The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-31
coMrn,. LArEsr ExrrprENr.


 COVERS LATEST ExPEDIENT.
 For several months of last year and this Mir. Conner was actively on the stump, stirring up as best he could in- terest in his campaign. and preaching to a large etxent the gospel of discon- tent. In his earlier speeches he was severe in his arraignment of former Democratic administrations and Legis- latures. None of them escaped his tongue flashing. One might well infer that there had been no men free from the corrupting environment" of cor poration control and that he was the divinely appointed savior of the people from ruin and destruction.
 The late Constitutional Convention from whose patriotic labors the State and people have derived so many bless lngs did not escape his whitening blast. It was held up to public gaze by him as the creature of railroad lawyers.
 When The Advertiser began to pub fish his utteranccs he resented 1t as an intrusion on his right. and spoke of being bounded because. in the interest of the people,. this paper saw proper to take down many of his speeches. in shorthand. just as they fell from his lips. Many of his utterances do not sound well when put before the people in cold type. His is the first instance in our Knowledge of public man com piaining because his words were pre- served for future use and reference.
 MT. Ccmcr did not deal fairly with the people when he concluded to give out for publication what he called his Tuscaloosa speech. That speech was reported in full in The Advertiser just as soon as the stenographer could' write out his notes. It was taken down by man who had never seen MT. Co., mer until he met him the morning of the day the speech was made and there- fore had no prejudice against him. After that speech appeared in The Ad- from MT. Conner for several days was on an immaterial point and did not touch single matter at issue. After several weeks ot incubation he gave out a revised edition with the state ment that 1t was a correct report and that others had been incorrect. In many particulars that revised speech had so much taken out of it. of what MT. Conner said, that attentive hearers would hardly be able to recognize 1t.
 For several months Lieutenant-Gov- ernor Cunningham remained at home, attending to his professional duties and biding his time as to entering upon an active campaign. That he has made profoundly favorable impression wher- ever he has spoken is manifested by. the enthusiasm he has aroused among friends and men formerly indifferent as between the two men. Not, only this, he has made Mir. Conner realize that all his boasted talk of being the only man who cared for the interests of the peo- pie was being taken at its true value and amounted to nothing. From hav- ing a pretended walkover he is made to realize that from now on he will have to contest for every inch of ground he will occupy.
 MT. Corners latest expedient is | papers supporting him and in some with the word Communicated" printed at 1 the top. He complains that Dr. Cum ningham has not agreed for him to ! break in at all the 1atter's appoint ments and divide time with him. He forgets that he has been to nearly ev- cry nook and corner of the State and that 1t is necessary for Dr. Cunningham to make from two 10 four speeches day in order to meet the people. MT. Conner refers to several points in North Alabama where last week Dr. Cunning ham spoke. Why should MT. Conner be given half of the four or five hours a day in which Dr. Cunningham had the opportunity of making short speeches. There could have been no debate or discussion and 1t would be foolish for any man under such conditions to yield to Mir. Corners wishes. Dr. Cunning ham has met him in joint debate at sev- eral places where they had ample time and will meet him several times more before the campaign closes. Judging by results Dr. Cunningham has no req son for avoiding MT. Conner in joint dis- cussion. but he is not called on to give up visits to those places in the State which Mir. Conner has already visited and which he would not be able to reach but for the hard work he is now engaged in making two and three speeches a day. Joint discussions over the State would effectually prevent such canvass as Dr. Cunningham's friends are now insisting he shall make. There will be a meeting between the two candidates at Selma on the 14th of June and some others will be arranged between that time and the 27th of Au- gust. MT. Conner in his letter repeats much of the speech that he has been making for the last two or three years and with which most people are more or less familiar.
 LET IT GO.