The age-herald., 1900-10-16
THOMPSON FORCES
 INVADE CHAMBERS An Enthusiastic Meeting at La
 fayette Yesterday. SOME HOUSING SPEECHES Captain White Followed the Macon Man in a Powerful Argument Brewer Declined Joint Debate.
 Election Near at Hand
SOME HOUSING SPEECHES

Lafayette, October 15-(Special.)-The Congressional candidates in the Fifth Dis trict invaded Chambers County today, the Thompson orators speaking here to good crowd. This was the first speaking In Chambers, as Hon. Tom Hefiin's candidacy had kept the orators out during the earlier campaign and the more intelligent of the voters seem eager to hear an expression from the orators and there can be no doubt that Thompsons cause has been helped tn Chambers by the speeches here today by Colonel Thompson, and Capt. Frank s. White of Birmingham. Colonel Brewer was also here today but he was closely confined in his room.
 Just before the speaking at noon Colonel Thompson sent a committee to Colonel Brewer inviting him to joint discussion, but Colonel Brewer declined the challenge. Colonel Thompson announced during his speech that he would be glad to discuss with Colonel Brewer over the entire dis tl.ct, saylng that he was willing and anx- ious to risk his chances before the voters after they had heard free statement from both sides.
 \, hle it is but five days till the primary there is great apathy among the voters
  two-thirds vote will be boiled in the pri- mary. In Chambers there are about three thousand Democratic voters, and leaders assert that not more than 2200 votes will be poileo, and Thompson $ friends assert that on this vote they will secure a ma jority in the county of 300. He is backed by some ot the strongest men in the county among them being Probate Judge A. J. Driver; Democratic Senator-elect J. D. Norman; RepresentatiVe-elect J. H. Harris, Hon. w. C. Thomas, Phillip Avery, J. B. Duke, b. D. Thigpen J. Tom Hefiin, A. and G. Ii. Hollingsworth and others.
 The speaking here today took place in the beautiful new courthouse o1 the county and @ representative auo4ence greeted the speakers 1t was an encouraglngly demon- stratiy audience, and the eloquence of the speakers was frequently applauded. Hon. AlmStead Brown, d member or the young Democracy, presided and introduced the speakers Colonel Thompson spoke, and made an able defense of his claims to the nomination, saying that he was proud that so many farmers had honored his coming by taking time from their work. He said he was glad that they were given an op- portunity to vote their choice for Congress- man and that he had favored primary from the outset, as he believed that all of ficialS should be chosen by direct vote or the people, thus bringing the people in
 
 that we have had no dissensions among Democrats except that occasioned by wire working conventions and committees. The Fifth District Committee, he declared, had been against him, and through the infiu- ence of Colonel Brewer they had ordered convention at Goodwater.
 He then reviewed what he termed the ar bitrary action of partisan committee rom the time or its hrst assembling at Opeilka until it's last meeting at GoodWater on the day of the convention. He also reviewed at some length his contest in Elmore, Ran dolph, Clay and Coosa, where the fight had been fiercest. He said that this contest was not one as between himself and Brewer, but a contest to whether the voters of the district were to be permitted to select their candidate or whether they would per- init committees to name one. He wanted the people to go to the polls and vote next Saturday, and whatever that result was he would accept it in good faith. If Brewer was elected and declared the nominee he stood ready and willing to go on the stump for him.
 He criticised Colonel Brewers record in Congress, being particular severe upon his vote on the Mormon Roberts case, and his bill to sell all the government lands in Alabama for the public schools and divide the money equally between the whites and blacks. Colonel Thompson said he favored negro education, but thought he should be educated with negro money The speech was brim full of argument and left a good impression upon the audience
 Captain White spoke next and he made an eloquent and entertaining speech. He said in part:
 T am not here supporting Colonel Thompson because he Is Colonel Thomp- son; 1 only support him because he rep resents principle and why do I say 1t? That question which you fought out, which your forefathers fought out one hundred years ago, when they established this government of the people, for the people, to be administered by the people-they de- clared the people had the right. The ques- tion is with you today whether the people of the Fifth district shall control its desti- nies and name it's nominee or whether l. shall be done by a partisan committee. The people of England led Charles, the King to the block and took off his head because he was a tyrant and they shouted for Cromwell because they believed Cromwell was the peoples friend, but ere long Crom- we'll became the tyrant and they laid Cromwell low. A man can be tyrant without be a monarch. A man can be IL despot in the Democratic party, too. What we want to do is to shake off the despotism and the tyranny of few men who would control and name the nominees of the party and let the people determine who their nominee shall be. If We haven't that right then our institutions fail ure If you haven't the capacity to de- termine who shall be your representatives then the basic principles of your govern- ment are wrong because the constitution Of the Union and the constitution of the state and the constitution of every other commonwealth in this Union declares the people shall have the right
 ReIat ions With Thompson
 'I represented Colonel Thompson as his attorney before the committees. He paid me for that just like he would pay any other lawyer for legal services. He is un- der no obligation to me for that. ] am un- der no obligation to him. He paid me my fec I gave him the best brain that had. When it was over and l was asked if I would make some speeches in the Fifth District for Colonel Thompson. 1 said, No; but I will tell you what l will do. l will make some speeches in the Fitun District for the people of the Eff th District who have been outraged and trampled upon.'
 "I would like to ask you a question. Do you do that conscientiously
 Captain White: Right down to the bot tom of my heart My soul of souls is in it,