The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-05
IS AGAINST ALL GAMBLING.
MIR. HARTRIDGE's SWEEPING DEC
TAXATION OF HIS PLATFORM.

tLOn Elaborated in Full and Solicit
tor General Osborne's Record Sc
vereIy Attacked-The Meeting Mt
the Theater an Enthusiastic One.
Speeches Made by Mr.. A. r. Wright,
Col. A. r.. Lawton and Col. p. w.
MeIdrIm Col. Meldrim Declared
Himself Against Permanent POIiti-
cal Factions - Rev. Bascom An
thony an Interested end APPROX
ing Listener to the Speeches.
The Hartrldge meeting at the Theater
last Night was a ocrker. 1t was
little, If any. larger than the Osborne
meeting Tuesday night, but it was very
representative meeting politically speak
ing. A noticeable feature was its good ma
| tured enthusiasm. The crowd was evil
IDENTIFY well pleased with itself and espe-
| cially well pleased with it's candidate. and
any mention of Mr.. Hartricge and almost
every statement by him was received with
| applause.
| Speeches were made by Mr.. A. P.
| Wright, Col A. R. LawtCn, Col. p. W.
| Meldrim and Mr.. Harlridge. The latter's
speech was of course the event of the
meeting. He elaborated his platform and
| purposes more fully and discussed every
issue offered by his opponent in detail.
The charge of the opposition that he had
only attacked the gambling evil piece
meal was met by Mr.. Hartridge with a
full and sweeping declaration CT his oppo-
sition to all forms of gambling and his de-
termination TO use every effort to su0-
/ ~ - ".
further submitted his written pledge, CIV
ing the names OF five prominent citizens,
to hand in his resignation at the demand
| of all or a majority of them, If they
should deem that he has failed 10 sup
press public gaming within sixty days
after his taking the oath of Office.
Rev. Bascom Anthony, pastor of Trim
ity Methodist Church, occupied a box en-
the left of the stage in company with Mr.
T. ]. Davis and Mr.. P. H. Cotton, and
was an interested spectator, evidencing
his warm approval of MIR. Hartridge's ut
terances on the gambling question.
II was nearly o'clock when Capt. Henry
c. Cunningham, accompa nied by Mr..
Hartrdge and several of his leading sup
porters, came upon the stage The party
was received with Lively applause, and
With cheers for Mr.. Hartrdge. When the
applause had subsidized Capt. Cunningham
said that it gave him great pleasure to
preside at such gathering of the voters
of Chatham county. The plane upon which
Mr.. Hartridge had projected his candi-
dacy for the solicitor generalship of the
Eastern judicial circuit, he said, was one
which must commend itself to all the vot-
| ers Of Chatham county. This statement
was received with decided applause. Capt.
Cunningham then introduced Mr.. Anton
| +. Wright the firSf
Mr. Wright said that after he had read
the reports of the meeting Tuesday night,
he came to the conclusion that there were
| very few of us left He fancied that by
this time Hartrdge was holding a small
| court on the other side of the river for
the dsciplining of the angels, that John
| Sullivan had evacuated his kopje, and was
/ now serving diamond-back terrapin on
! golden platters, while John Kelly was
| driving chariot on the golden streets
lie felt, however, inclined to say with
| Mark Twain, the reports of our death
have been exaggerated" Mr. Wright
deprecated the extremes to which the CAM
| padgn had been carried, and said he pro-
posed to address himself to measures and
| not to men. For a long time the speakers
had addressed themselves merely to the
! personal characteristics of their oppo-
merits, Out real and i'm
portant issue had now been injected
! into the campaign. The good citizens of
| the county, without regard 20 political
| preferences, are determined that gambling
| shall he put down. 1t was not necessary
| Tor MIN TO attempt to prove that gam
bling is boldly, audaciously, fiagrantly
! and VIGOROUSLY conducted in Savannah
! However II may be- the idea has become
! permanently fixed in the public mind that
the solicitor general is the proper officer
for suppressing this evil. Right or not,
| this idea has become firmly fixed. The
| candidate for reelection saws that the
! oath OF his office does not require him
10 be a detective. However that NAV
| be, the law gives him detective. and
| how has that detective been used?" the
| speaker inquired. Has the theory that
it is the duty of the solicitor general sim
ply to present these people to the court
stopped single gambling wheeI?' Cries
of NO" mot until Dr. Drummer stopped
them"
Yes" said the speaker, land we are
! going to give tn m another dose that will
4 stop them again"
Mr.. Wright discussed the relative posi-
| tons of the two can1i5ates on the gamb-
| ling question, and declared that the good
people of the community understood their
| positions. He paid a high encomium upon
| Mr.. Hartridge as a young man who had
grown up in the esteem of his fellow citi-
zens, of unimpeachable integrity and I'M
| Questionable honesty coupled with yieor
and ability, knight without fear and
without reproach and predicted that he
would be the victcr at the polls on May
| 10.
Mr.. Wright was rewarded with lively
applause. When this had subsidized Cant.
Cunningham introduced Col. A. r. Lawton
as the next speaker
Col Lawton was received with equal an
! plause. He felt that 1t was his duty. he
| said, to come before the meeting and
| give his reasons as to the faith which was
In him in this matter. His convictionson the
| gambling question were strong. The ques-
| ton is not one of factional political differ
ences, he said, but simply a ques-
| ton of the solicitor generalship
| 1t Is question OF men ana
| principles and not of politics The
| speaker proceeded TO give his reasons for
favoring Mr. Hartridge as against Mr.. Os-
borne. Mr.. Osborne had said that he
should be reelected because he possessed
| greater ability than his opponent. As to
the ability and personal integrity of Mr..
| osborne he made no question, but official
integrity he said. is another matter. Col