The age-herald., 1900-04-12
Addressed Large Audience in Interest of Senator Morgan.
CRITICIZED THE GOVERNOR
Intimated There Was "Too Much John- ston" in the Administration = Showed What Other Gov
 ernors Had Done

1 SiiiOi Ol AidDdmdg duuISSSSu dooiSiSS l of about 400 men at Seals hall last night
 on the issues of the campaign, in the in- l terest of Senator Morgan's reelection to the United States seante.
 General Oates was himself a candidate
 for the senate, but withdrew from the race
 a few weeks ago and threw his support
 and influence to Senator Morgan. His
 speech was a clear and logical discussion
 of the questions at issue between Gov ernor Johnston and Senator Morgan, and incidentally he punctured the business
 administration" of the former in 8 few
 places He referred to the many claims l of Governor Johnston, and used figures 1 and official documents to show that some I of the good things the state has enjoyed
 | of late years came from other sources than
 the present governor, and that all the bad
 | was not attributable to his predecessors
 | in office
 Occupying seats on the stage were w. P.
 | Pinckard, O. P. Gaut, J. H. Leath, w. A.
 | Walker, M. Veil, John P Tillman Ross c.
 Smith and MT Simpson of Florence. Gen.
 | eral Oates was introduced to the audience
 by Mir. Pinckard, who among other things,
 | said
 l Tn selecting a man to represent you h1 | the United States senate you should con- | slider the merits of the men who are can 1 didates for the place and their records. l The governor has not done more than he l obligated himself to do when he took the l oath of office. He has done nothing l markable. l do not believe when he took 1 back water on the constitutional conven- | ton question and repudiated party coun- cils he merited the approval of the party I don't believe that Governor Johnston is | in a position to appeal to democrats for | support, and don't believe he deserves the l commendation of the party. There are | two men uppermost in the minds of the people of Alabama. One is in Washington l discharging his duty and the other is the l governor of the state, but he don't stay l at the capitol. I believe when a public 1 official deserts his post of duty and goes 1 out canvassing for his own preferment he l does not deserve much at the hands of | the voters The great measure Senator Morgan is taking care of in Washington | tonight means something to you; it means 1 the doubling of the furnaces and mines
 and the multiplying of the industries of 1 this district"
 General Oates' Speech
 l When he introduced General Oates and l the latter walked to the front of the stage
 I he greeted with great applause. Gen. | eral Oates said:
 | Tt has been long time since have had
 | the honor and pleasure of addressing an 1 audience in Jefferson county. You all know l that have been candidate in this cam | paign for United States senator. and was | a candidate in 1896, and was defeated, of which I did not complain, for I recognize every ones right to vote for whom he pleases. We have the right to express our preferences to who shall serve us in | office. I retired from this campaign re- | gently. At the time I announced Governor l Johnston was not a candidate for the | United States senate, or at least he had l not announced his candidacy. He had is- l sued a statement from which it was un- 1 derstood that he would stand for governor | again. I announced in a respectful man. | ner to Senator Morgan that he had been 1 honored beyond any other man in Ala 1 bama, and I expected to see him and ar l range for a series of joint discussions at | such intervals as would not tire and ex- | haust him. I expected to discuss questions | that would interest and enlighten the peo- l pie, and then, if the people preferred me, l I would feel honored; but if I had been de- l feated by Senator Morgan I would not have | felt humiliated. I have letters from Nor l gan in which he says he recognizes me as l a true democrat, and that he would not l feel dishonored if defeated by me.
 1 'In December Governor Johnston issued | a statement in which it was sought to dis I credit my administration governor, not 1 by name but by innuendo, and declaring l that Senator Morgan kept the Nicaraguan canal before the people for political pur- | pOSSS. lHe SONeIIlOT GIuedNGftu tO pldce | Senator Morgan and myself on the same platform, so that our support would come | from the same men. If I had gone for ward and made active canvas I would | have so far divided the vote as to have l practically given the governor every coun- l ty that has acted. Some of your citizens, I and I am glad to say I have some friends | here. told me that if I remained in the race I would divide the vote of Jefferson and give the county to Johnston. When I saw my continued candidacy would harm Nor gan and help Johnston, and I saw could get to the United States senate only through the back door, and I do not want to go that way I withdrew. I am not a sorehead. The people of Alabama have given me everything I ever asked for cept the United States senatorship. I have served them faithfully and to the best of my ability. I desire to go to the United l States senate to close out my public ca-
 reer in that body. I had served as con- | gressman for fourteen years, and as goy- | ernor two.
 | The Right to Criticize
 q know those two men who are candi-
 dates for the United States senate, and in | discussing them I want you to understand | I do not speak of them disrespectfully, but 1 I have the right to eriticse their actions | as public officials. The governor has hit my administration some backhanded licks; I have the right to speak of his. I am go- ing to speak the plain, unvarnished truth Johnston says there was deficiency in the state treasury of s56S, 900 when he went in- to office. Nobody denies that the state was
 behind in finances at that time Governor
 Jones had to borrow $5000 900, and one mill was added to the tax rate. Every one knows that the increase from taxes is not felt for many months after it goes into effect. borrowed like amount in my ad-
 ministration at low rate of interest, and it was all paid before the notes came due. | The next year I borrowed $150000. Gov | ernor Johnston a few days before his in l auguration came into my office and I ! treated him with courtesy I thought due 1 the incoming official by the outgoing of- | ficial, especially when he is a democrat | I showed him the condition of the state af- | fairs and it's finances, and he said, What, l is 1t in that good condition?' The law re- | quires an annual report of the condition of | the treasury and report had been made 1 that year, which was incorporated in my message to the legislature. This report l showed that the income would for the year fall short of the appropriations and ex-