The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-28
A Large Crowd GrcetS the
 Candidate.
 - MADE ELOQUENT ADDRESS Question of '.Environment'' Is ThreShed Out.
  The Doctor Tells ef Losing . esse . Month Job Because of Advocacy
 of Certain
 Measure.
MADE ELOQUENT ADDRESS
BY WILL T. sHEEHAN.


 Union Springs. Oct. 2s.-(Sta6 Cor respondence.) .)--Lieutenant Governor Russell M. Cunningham. in what he said was perhaps the most important hour of his life, opened his campaign here today for the Govcrnorship of Alabama before large and enthusias- tic audience. A
 In an eloquent and effective address two hours long he discussed exhaustive ly the prime issue of the campaign, the regulation of freight rates and tho adjustment of their inequalities and as a doctor. his dignosis was that Ala bama was suffering from too high freight rates and he gave clearly his remedy for the abnormal condition. T have. since I was in tho Legislature of 1880 when cast my vote for such Commission, stood for a Railroad Commission with plenary powers. A Commission which has only advisory powers Is nothing more than farce I am for an elective Railroad Commits sion, which shall adjust freight rates so that the people shall be assured of just and eauable freight rates, and the railroads shall be assured of fair and reasonable return on their proper ty. I believe that the Commission should have plenary powers. and classify all railroads of the State. nam ing a maximum rate.
 
 fine himself to the discussion of tho | railroad question as complete as was his treatment of It. He took occasion in this his opening address to go on record for the election of United States ! Seniors by the people. He pointed out 1 that while the Constitution of the United States specifically declared that Senators should be elected by the Legis- | lature, nominations could be made and | elections assured by party primaries. He went further and declared. If am elected Governor, if there is vacancy in the office Of United States Senate I shall request the Democratic Executive Committee. the party governing power to call a primary to i'll the vacancy and | shall appoint the nominee Of thRt prfmark{ If the Gomfnittee should de- cline to cali the primary will i'll the vacancy by my own appointment"
 Question of Environment.
 "The question of environment which suddenly became campaign issue through Mir. Comsr's Talladega ad- dress, was given full, free and an ample discussion. It dovetaiied into the clear record the Lieutenant Cover nor showed on the question of State regulation of freight charges. He was, he said. quite willing to meet the issue of environment Mir. Conner" said Dr. Cunningham. Ifs an employer of men. His relation to men has been the rela- ton of an employer to the men he hires. I have been a doctor and sn the dis- chargs of my professional duties have met men, women and children, nt the fireside and at the bedside. have been their employed servant, not thir em- ployer.
 q want to go back. my friends. as far as 1896. to the campaign of that year when free silver was m issue. I was at that time employed by the Ten- essee Coal and Iron Company at a monthly salary of $500. Every officer tf the Tennessee Coal and Iron Com pany from President down to foreman was gold standard man, but I sent in my resignation and made the canvass of the country for State Senator on the free silver ticket. Notwithstanding the fact that some of the officers of the company were my friends. they opposed me. But I was elected and the conn pany did not accept my resignation, and was mighty glad they didn't.
 Tn that same year I prepared and introduced bill abolishing the lease system for convicts That bill con- tained what is the present convict sys- tenn of Alabama had thought out the plan by which the State refused to lease its convicts, but offered to hire them on the basis of free labor. By this plan there was put into the State Treasury last year more than $300.000. The last contract made under the lease system during the administration of Governor Johnston let the convicts un- der a classified system at $i0, SIP and $14 a month. Under the new system the convicts in the mines averaged 335 a month.
 T may be pardoned if claim credit for the conception of this plan. I in-, vented it. Governor Jelks established and Judge Carmichael and his able ass sociates administered 1t.
 EOuRhf Hy COruOPAfaau.
 Now for the di estion of environ- ment. The Tennessee Coal and Iron Company fought that bill. but I got it through the Senate. but it was pigeon holed in the House. In time Governor Jelks put into effect the plan that the House had rejected. And. my friends. when that plan went into effect I lost my job of $500 e month and from that day. January 1, 1903, have not re- ceived a single dollar from the Tennes- see Coal ard Iron Company. So much for environment.
 Tn this campaign propose to run on my own character as attested by my public record. I'm not going to spend any money. because I haven't got any and I'm not going to accept 1t from anybody else"
 At this juncture m earnest drawl- ing voice came out of the audience with T jest wanter say. you goin' ter git mine, if nothin' don't happen"
 In concluding this discussion of en- vironment Dr. Cunningham decalred that MT. Conner can prove his char acter by me and can prove mine by him"
 The way the campaign was launch- ed delighted the friends of Dr. Cun- ningham. To them it could not have been a fairer, a more suspicious launching. They saw in the day an augury of confidence. and augury of vic- tory Thav nrOfessed to get COnfi@ dence out of the large crowd which gathered in spite of the cold and misty October day. And the enthusiasm with which the speakers address was re- ceived was to them most promising omen.
 Major I. F. Culver, that sturdy cit- ixen of Bullock county, who has been a prominent figure in the political af- fairs of East Alabama for forty years. and who served as commissioner of ag- ricuiture. presided at the meeting and introduced the speaker. Major cnl-