Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-11
MIR. CLARKE IN MONTGOMERY
He Completely Ignored Governor Oates and Tried to Explain Some of His Votes.
 Failed to Enthuse.

Montgomery, Feb 10.-(Special.) )-Hon. Richard H. Clarke spoke in the theatre here tonight to large audience, com posed of democrats of all persuasions and to some republicans and populites as well. He was introduced by MT. Vandi- yer, a local wholesale merchant. and spoke for more than two hours. He was advertised to have discussed the proposi- tion that free silver was to the disadvan- tage of the laboring men, but he disposed of this in very short order, and devoted almost all of his time to a rather embit- tered assault upon Captain Johnston and on the State Herald, which be announced to be the captains mask, hehind which he had to do his talking. He charged Captain Johnston with having raised the money question as an issue, and with having upon his (Clarke's) announcement of his candidacy surrendered to the chair man of the state executive committee. his sword, spurs and boots, or words to that effect. He told how. when he (Clarke) had announced his intention of coming into Jefferson county to pursue his canvas that Captain Johnston and his friends had ridiculed his purpose and had affected to believe that the effort could profit him nothing, but that 1t had scared him up and caused Captain Johnston to take tnt SluHNp III tidl county, that ne Ildu ln- formation that Captain Johnston had rented the theater in Birmingham in which to address his friends on the even- ing of February IS, and that the captain was booked to speak at Bessemer tonight. GA gentleman just from Birmingham is authority for the statement that Captain Johnston went north on the Louisville and Nashville at noon today).
 MT. Clarke devoted the balance of his time to complmenting the national ad- ministration. Gle did not refer to the state administration, although Governor Oates sat in box on his right. He took occasion to pat the legislature of Ala bama on the back for having passed a gold bond bill. He, in the course of his remarks said something nice and some thing deserved about Ex-Governors Jones, Houston. Bbb and Watts, but real live democratic governor who sat within 20 feet of him escaped his atten- tion. All of the executives upon whom he saw fit to smile upon are dead excepting Governor Jones' and he has declined to become a candidate for the United States senate.
 He explained his vote in favor of free coal and iron upon the ground that Ala bama and its mineral products did not need any protection. He said he voted against the eight-hour-a-d a-day-Work law because he thought if men were disposed to labor exceeding that length of time in day and accept additional pay for addi- tional work they should be allowed the privilege of so doing. He concluded his speech with an exhaustive discussion of the financial question and the coinage laws from his standpoint.
 MT. Clarke was given the most re- spectful hearing throughout. His speech was not uninteresting, but failed to en- thuse, and probably not a prospective vote was changed one way or the other. There was a good deal of the "big I and little you" all the way through the speech, and the explanation that Cap tain Johnston was a candidate from selfish motives and the speaker a candi- date from purely patriotic reasons was not regarded as a strong card in favor of party harmony and democratic brotherly love