The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-18
The Republican Candidate Launches Campaign
 at TuSkegee. SMALL CROWD LISTENS TO NUMEROUS ORATORS MacOniteS Too Busy to Heed
 the Dinner Bell. Capt. E. w. Walker Accuses His Rival for Congressional HOnors of Ac- cepting Money for With
 drawing from Primary
 in the Interest of
 Another Cam

| ty, Macon, Capt. B. w. Walker, Re-
 publican candidate, today opened his campaign for Congress in the Fifth District, at the Court House here, and
 made the opening noteworthy by sem
 sational charges against the public re- cord and the moral character of Hon.
 J. Tom Hefiin. of Lafayette, the Dem ocratic candidate, who. several days ago in a characteristic letter, declined to meet Captain Walker in joint de- bate.
 | In brief, Captain Walker charged MT. Hefiin with having accepted money from one Democratic candidate for Con- gress in the district in a prevoius cam paign, to abuse and villify the other Democratic candidate; that. Mir. Hefln | In his campaign to secure the Demo- cratic nomination for Congress last summer, made a false statement as to his action as member of the State Board of Pardons, which recommended clemency to Sanford Jacobi of Mont gomery; that Mir Hefin was always on "the side. of the pocketbook," and had travelled lover the State in the in- | terest of the millionaire candidate for the Presidency, William R. Hearst. | These are but a few of the damaging statements made against Mir. Heflin by l Captain Walker. who arraigned his op- pCHtHI uHmeTClIulIy TOT ms Idllure 10 meet him in debate and discuss the is- sues of the campaign.
 It was Republican day in Tuskegee, but enthusiasm was lacking. One did not expect any excess of Republican enthusiasm in a county which has but twelve white voters and less than forty negro voters of that political faith. TuskeEee's Busy Day. Saturday is Tuskegee's busy day. as in all other towns In the cotton belt at this season. There were scores of far mers in town and wagons loaded with the staple on the streets. These men from the country went about their bus mess apparently oblivious of the fact that a wouldbe Congressman and four imported Republican speakers were performing as spellbinders at the coun- ty court house Tuskegee was too busy even to pay heed to the violent ring ing of dinner bell in front of the tenn pie of justice on the town square throughout the morning hours calling the faithful or the curious to the meet ing.
 To the impartial visitor 1t was ap- parent that Tuskegee was wholly in- different as to what was transpiring at the court house. Not even the county officials, Democrats, poeped into the court room to hear the laudations of President Roosevelt and the clucida- tions of protection. imperialism or the occasional jolts which were landed on the intangible political form of Con- gressman Heain. As the visitors pass ed through the streets or about the ho- tel. they were shown warm, even cor dial treatment, but the manner in which Tuskegeeians gave those Repub- licans to understand that 1t had no time for their politics. was impressive. The natives had a kind word for Captain Walker personally, while adding that they would stay away from the polls in November rather than vote for him. This is the home town of Hon. J. O. Thompson Collector of Internal Reve- nue, and Mir. Thompson presided at the meeting Besides Captain Walker, the Republican speakers were Col. E. Pay son Brown, a distinguished lawyer of New York: Lewis F. Parsons of Birm- inGham; oscar R. Hundley of Hunts vile. and John T. Blakemore. a teacher in the public schools of Birmingham. Other visiting Republicans were Ma tional Committeeman c. II. Scott of Montgomery and Knox Booth of Birm- ingham.
 The speaking began shortly after ii o'clock and continued until 4:S0 o'clock in the afternoon with an intermission of less than one hour. during which the crowd partook of an excellent barbecued dinner served on the premises of w. w. Thompson, in the suburbs of the town
 Colonel Brown, who is the first speaker from the East to be imported into Alabama during the campaign, made the last address of the day. He made an excellent impression. Colonel Brown confined himself strictly to na- tional questions and displayed wide in- formation on political economy and the evolution of the political parties of the country.
 Each of the other speakers. Alabama men, paid attention to MT. Hehin and his refusal to meet Captain Walker in debate.
 Out of the great mass of political matter promulgated by the speakers, only one local or purely district policy was suggested. Captain Walker de- clared himself in favor of turning the CoosA River over to manufacturers for power purposes and of putting a stop to the navigation scheme of the Dem ocrats, which he intimated was d fraud and had been projected to bring Gov ernment money into Alabama for po- litical purposes.
 The Boy With the Bell.
 The scenes about the streets of Tus- kegce leading up to the political meet ing were interesting. No especial hour had been fixed for the speaking to be- gin. Early in the morning hours a yellow negro boy stationed himself on the front stoop of the court house with a large dinner bell. That negro earn ed his fee, for he rang that bell two solid hours No one responded to the incessant din of the bell, but the yellow boy like Casabianca stuck to his post. Ever and anon street urchin would stop and cast gibes at the boy with the bell but these gibes appeared to in- crease his ardor and the tingling tones of the instrument. which had doubtless seen service in a more honorable ca pacity, continued to hurtle throughout the quiet morning air of Macon's cap ital city.
 Over in his room at the hotel. Captain Walker was conferring with his friends on the situation. The principal. the man who was to be the central figure of rho meeting, Captain Walker was plainly nervous.
 m just plain farmer" he said.
 and haven't made a speech in ten years but can we'll afford to speak in my own plain way to my friends and neighbors' They know I can talk to