Sharp County record., 1901-10-18
SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN
OPENS At SEARCy BETWEEN
lSFNATOR JONES AND
GOVERNOR CLARKE
Senator IOnes' Speech in Full

tnr bere today before a large crowa' crown
AZ after replying briefly to some Snn elI.,
cism of his course in congress- '
'O- When Gov Clarke ran against me III
zoos the reason he urged for my pein5
aot | aside at that time was, tnat a.
Enough % had been for several years ~
.n Inv Senate 7 had attained no proml-
nenee except in connection VIZ W.. ho
Wilson tariff bill, and IN th'I, bonn no
claimed nv connection had peen
oaoinet the best interests OF the peo-
10 of this state. If | had then Deeii
boaton II would have been a simple ueC.
laration by the people that nau .ith hT'
acted wisely and well in stanains W. W.
the democrats in the senate IN u[slnI
+he massage of that bill, and thaV !
shouid in their opinion, have acted ~
least on some grounds with the hepuD. Lso
lican marty in that contest, and 'na'
therefore my course had not peeh ''''
There would have been in this notn'
ing which could have been IN any sense @
a reflection upon my standing OF CHAR
acter as man.
II Gov Clarke had seen fit to Oppose
mo now on the ground OF my lneill,
cheney or on the charge that / was no'
oanahle of making so useful anu IN
erential a senator as he would MAKE
nr in any line not rejecting upon my
character, the question to De uelei,
mined by you would be simple ana
easy. , hu Gov
Clarke today and which his trlendS
and supporters have been urging LOT
months past, and which l must accept
nresents a case far more serious uo'
clarke now says that in addition 10 III
efficiency, l, while pretending 10 oe d
Democrat, have been actually ny ny
conduct, standing and working win
those whose conduct We denounce. IL
Gov, Clarke's charges be true, my slI
is the more t1agrant because, Wnlle act,
ually working with the Republicans
have been trusted by the great Demo
cratic party of the nation with respon'
sible positions. | was chairman Oh tne
national committee in 1896.
When the Democratic convention as
sembled in Kansas City, Mo-, last year
and S31 delegates from every state ano
territory in the Union came togetnel
there I was, out of that great most
selected as chairman of the commlttee
ON resolutions, whose duty 1t was tl
prepare and present the platform Of
the party.
IF is written that "By their fruits
We shall know them" and the PLATFORM
reported there was UNANIMOUSLY
adopted by that great convention, ano
its unanimous adoption included GOV
Clarke's vote. Just why, if | was g
trust man, l reported the strongest
antitrust platform to that convention
and moved it's adoption, that has ever
been presented to any convention II
this country, these traducers of mine
do not state.
When vacancy occurred in the
craftsmanship of the Democratic
caucus in the senate Of the United
Staes, l was unanimously chosen as
its chairman, place which has beer
filled by such men as Thurman, Pen
dleton, Beck and Harris, of Tennessee
when l was selected, the able and ex
perienced men of the party. There
was Senator Cockrell, of Missouri
with his twenty-six years of service
one of the most useful and capable mer
in public life; there was Senator Vest
of the same state, who has been in the
senate twenty-five years, and whose
name is known to every lover of lib
erty and every Democrat in all the
land. There was present in that same
caucus Senator Morgan, of Alabama
with his twenty-four years of service
and all the Democrats of the senate
These men are recognized as men Of
ability, of character, Of standing ant
loyalty to the party. Yet these mer
unanimously elected me as their chair
man. 1t will occur to some people tina
If there had been anything inconsis
tent in my course as a Democrat. tha
II my character and standing had no
been good, that these men with whom
i was constantly thrown and witt
whom I acted in public life, would
have known it as well as Gov. Clarke
and they would scarcely have selected
me as chairman If this charge O
Gov. Clarke's is true am unworthy O
your confidence. On the other hand
If it is not true, if it IS, as l assert i
to be, SANDER, then it is Just as mucl
your solemn duty as honest men t.
say by your votes that you will not be
come party to an attempt to put al
undeserved stain upon me, and permi
Gov. Clarke to profit by it.
My good name is dearer to me thai
my life | am within a few days O
62 years of age For fifty.three of thes
years have gone in and out befor
the people Of Arkansas. They hav
known my public and my private life
1t has been an open book to them
II l am a dishonorable man, say s.
like men; but if not it is your duty a
honest and fair men to say to tn
authors of these SANDERS that you re
pudlate them and their false charges
In 1896, as is well known, with MI
Bryan's approval, l was elected chair
man of the Democratic committee, an,