The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-04-10
SMITH ISSUES HIS
FINAL STATEMENT
Makes Strong Appeal to Voters
of Alabama
IS CONFIDENT OF VICTORY
Reviews the Campaign He Has Made
and the Platform He Stands
Upon Seeking Re-
election.
IS CONFIDENT OF VICTORY

The John V. Smith headquarters were
closed here tonight and a most satisfac-
tory closing it seemed. B. F. Gilmore who
has been managing Mr.. Smiths campaign
left the office at IL o'clock confident
that the vote to be polled next Monday
would return his candidate to his pres
ent office. No estimate of the vote in
the state has been given, but Mr.. Gilmore
said that he could not have hoped for
more encouraging information and that
Mr.. Smith would receive handsome ma
jority.
Mr. Smith closed his campaign at
Notasulga in Macon county, speaking to
large and enthusiastic crowd. he re-
turned here tonight and in an interview
made this statement relative to his con-
test:
In the beginning of this race Mr..
Conner and his campaign managers sent
broadcast over the state, and has since
kept the state flooded with what is known
as the 80 per cent circular In this cir
cular he undertakes to make the people
of Alabama believe that they are paying
so per cent more freight on the neces-
sites of life than the people of Georgia
pay This statement was so misleading
and so wholly without foundation that
when the people of the state saw he had
deliberately sought to misead them for
the purpose of destroying me, building up
his own political fortunes on my down.
fail, that 1t reacted and thousands of
people who were inclined to support him
upon the idea that some reductions in
the local rates of this state were need
ed turned against him because they
found that he was deliberately seeking
to mislead them for his own political pre-
ferment and that his promises to cut the
rates in Alabama at first 80 per cent and
40 per cent was simply for effect.
Proceed With Fairness.
conservative, thinking men agree with
my position that 1t Is far better to re-
duce the local rates by gradual pro-
cess, with fairness and justice to all par
ties concerned, than to attempt the i'm
possible task of cutting the entire reve-
nues of state 40 per cent in order Having
failed in his effort to fool the people along
this line, Mr.. Conner and his campaign
managers sought next to destroy me by
circulating the report over Alabama that
I was a railroad lawyer, but fortunately
for me the people of this state knew that
1 was solicitor of the Third judicial cir
cult for eight years before my appoint
ment by Governor Sanford, and was not
In any manner or in any sense railroad
lawyer.
This effort also fell fiat, and they next
attempted to destroy me by charging
that was the candidate of the railroads.
When this charge Is considered in the
light of, the fact that advocated and
actually drew the bill which increased
the powers of the commission and that
sought to have a bill passed to REQUIRE
railroads to promptly refund all over or
erroneous charges made against shippers
within thirty days after time demand
was made or incur penalty or double
the amount of the overcharge and also
the fact that during my administration
reductions have been made In local
freight rates for Alabama which amount
to more than three hundred thousand
dollars per annum and that more than
seventy thousand dollars has been ex-
pended in the building and betterment OF
depots, coupled with the fact also that
many of the highest railroad officials In
this state have fought my denomination
from the beginning and left no stone UNI
turned to defeat me, this last charge also
falls fiat
Source of Qualification.
at is a source of greatest qualification
to me that during this entire bitter con-
test, so far as l know or have heard,
they have not been able to bring a sim
gle charge against my personal. politi-
cal or official record. which certainly
would have been done, had there been
a single thread upon which to hang such
charges, the result Of my canvass salts
fies me that I will be nominated Monday
by a large plurality. Captain kolb has
developed no strength of any conse-
auence anywhere and has reiteration OF
Comer's charge that l am the railroad
candidate is simply ridiculous and alb
surd | urge every friend of mine In
Alabama to go to the polls and work
diligently all day and thus make doubly
sure my nomination. I appeal to conser-
vative voters to stand by me in this fight
for democratic harmony, and the up
building and development Of the resources
of every character and description In
Alabama" s*+