The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-01-12
GOV. JOHNSTON'S REPLY
AIabama's Chief Executive Answers Charges
OF Senator Morgan.
LENGTHY LETTER GOES INTO DETAIL
Explaining Harsh Thinrs the sens
tor Has said--Jrusts. Organism
and Nicsrsgun Canal
spscisl 70 .ha rimss pemoerat.

1 tVWibh ift'eT ifoIu tuN'lHSi "phh0'"N ~
Senator Morgan speaks for itself
Hon. John r. Morgan, Washington d, 9,
Montgomery, January 4, 1900 Sir:
Upon my return from New York last week
I found your letter and | bave found
time today 10 read It. | regret the temper
that you display. You denounca the state
ment that called on you 70 retract as
false. and demand the name OF the fslsi'
FER who furnished it, will be more
frank than you were, and state that
took that extract verbatim from o special
telegram to the Age Herald, purporttng
TO have been sent by MI A, ". Butt who
said that he gave it as IT appeared, in Inc
Congressional Record. ] ola not suppose
that your own friends would deliberately
falslfy your record to injure me.
Had you simply denied the statement
attributed to you there would have been
no further issue between us as to thai
You now say that you charged that j
Owned. or had owned, large amount OF
stock ia an Alabama corporation one OF
several, that had sold all their property
of every kind TO New Jersey company.
|. That is true to the extent that I ownel
the large amount OF about $4,000 OF
stock In the American Coal company, and
] am unable to see any crime In dsposing
Oh mat TO new Jersey company
Il do not now, and never owned share
Of stock In the Sloss- Sheffield company,
nor have | ever had any Interest, direct.
remote or contingent, In any syndicate or
trust 10 which the lands referred 10 were
sold.
Il presume the interests referred 10
by Mr.. Mayhem were my Interest IN the
1900 acres Of Rookery lands and stock
above referred to. All the lands so far
as l know. were paid for In money aud
taken into the company for the exact
amount paid for them except the property
of the Sloss Iron and Steel company, In
which ] had no interest whatever.
IL say these things SO that II you have
occasion TO speak of me again In the sen =
ate you may know the truth, and not rely
upon or give currency to the statements
! of falsifiers
81 shall not. senator. like you, depart
from the real Issue or endeavor to defame
D you by quoting false charges made against
. you by your personal and political enc
[ mics. and ! trust ! shall never forest
the respectful consideration due to your
age, feehleness and irrltability.
IL freely forgive you for being msled
by some OF your supporters In Alabama
and especially among the press. You have
occasion to know that some are not ve:y
Q scrupulous. I do not believe you would
I Intentionally SANDER your neighbor, but
: fear that your anger and resentment,
have been so aroused that you can hot
impartially differentiate the false from The
o true.
. II beg to express my great sstisfact on
n at your present attitude against trusts.
1T II is a crime to aid In securing the
formation OF company to bring more
i than s2000,o00 into our State, to build
n furnaces AID steel works and open mine.
N and give employment to labor, what must
n be said OF your action in 1898 in voting u
:. organize the international American
- bank, with a capital OF s25,00o,O00. ant
of which your colleague, Senator Pettus
,r said, Here Is the most damnable trus
that God ever allowed to live on ear.h
You and Senator Caffery OF Louisiana ara
the only democrats in either house Sha
o voted for that measure, and caffery VII
never return to the senate.
=. And why did you vote against putting
~ a tax of IL per cent on all goods man
70 ufactured by trusts? On this measure yol
H. were found in the republican column.
So Then, do you not think that the MARI
time Canal company was something OF
trust or monopoly? And yet you In
IN sisted on voting millions to 1t in the
Us Nicaragua canal scheme
ly 1.-The gravamen OF my offense in your
ne eyes seems to be that | encouraged the
formation of a company 10 bring very
large amount OF money into Alabama.
thought senator that every good citizen
and taxpayer would be glad 10 see that
and II that be an offense, am afraid
or that YOU must have forgotten, when yor
were supporting me for governor, tina
X was one of the parties who organize
the Sloss Iron and Steel company II
Az 1877 II this be an offense. am guilty
not only In the case cited, but in numer
Gus others. I have never failed wheI
y opportunity offered TO use my influence
," 10 aid in bringing money into the state
have been wanting all the time TO IN
" crease our circulating medium. hop
of that did something 20 sid In securinl
81 the building Of the Tuscaloosa hrsncl
Of the Mobile and Ohio railroad and II
is locating cotton factories ~ Huntsville
/ Cordoya and Gsdsden. think ! ma
n say that I have aided in bringing u
millions OF dollars would rejoice l
you could point to even hundreds yol
y" have hrought in Possibly YOU do no
~ know, senator that the corporations II
~ Jefferson county alone, the most exclusiv
result Of foreign money, now pay take
ng on many millions OF dollars and hay
81. enabled US 10 greatly Improve our schools
q You say that since the Georgia legis
lature refused to call a convention. yol
he do not favor one in Alabama Don't yol
ia think you should have as much respec
In. for the conclusions OF the legislature o
Alabama ss OF Georgia? Why did 80
not change when the Alabama legisls
- turc repealed the act? Have you beel
~, absent SO long, senator, as to almost for
get which State you represent Yo
certainly favored a convention las, spring
ed you came all the way here to line u
a with that crowd, You approved II in you
an subsequent, canvass OF the state and unit
you left the State. The convention pa
en- pers and leaders support YOU almost solid
Cd ~. We fear you may change again. Yo'
ew are somewhat given TO change OF recen
Is years, In July last you were ready I
throw Mr. Bryan over for a man 'wh
would promise not TO veto a silver bill,
" At Athens you said you had your arm
~, around Bryans neck YOU were simos
hs his political twin. and. in order TO sho,
n how very ultra you we're, you denounce
MIR. Cleveland as dishonest man.
ir, You now assail me- senator with tn
AR recklessness OF youth and the garrulit
I'm Of old age Before ! became a candi
ut date for the senate you canvassed tn
State and had not a word OF criticism 10
IA me OF my administration, II was reali
ON doing all the wicked and demonstrations
~, and lawless things you now chang
NJ why did you not have the courage to de
\. nonnce me to the people7 Speaking o
~ my mlsdeeds and Unconstitutional aett
~ you say that the legislature had n
power 10 renesl the convention act I
an Ala