Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-14
AND NOW THERE ARE FIVE
One More Richmond in the Sev-
enth District.
HE'S GEORGE F. GATHER
Who viii Run as an Independent, Midde-of-
the-Road PopuIe-A Full and In
teresting Interview

view. Mr. Gather freely consented to
answer a few questions For some time
it has been known that Mr.. Gather was
contemplating entering the race for con-
gress in his district as an Independent
middle-of-the-road populite. When ask
ed yesterday whether or not he had de-
termned to enter the race Mr.. Gather
promptly replied that he was in the race.
Il am said he "an independent middle
of-the-road populite candidate for con-
gress in my district
Are you like Palmer and Buclner,
simply in the political stream as decoy
duck?"
No sir. am in the race to win.
am not running in the interest of any
other candidate. l am a candidate for
two reasons one is because l think it will
be to the interest of my people to have
me represent them in congress, and the
other is because do not feel disposed to
sit idly by and see the district again mis-
represented by Mr. Howard. l did as
much as any other man in my district to
help Howard carry the district two years
ago, and am truly sorry that he has
proven himself utterly unworthy of the
trust that has been committed to him.
am not just now informing Mr.. Howard
that ! am opposed to his return to con-
gress. I wrote him letter some time
before he was nominated that I was
against him and would oppose his return
to congress. met Howard recently in a
joint debate and did not neglect then
and there to make him fully understand
the reasons why | oppose him"
1T has been reported, Mr.. Gather, that
you have letter written by Mr.. Taube-
neck during his term as chairman of the
national populte executive committee in
which he states that Howard is an un-
worthy representative, and urges that he
be not returned to congress, Is that true?"
Yes, / received such letter. Here it
Is, and you are welcome to publish it If
you SO DESIRE"
Taubeneck's Letter.
''St. Louis, Mo-. May 8. 1896.
MI George f. Gather, Walnut Grove
MY Dear Mr.. Gather: Yours dated
May 9TH received this morning. | am
more than pleased to learn that our peo-
pie are enthusiastic over the Montgomery
convention and that all are going into
the fight with the prospect of winning.
Il met with your state committee after
the convention adjourned at Montgom-
cry, on April 30. l shall send two speak
ers to Alabama in the month of July be-
fore our national convention, and about
eight or ten more the last week in the
campaign, as you suggested when we
met last The state committee took the
same view of the situation that you did.
Congressman Howard of the Seventh dis
trict came to St. Louis with me from
the Montgomery convention. l had an
opportunity of finding out his real inten-
ton, and l regret to say that never met
with more ungrateful man than Mr..
Howard. He is preparing a lecture on
Macbeth when he ought to be devoting
his time to the people in congress.
He lives at Atlantic City when he
ought to be at his post in Washington. 1t
was humiliating to me, to say the least,
to know what | did for him to secure his
election, and then to see how he spurns
his own people and party who have hon
ored him with the position he now holds,
in giving him an opportunity to receive,
not earn, $4,000 per year. When a con-
gresham elected by the peoples party
talks of nothing but his self interest and
how he intends to make money in the
lecture field in the future, and uses his
position for that purpose, l confess that
the people who elected him ought to know
it,
81 regret and feel mortified for ever
speaking a good word for his nomination
and election, and hope that the populists
of the Seventh district will make wisep
choice when they meet in convention this
year to nominate his successor. / do not
write this with any unl<nd feelings to-
ward Mr.. Howard except that he is not
using his influence and his time for the
good of the people who have elected him,
/ do not write this letter to be published
or to be used in any way to create a dis
sension. l write it to let you know how
l feel l shall write you again in regard
to money in a few days With best re-
CARDS l am sincerely and fraternally,
II. e. TAUBENECK."
The Interview Resumed.
Il am perfectly willing for Mr.. Howard
to enter the lecture field" said Mr..
Gather, land make all the money he can,
but am unwilling for him to mlsrepre-
sent the populites of the Seventh district
and draw an annual salary of $4,000 while
he gets ready for the lecture platform"
You have entered the race too late to
get your name on the official ticket" sug-
gested the reporter.
We'll maybe not" said Mr.. Gather.
81 nave a personal friend in each of the
probate judges in my district and l
shall today write each of them a per-
sonal letter requesting them to have my
name printed on the ballots. There is no
law to prevent them from doing it, and
think they will do it; but if they do not
1t will be an easy matter to write my
name on the ballots on election day, and
there will be plenty of them deposited in
the ballot boxes on the day of election
with my name either written or printed
on them to elect me to congress"
well, / suppose you are running on
the st. Louis PLATFORM" querried the
reporter
well, / have had hand in making
populite platforms for eight years. l am
the father of populism in my section and
wrote the first populite platform ever
written in Alabama. / will send out from
this city tomorrow my official announce
ment, together with my platform. l
could never succeed in getting the party
to adopt a platform exactly to suit me-
and the one | have prepared to make this
race on exactly suits me, and will differ
a little from the st. Louis populist plat
form"
who are your people for for president
and vice president, Mr.. Gather?
Bryan and Watson. In my district the
populites are going to vote for the Bryan
and Watson electors; they will not take
Sewall"
You will make canvass of your dis
trict will you, Mr.. Gaither?''
Indeed / will. am going to take my
band and 60 into every county, and am
going to show up the four candidates
against whom l must contest in their true
light. There are about q 900 voters In
my district, and out of that entire num-
Der don't think there are over 300 or 400
gold standard advocates"
But there is large republican vote in
your district" suggested the reporter.
well, there used to be- but you must
ranaoD1bnr that the bu1lS of fbeOo have