The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-06
CUNNINGHAM ATTACKS CLAY.
HE CLOSES 4 CARD BY CABLING
HIM A LIAR AND a COWARD.

The Screed Drawn Out by Chairman
CIay's Speech at Winder-Cun-
ninGham Admits the Poker Game
and COnvivinIity I'm the Past, But
Claims to Have Mended His Ways.
Atlanta, Ga, Oct. 5.--The closing days
OF the state campaign develop very lively
personal issue between Chairman Steve
Clay of the democratic committee and
Chairman Cunningham of the populist
state committee. Last Saturday at Win
der, Chairman Clay made a speech, in
which he incidentally threw the X-ray
upon the private life of Chairman Cum
ningham. His purpose in doing this was
to discount the attacks made by the pop
ulist campaign management upon the
methods employed by the democratic man.
ayers, by showing that the source from
which these attacks came was vulnera-
BILE in morals to say the least of it. Among
other things, Chairman Clay denounced
Chairman Cunningham as being a gam
bier, drunkard, and cited the fact that
he had been a party to a stabbing scrape
at the exposition last fall on account of
of the Midway attractions, to demonstrate
his proclivities in that line.
Chairman Clay has not been in Atlanta
since the delivery of his speech, but this
afternoon Chairman Cunningham got into
the game, nevertheless, by publishing
card in the afternoon papers containing
counter denunciation of Chairman Clay.
After admitting that he was a party in
a game of craps at the Aragon hotel, and
that he had lost several hundred dollars
in cash, besides 81, 500 in notes, which he
afterwards forced the holders to return to
him, Chairman Cunningham says: Il de-
nounce as false the statement that / vol
untary went before the grand jury or
made any attempts to secure indictments
against these dice sharps. 1 was forced
by an attachment to appear before that
body after disregarding two subpoenas
Mr.. Clays statement that any grand jury
ever indicted me for this, or any other
ma tier, is false. 1 have no defense to
make against the wrong of throwing dice
in this instance, and have never been
guilty of anything of the kind since then"
I'm regard to the unfortunate diff
Guilty l had with Mr.. Joyner's last fall
on the exposition grounds, the attached
statement from A. S. j. Gardner, presi-
dent of the Mechanics Mutual Insurance
Company and vice president of the At
lie Mr.. Clay says I drink more whisky
than water. Now, am candid to say that
in the past / have been convivial at times
in my personal habits, but | have always
been an ardent anti-barroom man, and
have never failed to work and vote for
prohibition. l have now quit drinking en-
tirely, and have not touched whisky or
beer since last July.
Now it is difficult to deal with such
a man as Clay. Less than thirty days
ago he approached me in Marietta and
said he hoped that l would allow moth
ing that occurred in this campaign to
interfere with our past pleasant personal
relations but now, in his desperate eff
forts to divert the attentions of the peo-
pie of Georgia from his infamous APP
peals to brutes for votes, and from the
silly and terribly inefficient manner in
which he has conducted this campaign,
he makes this personal attack on me- 1t
is a well-known fact that Clay time after
time has refused to grant personal salts
faction after personal attacks. He has
been denounced so often as a liar and
scoundrel that I do not think that res
peating these foundations reflects any
credit on the denouncer but 1 cannot re-
frain from denouncing Clay's statements
as false, and Clay we'll knew it when he
made the charges, and l beg the pardon
of a considerable public for denouncing this
man as a common liar and a coward"
Chairman Steve Clay returned to the
city tonight from Dalton and was seen
at his room at the Kimball House, and
made the following statement in regard
to Chairman Cunningham's card: THE
only charges I made against Cunningham
was what l read from newspapers, and
which have been published throughout the
state in the weekly press, and which he
virtually admits, and which the records of
the Fulton county court show. So far
as any references to myself are concerned,
/ never reply to such through the press
Nothing can cause me to lose my temper
when have campaign on hand. 1 owe
it to the party to look out for its interests
first; my own can be looked out for after
wards" Mr.. Clay's feelings are very
much outraged at Chairman Cunningham's
denunciation and when the two meet there
will be a lively collision.