Birmingham age-herald., 1894-10-10
COL. 4. K. SHEPA ARD
Talks About His "Eeutal Efforts"
 to Give Connected Reasons,
And Goes for Young Democ- racy, the Age-Heraid and
 An Concerned.
To the Ago-Herald.
aia

TO tne Ago- Herald:
 BIRMINGHAM, Oct. 9.-But for the edi-
 torial structure in yesterdays issue of your
 paper upon my feutal effort to give con
 nected reasons at Erswell's hall last Satur- day night why I should vote for MT. Al.
 drich in the pending congressional election in this district, should nave striven iu
 silence to obliterate it from my memory. Not that regret or wish to retract any thing that said or did on that occasion.
 It is true was very much incensed and
 said some harsh things, but nothing wish
 to apologize for.
 Instead of quietly listening or as quietly
 leaving, my especially invited guests of the
 evening-Young Democracy-plied me
 with questions and laughed at and ap-
 plauded every hoodlum who followed their
 rude example. Mortified, chagrined, 1,
 mourning because of the handwriting I
 saw upon the wall, should have borne In
 silence and in sorrow the indignities of
 Young Democracy and have prayed the
 good Lord to deliver my country from all
 such. s.~~. The Tribune is all wrong in saying MT. Little challenged me to debate, unless he construes the mere act of his rude in- trpsion upon my platform (for the time being) into challenge. 3s The truth is, MT. Little DO sooner in-
 truded hinself upon fny platform (tor the time being) in gross violation of all ac-
 csnsd ha rules ss popstSb haa at
 hour and the impossibility of my replying to him, and suggested that we should adj journ to some other time, when would gladly meet him in joint debate. But no, he persisted in his intrusion and had barely commenced his prearranged speech (for have it from member of Young Democracy that he had been previously selected and had agreed to reply to me. . He no sooner begun his speech, prepared
 in anticipation of what he supposed l would say, than he chafged me with say ing that which had not said, and po- litely called his attention to tho fact from
 my chair. He thought proper to repeat its
 and arose to my feet and asked him to
 withdraw it. This he did not do. But. seemingly unable to depart from his pre- arranged line of thought, he repeated 1t a third time.s I then shook my finger in his face and said would not allow him to mis- represent me. I presume 1t was tbis scspe
 which prompted your youthful reporter to say acted aB if armed.
 Please permit me to say have neither
 owned or carried a weapon of any kiud for
 thirty years, with the single exception of a
 small pocketknife.
 viously prepared effnsion used on that oc- casion. The rising sun, MT. Dan Green, arose with all the usual pomppsity of a priceless lawyer and read series of type- written resolutions condemning what l had said, prepared in the headquarters of Young Democracy hours before l had nt- tered a word. Oh, my countryl How long
 can she survive the wiles and arts of the
 horde of designing little tricksters, who | always covertly seek their selfish ends?
 But, sir, you say ''Mr. Little treated
 Colonel Shepard with the most gentlemanly consideration, and with that respect due to his years." Sir, caD it be possible you were present? l cannot believe it. But you say, "When Colonel Shepard closed he invited" land then put in quotation marks the following wordsl '.any democrat who was sober and a gentleman to come for ward and answer his arguments" This
 is absolutely and unqualifediy untrue. had not been able to make connected | argument from the beginning to the close
 of nay remarks bscause of the seemingly l premeditated and prearrang6d purpose to l prevent my doing so on the part of those
 who aspire to lead Young Democracy. And now let Tray, Blanche, Sweetheart | and the whole pack bark to their hearts, | content. A. K. SHEPARD.