The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-15
HE ABANDoNs HIS REJoINDER
Had Twenty Minutes More When
 He Quit in Disgust.
EnsIey Doctor Assumes the Aggressive and Coos for His Opponent Ham, mer and Tons.-TetIing Ef-
 feet Follows Heference
 to ChDd. Labor.
By win T. she%han.


 Selma, June I4--(special Correspond ence )--In the presence of a great Black Belt audience. Dr. R. M. Gun ninrham. in the sixth debate between him and his opponent. Hon. B. B Cos mer, in their campaign fofS Governor, changed the tactics he pursued, so Tar as to attack. his antagonist with vigor with arguments. satire and humor. ana a remarkable thing happened before he launched this attack.
 The great audience which reached from the stage until 1t was banked three deep against the walls of the Selma Academy of Music, in the midst of Mir. Corners opening address. left all of order and went wild for Cum ninxham It's temper could not be mis- taken. It was for Cunningham. Not that MT. Conner did not have many friends In it and friends who gave him a warm and hearty greeting. But the noise the Conner men made com pared to that of the Cunningham men , was as the shrill whistle of newsboy : to the shriek of a locomotive. De- feated in noise making, the Conner men refused to be conquered and they kepr tiup the unequal roar throughout the { evening until the final test was made while MT. Conner was making his re- joinder.
 Conner HOWled Down.
 So much noise did the Cunningham men make that MT. Conner was howled down. He could not continue. In dis gust he abandoned his rejoinder with more than twenty minutes to his credit
 Mir. Conner. enraged by his antagon- ists adroit thrusts and the unfriendli- ness of the majority of the crowd. was bitterly defending himself. He was de- cIading that the true friend of labor ha hn nmnl0V- ment He declared that any charge that he lobbied for legislation which would permit children to work in his mill was a libel and he asked why Dr.. Cunningham had not enforced the child labor law when he was Governor
 But the Cunningham men had been annoyed by one or two men continu- onsly crying out "Comer. Conner" And whenaNIr. Conner walked over to Or. Cunflingham and started 10 shake his hnger in his face, the Cunningham men would not have 1t that way. They shnused down N~. Conner so that his words could not be heard.
 Dr. Cunningham stepped to the edge of the stage to ask the crowd to hear his opponent. The cheers for him were redoubled and as he started back, Max Hamburger of Mobile called out. stay there Doc, stay there and let them cheer
 Despairing of restoring order, both candidates resumed their seats.
 Says Law Is Unconstitutionnl.
 MT. Conner sprang a surprise in the debate. He declared his belief that the present railroad commission was unconstitutional. To support this he presented an opinion to this effect which had been writtensby ex-Attorney. General W. L. Martin. The flaw In the law was alleged to be in the engross- ing
 MT. Conner was aggressive ;n he all ways is, but he was disturbed now and then by the show of strength the Cum ningham men made. Dr. Cunningham was well poised and confident. His frequent expresisons of confidence ix his election, his witty allusions to the time Mir. Conner would be kept in his. present office, were received with de- light by his friends. Nor did they fail to applaud his frequent keen thrusts at his opponent. His licks upon MT. Conner and his record met with hearty applause.
 A full half hour before the curtain rolled up the great auditorium was filled with an eager. expectant crowd, impatient of delay The doors were thrown open and the wide Hobbies were filled with scores and scores who could find no place to sit and others no places to stand. Back to the streets wherever there was an open door this crowd of men had to stand through three long hours to hear the addresses of the men who were appealing for their support for the high office of Governor.
 Many Ladies Present.
 The great audience was frightened and beautified by the white dresses of many ladies. At no other political meeting of the campaign have so many ladies been present and for that mat ter no political meeting in this cam paign has ever furnished so fine and so impressive an audience. It was of the Black Belt. this Selma audience. typi- cal and distinctive It might be said and the truth would not be missed far. that the Black Belt of Alabama has written the political history of Ala bama and not only have a majority of the Governors of Alabama since Hous- ton come from the Black Belt and from Middle and South Alabama, but 1t has influenced the selection of those Gov ernors who come from North Alabama.
 The Black Belt in the councils of the Democratic party and through the Democratic party the governmental affairs of Alabama has wielded great influence. So tonight whatever the two speakers might have to say, the great audience that assembled Tn the heart of the Black Belt was no less interest ing than the two oratorical candidates on the stage. From Dallas, from Per ", from Wilcox, from Monroe men who led and who have their hands up on @e local political affairs, tourneyed to Selma and assembled in Selma's opera house 10 hear and compare the merits of the two speakers. It was in appearance a virile masculine audi ence No audience of Alabama. city or rural, is so well dressed or more in telligent than Black Belt audience the men sun burned and given to wear ing broad -brimmed hats and light clothes and the women to wearing those soft and fluffy dresses which seem to characterize the women of the South.
 Selma throughout the day was the political mecca of Alabama There gathered here not only the representa- tive men of the Black Belt but eandl- dates and political leaders from all over the State. The Hotel Albert in the day was like Montgomery's Ex-