The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-10-19
,T0VII,L SCORES WILLIAMS
.ooI LEGISLATOR REPLIES WARMLY
~ - SENSATIONAL PREACHER.
,,,.,.tsr Charges There Was an Over
count of Votes in the Recent Election
and Newspaper Talks Back.

and Newspaper Talks Back
NJ. Williams, former pas
- the Dawson Methodist church,
,o,e Of the most prominent mem
If the South Georgia Conference
node another sensational delivery
~ noIiticaI nature from his pulpit in
@ ar This time he drew q
."orobing reply from that cultured
'.ntleman, brilliant editor and able
ls'aislator, Hon. Pleasant A. Stovall OF
W. Covannah Press, who is also well
Known In Dawson ,,.r.
AD ~ recent sermon Mr.. Williams
,arrad that only 720 votes were
'u ,nalIv cast in Chatham county in the
' IVA election, whereas the election
''' .ooars made returns of 1920 votes,
Isis being practically one-eighth of
.so total vote cast in the entire state.
", called on Savannah's "editor.leg-
i,Iotor" to take the matter up, saying:
mOrr editor-legislator fills his COL
IA with vigorous attacks on the
uun u executive for encroachments
n"' ,be constitution. Here, where he
W ;nUoived. a wholesale fraud is al
ioaad tn nave been perpetrated, SUBJ
~ Na.oive in tendency of the very foun-
so,ion of all constitutions and govern
u@,, What will he do? Our legis-
Ia,ors will agitate for an Australian
ballot aud remain silent at the viola
ZION of the election laws already on
omr statute books. A refusal on their
Usrt TO accept Office tainted with afro
pp;nns as well as unnecessary fraud
could make them more effective for
sonnd government than putting
tSonsand additional statutes on the
Sook to be treated with similar con-
temnt They should at least call for a
thorough investigation OF this matter
and purge their title to Office of all
corruption"
In his paper Editor Stovall, to whom
the preacher referred in the above
quoted remarks, says editorially:
"Mr. Williams contents himself with
apimadverting upon the way an cleo
tion was held, an election in which
there was no opposition, no interest,
and upon the result of which no issue
could have possibly been decided.
let us be understood; if there was an
Oyercount of votes last Wednesday we
do not pretend to defend it. We Join
with Mr.. Williams in saying that
If liberty was taken with the ballot it
was wholly unfortunate and entirely
wrong. Nobody pro6ted by the fraud,
and yet Mr.. Williams goes so far as to
say that cleaning the rascals out OF
Office is the needed reform in Chatham
county
"Pablic Office is a public trust, and II
there is a rascal in public office in
Chatham county he is just as much out
OF place as a rascal would be IL the
pulpit. We do not know that the pro-
fanation in the one case would be
greater than in the other. 1t Is very
easy and very fashionable to invest
men with the garb of suspects because
they happen to be endowed with an
official commission. When they are so
entrusted they should have the respect
of their fellow citizens unless they
show themselves unworthy of the hon
or. We know something of the men
who are serving the people OF Georgia,
and they compare we'll with their
fellow-citizens of any calling whatever
may be their livery or profession