The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1905-11-07
CUNNINGHAM AND CONFER
MEET ON THE HUSTINGS

Not necessarily Is a prophet without
honor in his own country.
Ovation to Cunningham.
The coming Of Lieutenant Governor
r. M. Cunningham to his old home and
among his old people showed this no
less than did the hearty, spontaneous
greeting accorded him at the Court
House. The love, esteem and conf
dence in which he Is held found its
l expression In a sudden, unstudied greet
ing for him at the little depot at Rus
1 sellvflle. The depot was packed and
jammed with people when the train
/ rolled in.
| The reason of the big gathering was
not long in doubt. They were there
| to greet the man who had gone out in
the world from among them and won
| its honors. He was of them. They
knew his character. his sincerity and
his NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. There might
be other people in the State to doubt
| him, but they knew. So for a full ten
| minutes the depot was damned and
packed. while his kinsfolk and his fell
low townsmen greeted the Lieutenant
Governor. There were Cousin Watts,
| Cousin Toms, Bills. Joes and others he
had known in his younger days. There
were many ladies among them, some
| of them kinsfolk who had to be kissed.
| and having greeted their kinsman. they
wanted to see Mr.. Conner. just to see
what he looked like.
Joint Debates Unpremeditated.
| The joint debates at Russellville and
| Sheffield were unprecedented. Mr..
Corners friends invited him to RUSSELL
| VILE, DIR. Cunningham's friends invited
him to Russellville, and both accept
ed. Mr.. Conner frankly did not want
| joint debate at this time. He told a
Shefield friend that he had been led
into an ambuscade, but he did not draw
back from the encounter. 1t Is i'm
| probable that there will he other joint
| discussions for the present.
| The Sheffield engagement was made
/ as matter of convenience after, the
Russellviil eengagement had been an
nouncd.
DR.. Cunningham has accepted an
| invitation to speak at Selma Novem-
Der 10. The same Invitation has been
| extended Mr.. Conner, but he has not
yet accepted. st
| At RussellviIle the speaking was In
1 the handsome new court house, tall
| red brick building with white trim
mfngs. The court room, a large one,
| was packed and damned. An unusually
| large number of ladies were present.
The Franklin County audience gave
DIR. Cunningham hearty round of APP
plause when he entered the room and
| another when he rose to speak. Hon.
A. II. Carmichael presided, and intro
| duced both speakers.
| Mr.. Conner opened with an hours
| time. He was given some applause
when he arose to speak.
ITO encounter such a great stump
| speaker as Governor Cunningham. who
has been called the eagle orator of Ala
bama, is a piece of great rashness,
l began Mr. Conner. II would not do it.
/ would cut and run but for the vital
| Importance and necessity of It,
Mr.. Conner spoke of the great Inn
i portance of the rate question: how req
| ognized as the biggest question in the
\ country and In the state, he said. He
| reminded his hearers that he had been
q farmer and a manufacturer, and he
| knew what was needed for both
Elected to Commission.
II was elected two years ago as
. President of the Railroad Commission"
! said Mr. Conner, ION the general ques-
] ton of freight rates in Alabama
| told you then that the Alabama rates
are between 20 and 100 per cent higher
! than those in effect in Georgia. And
| yet there is more freight hauled In the
Birmingham district than in the whole
State of Georgia. / will go further.
more freight is hauled in the Birming-
| ham district than is hauled through the
state of Georgia and the State of North
| Carolina together.
| After quoting his well known fig
ures to show that freight making con-
ditions are better in Alabama than
in Georgia, the speaker, asked why
| is this so?
'Pll tell you, because of conditions
| in your State House; because of what
| has gone before; because your mas
tiers, those that have ruled you, have
willed otherwise; because the railroads
rule your State"
1 Mo- fnId
| freight hearings before the commits
| sion when he first took his seat as
\ president He again criticised his as
| sociate commissioners, Messrs. Tun-
| stall and Sanders, because of their
| environment" and their opposition to
| him and his views.
| "A tragedy was going on in that
room, the trial of the greatest case
this State has ever known" said Mr..
Conner, IT went down and asked Gov
ernor Jefks to give me an attorney
| to help me but he refused. don't
| think he knew what sort of tragedy
was going on up stairs,
| A Law Made Rate.
Mr.. Conner argued that what he
wanted was a law made rate. Some
/ of his friends had told him that II
| he would remain on the commission
| they would give him two men who
would think and act with him. But
| no use to the people on the commits
| sionl
'I want to say to you as frankly and
| emphatically as I can l can be of no
use on the Commission. The COnstitu-
| ton says that the Legislature may
/ make rates, but the railroad lawyers
/ say that the Legislature cannot dele
/ gate this power. and IL two more Com
| missioners were elected the three OF
us could do nothing because they would
| apply for a constitutional injunction
| and before that Injunction could be
| fought out before the court my term
| would expire. The men who tell you
that 1 should stay on the Commission
| is not friend to the cause. He is not
| with us"
Mr.. Conner then turned his attention
| to the claims of DR.. Cunningham and
he called him his friend. a pleasant,
| genial gentleman" He read from Cum
! ningham's Uniol Springs speech in
| which he said: Il believe that the
Governor should confine himself to the
| constitutional and statute limitations of
his office"
MIR. Conner Grows Warm.
"If he said that" said Mr.. Conner,
| growing warm and excited, he shows
that he is unfit for the office. and he
shows not only unfitness. but he shows,
I could say, lack of sincerity, and /
tell YOU, you have got to have Legis-
lature, you have got to have State Of
fcers. with you or you can't carry out
your cause, and IL you don't give me a
Legislature and State officials in sym
pathy with me, you might as well leave
me at home"