eye and be looked as il hit
by twenty-fOur pound shot. | dressed
and went to him and asked him why
he had said what he did. He said he
had heard it. l asked him if it
were unnatural that | should be asked
TO participate in laying a foundation
stone of a monument to those dead boys
whom had led into the Jaws of battle and
to death, and who had fallen by my side.
The long and short Of it is, my friends, as
told that young man, that he meant to
imply, as the Telegraph does, that the
people of Montgomery and JEFF Davis and
myself were in grand conspiracy to
make me Governor of another State. 1t
was all well for the people Of Montgomery,
but the people of Georgia ought not to have
wanted to have seen that great man, JEFF
ferson Davis, who was in shackles for
them. Was 1t unnatural that Mr.. Davis
should have wanted to have assisted at
the unwilling of monument to Ben
Hill, who was his most potential sup
port in the last days of our beloved Con-
federacy? l said to him, as to the Tele-
graph | now say, that the pairing OF the
little finger nail of those dead men, or of
JEFF Davis. or of those women who wept
at that monument foundation. has more
soul than those who try to belittle such
memories. Send that to the Telegraph.
and this too. For men who would drag
those sacred memories into politics the
thunderbolt has never been made heavy
enough or deadly enough to blast their
memory and methods.
should like to have a little time to dis
cuss the issues of this campaign or OF
State politics, but all my time is occupied
with the issues raised by this Macon Tele~
graph. In regard TO my position on the
Railroad Commission, | do not have to
make my record after the campaign opens.
For fifteen years have stood for the peO-
pie. All have is In railroads, and all
had once was in negroes, but that did not
keep me from going to Virginia lest lose
them. My voice has ever been against
corporations and consolidated money.
Our great danger lies in that direction.
Many months ago, at the National Com
mercal Convention in Atlanta. and long
before l thought of running tor Governor,
| counted on the fingers Of one hand the
number of men who II they combined
could control every mile of trans
portatiOn on this continent. | am not
opposed 10 railroads, but the liberties of
the people must be protected, and you
cannot do that without the Railroad Com
mission, and then not with the commits
sion II your Governor emasculates it OF
its powers. We must have a commission
with all the powers OF the present COM
mission, and that does not mean war on
railroads. While all have, or nearly all,
aud as all ever expect to get, is In rail-
roads. the rights OF the people are not in
conflict with that A Legislature can
build up inside the government power
that can override the people and their
rights. Discrimination against the
smallest place in the State is an injury to
the people. Treat all alike. and state
and railroads will be benefited. ! know
my competitor lie the candidate OF the
corporations, but that don't make any