The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-31
Candidate So Declares to
 Old Friends. The Lieutenant Governor in Franklin County, from Whence He Was
 Once sent to the Ala-
 bama Legislature.
Bx VIII T. sheehan.

Spondence. .1--Surrounueu Dy lne nelgn- bors of his boyhood and his young manhood. and looking into their eyes. Lieutenant Governor Cunningham at Newburg gave them his solemn word that no railroad, no corporate inter- ests had contributed a single dollar to his campaign. He gave them his sol emn word that he alone was bearing his campaign expenses
 They believed him fully and com- pIeteiy. If he had said so with less earnestness. if his utterances had less of soiemnity in them, they would have believed him quite as readily. Any Co., mer literature that might be sent into that corner of Franklin County, any Conner speaker that would go there among the friends of Dr. cunningham's youth and try to bolster up the charge that Dr. Cunningham was running foi roads would be received with sco-n.
 The matter to them Is settled
 Dr. Cunningham had made declara- tions of this sort at other places, but with less of earnestness and less of solemnity. But today to his old neigh bors and his old friends he made his declaration of the purity of his cam paign with all the earnestness at his command. He sent the truth home to them with all the force he could put behind 1t.
 You have heard, my friends" he said. that am railroad candidate. You have heard. my friends. that the cor porate interest are behind me in my candidacy for Governor. That Is not true. There Is not one scintilla of truth in the statement. I give you my solemn word that no railroad. no corr porate interest of the satte. has con- A z1gf &r paign expenses. am bearing the ex- penses of this campaign alone and there is not a word of truth in the charge that any corporate influence, no matter whether 1t is railroad, a cot ton min, or of any other character, Is backing me with money in the light that I am making.
 The applause from the great audinece at Newberry, testified, if nothing else did, of it's complete acceptance of this assurance For the men and women who heard it. had known Russell M. Cunningham, as man and boy They had known him as young country doctor as he entered on his career, which has become so eminent profess sionally and politically. Within the sound of his voice as he spoke to his old neighbors in Newberry's Masonic Hall, was the little cottage which he built for his wife with the proceeds from the early days Of his practice. Across the road In a grove of walnut trees, was the old Moore house In which young Russell Cunningham and the daughter of the house had stood up to be married, surrounded by loved and loving friends. And along each of the cedar bordered roads that ran through and from the picturesque old Southern village, the speaker of the day, as 8 young doctor had driven. day and night, morning and evening, in his practice and in his bread winning
 It was in such scenes, in tne pres ence of such friends, that Docton Cum ningham chose to make the most force full utterance of his campaign In the refutation of that charge which he most resents. against the charge in which there is not scintilla of truth.
 If the people of Alabama could have heard that statement as the people of Newberry heard 1t, if they believed 1t as the people of Newberry believed it. there would be no earthly chance for MT. Comer's election. His hope of suc- cess lies in the ability of the Conner campaign Committee. of Mir. Conner and his friends to make the people of the State believe that Dr. Cunningham is running as a decoy for the railroads. Stripped of this and the Conner cam paign would run weakly on their legs. His committee has to make the people believe that Dr. Cunningham Is for the railroads and against the people.
 The charge has been rung in with all its changes since the campaign start ed. It has been shouted from the housetops and whispered on the street corners. It has been flung out from the speakers platform. Revamped and wrought into all possible forms it has been printed and reprinted in all the Conner papers.
 The charge is true or 1t Is false.
 If it is false a grave injustice has been done Dr. Cunningham. If 1t is false a great wrong has been done. If it is false a public man has been mis- If 1t is false reprehen- sible attempt has been made to under mine a public man in the confidence of the people.
 They who have made 1t, they who have repeated again and again in great gIee, have never advanced a scintilla of evidence to support 1t. Not only has 1t not been proven. but no evidence of any sort has been produced to prove 1t |
 There is no evidence for Dr. Cum ningham to rCfute. A mouthy charge l has been made and nothing more. And l having no case against him, having no | evidence to refute or impeach, Dr. | can only say with the | dL ,harge is absolutely without truth. Nor | could he say it with more vigor and | nore earnestness than he said 1t to- | lay. Nor could he say 1t anywhere where its truth would be accepted with nore certainty than assurance than at lis old home among his old neigh ,ors
 There are hundreds and hundreds of people in Alabama who believe the harge Why shouldn't they? Haven't hey been told again and again that { is true? But where only hundreds relieve 1t now. thousands believed it hree months ago. Because of which, is one reason, the strength of Dr. Cum Iingham's support has been steadily in- reasing and his hope of success steau- ly brightening.
 False charges are like curses. They ome home to roost.
 Dr. Cunningham wound up a great rip through Franklin at Newbury. rom start to finish it was like an vation. He spoke first at the big arbecue at Russellville, where probab- v 4,0O0 people had assembled He ext spoke at Bellgreen to large ounty audience. At Fordion he ad- ressed another barbecue crowd. mum erIng, perhaps. 2000 persons. Ford on Is in the western nortton of the ounty near the Mississippi line.
 On his return trip, he spoke at night { RussellvillA to a large audience in he opera house. Early the next morn- ig he set out for Newbury. which } in the eastern portion of the county ear the Lawrence county line. 4 rue ovation was given him there in is old home It was said that every oter in the beat was present There