The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-08-23

| never gave anyone my assurance that
| would vote for Mr. Query if Mr..
Brown did not run.
Mr.. Query wrote and asked my
support. | did not promise it. He
wrote Mr.. Peoples, my partner at the
time, and asked him to secure my sup
port. l refused to promise it.
Il did not promise the support of
the Journal. [ had sold it two years
before, and had no control of it.
MIR. Query called on me to dis
cuss his candidacy, but then, also, l
gave him no promise of my support,
Neither in his letter to me nor in his
letter to Mr. Peoples, nor in his con-
versation with me, did he suggest that
any one had been to him with the claim
of carrying promise of support from
me. | never heard of such a sugges-
ton until | announced for governor.
81 did not tell Mr.. Query that Mr..
Terrell was tool and the candidate
of corporations.
81 ask Mr.. Query to name the man
who claimed to bear the message from
me and let that man speak for him."
Query Gave Friends Name.
In response to this challenge of Mr..
Smith to name the man who it was
said bore the message from him to
Mr.. Query the latter gave out the
following public statement, designat-
ing Hon. B. S. Willingham of Forsyth
as the mutual message bearer, and re-
questing Mr.. Smith to publish the let
tiers said to have been written to him
by Mr. Query ana his reply to- same:
''To the Public: In compliance with
the request of the Hon. HOke Smith,
made in his speech at Warrenton yes
terday, | name as the mutual friend
whom he got to visit me and request
me to run for the gubernatorial nom
ination in 1902, and to whom I re-
ferred in my telegram to the Hon. j.
w. +. LOwrey on the 10th inst, the
Hon. Barlow S. Willingham of Mon
roe.
I'm turn [ ask Mr.. Smith to publish
at once the letters he said in the same
speech | wrote to him and Mr.. Henry
c.. Peoples. one asking Mr.. Smiths
support and the other asking Mr.. Pee
plies to secure that support, together
with their replies to the same.
"My inability to communicate with
Mr.. Willingham on yesterday delayed
my action until today.
'DUPoNT QUERY"
Mr.. Smith Again Denies.
In answer to the above Mr.. Smith
made another statement in which he
denied alphabetically that he ever told
Mr.. Willingham that he would sup
port DUPONT Query for governor.
He declares he had only one CONVEX
sation with Mr.. Willingham, and that
was in the presence of his then law
partner, Mr.. H. c. Peoples, and con-
cludes his statement as follows; Il
cannot make my denial more en-
phatic."
Mr. Willingham Makes Statement.
Saturday Mr.. B. S. Willingham
gave out signed statement ir which
he said: ''Mr. Smith seemed anxious
for Mr.. Query to run, remarking that
he would be more than a match for
Terrell on the stump. AS [ now re-
member Mr.. Smith went so far as to
say that in the event Mr.. Brown did
not run he would give his cordial
support to Mr.. Query should he be-
come a candidate.
"As I remember it he then asked me
to go to see Mr.. Query and request
him to run He asked me also to see
Mr.. Cabaniss of the Atlanta Journal
ard have that paper take the matter
up with Mr.. Guerry-if not actually
pledging the support of the paper
certainly doing so by implication.
do not think | saw anyone connected
with the Journal. The next morning |
was called up over the telephone at
Forsyth and asked to 60 to Macon to
see Mr.. Guerry. | was busy and de.
clined. Later in the day second call
came and | consented to go.
81 went to see Mr.. Query with the
full knowledge and approval of Mr..
Smith and the Atlanta Journal, telling
him in substance all that had passed.
He took the matter under cOnsidera-
ton. The next morning in response
to call from the Journal Office over
the telephone | told them that Mr.
Query would probably run. know
these communications were from the
Journal because the person SO stated,
and later report of the last CONVEX
sation appeared in the Journal"
Mr. Peoples Doesn't Remember.
Mr.. Peoples, who was Mr.. Smiths
law partner, has printed a letter in
which he says he has no recollection
of Mr.. Smith giving positive assur-
ance of support for Mr.. Query dur
ing a conversation at which he was
present.
Smith Replies to Willingham.
Mr.. Smiths latest statement is in
reply to Mr.. Willingham, and he
SAYS: II cannot in any way qualify
nv denial of the story. l remember
Mr.. Willingham was in the library of
Mr.. Peoples and myself. | joined
them and the probable candidacy of
Mr.. Query was referred to. I did not
ask Mr.. Willingham TO see Mr.. Guer-
~ and request him to ran or author
ize him under any circumstance to
promise my support to Mr.. Query"
Mr.. Smith also gives out a letter
from Mr.. Guerry soliciting his act
i've support. This letter is dated
July -, 1901.
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