The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-24
A. P. Assn AVoWED THE ISSUE.
STRONG TALK AT THE FOURTH
DISTRICT LIBERAL CLUB.

the Cover Under which IL Pre-
poses to Gain Control Of the
schools for Partisan Purposes.
The Candidacy Of sIr. duBlgnOn
for the senate Unanimously Ap-
proved.
The Fourth District Liberal Club met
al its hall, on Harris street, last night.
Col n. ". Dixon, president presided and
other prominent members were Hon -
J. 8IcDonough, Maj. P. W. Meldrim, Vice
President W. I. Reid II. ~ O'Byrne,
Esq, and Mr.. David Wells The roll cali
by Secretary Leonard showed 794 names
on the roll. es9 Of whom are registered.
The feature Of the meeting was the adj
dresses by T. ". Cunningham. IT., Esq,
and Maj P w. Meldrim. president OF the
Liberal Club. No better speeches have
been made since the campaign opened,
and the advice Of the speakers, If fol-
lowed, would certainly tend to place the
campaign on a high plane.
Mr.. Cunningham opened his speech by
saying that he was thoroughly unbiased
in this campaign. He had sought no o.
fee and had nothing whatever to gain
by the victory Of his party. He espoused
the cause OF the Liberal Club for one
reason alone and that was because he
believed it to be right. Mr. Cunningham
did not indulge in any flights of rhetoric
but addressed himself at once to the is
sue The real substantial issue OF the
campaign. he said, is A. P. A.-ism ana
nothing else.
There was a time, he said. when the
Citizens Club dog wagged the A. p. A. tall
but the time has now come when the a. p
a. tail wags the Citizens Club dog. He
denounced the A. =. A. movement as IN
American and unpatriotic and predicted
its defeat in the coming elections. 1t was
not a question Of Irish or Catholic with
him, he said. He would be with any class
OF citizens unjustly attacked because Of
their class or because Of their religion
He predicted that there will be enough
non-Cathoic votes in the election to snow
the American Protective Association un-
Mr.. Cunningham said he was opposed to
the Citizens Club, because he did not be-
leVe IN any one organization having a cor
ner on the city and county Offices. The
history of that organization can be eX-
pressed in a few words he said. The sole
object of its existence is the spells of Of
nee, and 1t is held together by the cohe-
sion Of the public plumber. He paid his
respects TO the business" character of
the present administration. 1t is scatter
ing notes broadcast he said, and posteri-
" Will foot the bills. He alluded to the
leaders of the Citizens Club as "Chief
Justice" Collman, Hot Stuff Manucy,
Citizen" Collins and big Chief" Nc
Dermott
Mr.. Cunningham was loudly cheered.
President Dixon informed the club that
the charge was being made by its oppo-
nents that the members had arrayed them
selves against all who were not openly
with them. They must be ready to refute
this charge, he said. There is a large num-
Der Of voters, he said, who will not unite
with either club in this campaign for va
rious reasons, and Of this vest-pocket vote
ne predicted that he Liberals would get a
large majority.
Maj. Meldrim was given an enthusiastic
reception He cautioned his hearers
against campaign Of abuse and violence.
A victory cannot be obtained by such
methods, he said. Their opponents will
endeaVor to provoke them TO this, but the
temptation must be resisted. He spoke of
the deploraDle condition OF the democracy,
IN the state and in the country a large,
comparing II with the condition of affairs
IN Savannah. The democracy is rent and
torn by factions, he said. In the last cam
palgn the populists, men who formerly
stood shoulder 10 shoulder in the demo-
cratic party, split off and change in. of
10000 TO 1900 votes would have given them
the last state election. The remainder Of
the party, in the state and the country
is now apparently hopelessly divided under
of silver.
The financial question is one upon which
the ablest minds in all countries have diff
fered, and he was not prepared to say
which Is right and which is wrong. The
thing that saddened him. ne said, is the
divided condition of the party. The people
are arrayed one against the other, and
men who should stand shoulder to Shout
der against common enemy are now
divided into hostile camps. He compared
this to the. condition of affairs in Sa-
Vannah. Instead of the people of all
classes being united for the advancement
and welfare of the city they are divided
with dangers of increasing bitterness.
Emissaries Of a secret organization have
n Inc "a NrsfFaa - i
ostracism of class, and calling il true
Americanism.
Maj. Medrim said he would to God he
could disband all these opposing organiza-
tons and rally all around a common ban
ner, with a common aim for the advance
ment of the city Of Savannah. Opposition
10 any class on account of race or religion
is wrong, he said. Every man who comes
here, whether from Germany, or France,
or Ireland, or the adjoining counties, or
from the red hills and the valleys of upper
Georgia or from other states, with -tihe
purpose of earning an honest living and
doing his full duty as citizen should re-
ceive a cordial welcome. He made no dis
tinctions.
Maj Meldrim said that the whole
scheme of the Citizens Club is to divide
out among its members. for pelf and profit,
the various Offices. He instanced the de-
feat of Capt, James Manning as Superin-
tendent of the city water works against
whom he said nothing could be alleged, in
order that his place might be given to a
man whose only claim was that he could
SECURE certain NOtGS lot the IlcheI from
the Savannah, Florida and Western rail-
way employees He had nothing to allege
against the record of Capt. Manning 5
successor, but the point was that a good
man had been put out of office to put in
one who was no better The same policy
prevails all along the line, he said from
the keeper of the negro cemetery to the
solicitor-generalshi of the eastern judi
cial circuit
The speaker took up the school book
question, introduced by the Citizens Club
in it's platform and denounced it as iniqui-
tous, as intended to imply wrongful con-
duct on the part of the school board Nc
member of any faction who knows the
members of the school board, he said
will believe that they had ever profited
1-l6 of cent by the changes in schoo
books He discussed this issue at some
length The real purpose of the Citizens
Club he said, is to gain control of the
school board in order that il may use
the schools to make places for its bench
men If they should get such control, HI
said they would no more hesitate to pu
a good teacher out and put a bad one il
his place than they dIu to put James Man
ming out to reward politician.
The Citizens Club, he said, is in collu.
sion with a secret, oath bound organi
cation With a fair fight in an open field
he would have no doubt OF the result
but with the tactics of assassination