The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-16
PRESIDENT CHARLES
P. LANE REPLIES
He Defends the Alabama Commercial
and Industrial Association
Against Mr.. Comer's
Charges.

| To The Advertiser:
In this mornings Advertiser under the
| caption. "B. B. Conner Replies to j. NJ
| Falkner." l find the following very reck-
| less statement. regarding the Alabama
Commercial and Industrial Association,
which recently assembled in Gadsden:
The Gadsden Convention mentioned BY
Captain Falkner was dominated by Mr..
George Jones. Captain Falkner's assist
ant L. and N. attorney. Nearly all Of
the twenty-six delegates voted by him
were reported to have been selected I'M
der his influence. and had free passes
to and from said meetings furnished by
him. and to show how unreasonable Is
Captain Falkner's claim that the Gads-
den vote represented the will of the COM
mercial and industrial men of the State,
l challenge him to publish the names and
business of the twenty-six delegates man.
ipulated and voted by his assistant l..
and N. Attorney. Mr.. George Jones. and
to answer whether. to still further pack
that convention in the railroad interest,
II the L. and N. agent here did not apply
to the President of the Birmingham Com
mercial Club with a prepared list of
names in which there was seven railroad
attorneys, and ask their appointment as
delegates to the Gadsden Commercial
Convention"
AS BretiQenL OF the AlaHama CONNER
cial and Industrial Association, / feel 1t
incumbent upon me to protect the honor
and integrity of that body from such as
saults If what Mr. Conner says is true,
the Alabama Commercial and Industrial
Association, the Central Association,
formed by delegates from the respective
associations of the State, is a corrupt
body and should be dsbanded. But /
assert positively that what he says is not
true. / do not like to be offensive per-
sonally but l was one of those twenty
six delegates, to whom he alluded, and
when a man recklesslv and falsely di-
rectly or indirectly, reflects upon my in-
tegrity or that of my associates | will
call him down at all hazards. Therefore.
assert that If what Mr.. Conner says as
to George Jones or any other man manip-
ulating the otner twenty-five who voted
against his communistic demagogy,
was as false at is was to myself. the
twenty-sixth man, that there Is not
scintilla of truth in what ne says. and |
do not believe that there Is a scintilla of
truth in his charge, and | am no mans
fool and | was on the ground seeing
everything that was being said and done.
And, moreover, l do not believe that he
believes what he saws. I think the SLAM
der and debaSement of the Alabama Com
mercial and Industrial Associations in
tegrity was just a chunk he recklessly
threw. Indeed 1t is my observation,
that when men set out TO destroy rail-
roads, to incite communistic prejudice,
to array classes. that they are perfectly
reckless to what interest they sacrifice.
what virtue they destroy. t. accomplish
their selfish and ruinous ends was
sent by the Huntsville Chamber OF Com
merce. an honorable body as delegate
10 the Alabama Commercial and Indus
trial Association. | paid for my trans
portation from Huntsville to Gadsden,
under a legitimate advertising contract,
as l have paid for ten years past | had
not the faintezt idea of mseting Mr.
Jones or Mr.. Gomez. | did not know that
Mr. Conner was endeavor,ng to dynamite
the railroad interest # this State until
/ saw and heard him Having been
friends of prog s for many years. ! in
stinctively defended the railroads, the
greatest promote s of development known
to man, from his dyn'mite. l Will con-
tinue to do so. and VIII appeal to the
conservative business men of this State
to size Mr.. Conner up as he Is, man whoJ
is willing to paIalyza the greatest pro-
rnoter of AIablma's property and de-
vclcpmfnt to g.atify his self III ends In
raising this hui ard cry az inst railroads
at this crisis in Alabama politics, he
has evinced great cunning. He Is very
Queer duck =" He Will do 20 Watch ana
We admnnish thu people Of this STATE,
especially the pr om"te!s OF deVeIopmt Ut
and husInc men that he - evinClng too
Ell eat horror of private lfT EdS all the
premonitory symptoms of being a candi-
date fol Railroad Destroyer, and as this
thing ows on him. il would not aston
ish us to see him and Joe Manning fall
on each others neck, and. after weeping
bitterly set out as brace of labor