The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-20
OATES AT LUvERNE
CANDIDATE FOR SENATOR DELrv-
 FRS AN ADDRESS.
Reviews His Work h Congress asd Tells of Efforts 10 Save Ala bama's Public Lands for
 Homesteaders.

Luyerne. March ls.--Cieneral William | C. Oates before 3 tCrenshaw County audience numbering above 200. present ed his candidacy for Alternate. Senator hero today st noon. The audience ' which gave the speaker close attention 1 heard a forcible address
 General Oates was presented to the audience by Hon. NJ. W. Rushton. mem l her of the present Legislature. and al- i ready Democratic nominee for the next Legislature, Mir. Rushton paid tribute 1 to the splendid record of General Oates | in war and In civil life, He told of { General oates's long service in the | represented the Third District for four teen years He told, too of his ser- l vices to the State as Governor.
 i General Oates spoke when Judge
 Richardson had adjourned his court for 1 dinner. His address was less than an
 hour long, because. as he said. the mem
 bers of his audience were staying away from their dinners to hear the l address.
 He was, he said, a candidate for Al- l; ternate Senator. an honor which eould | hardly be called an office. for if only | became an office in certain eontingsn- lNeies Inasmuch ss the office could not be filled until after funeral, some
 had seen fit to call 1t ''pall-bearer.' | | who was responsible for if, or who got up the peculiar plan for nominating l Senators. Of one thing, however. le was certain, he had had no part In It. He was of the opinion that If any call- | didate helps to get up the plan ana have 1t adopted by the. committee. 1t
 was candidate who would have got | ten to the Senate fin no other way. And since the committee has seen | fit to adopt it," said General oates, T am before you as a candidate for Alter nate Senator; I am coming before the people who have seen fit to honor me | in the past and whom I have had the | privilege of serving. I cherish the am- bition of filling seat in the United States Senate as any man might. And | if the people should say, We'll send old Bill Oates to the Senate, for ne served us well in the past. I'd do my best to meet the responsibilities. General Oates took occasion to sx- press his gratitude to the people of Alabama and especially to the peopie | of the Third District for past favors On the railroad rate question, he said that he was not connected in any way with the railroads and In no wise unoeT theft control. q favor the governmental regula- tion of the railroads, as ali Democrats do with but few exceptions, said cen eral Oates. Railroads, l think, are good institutions when they are con trolied, and I think the proper steps should be taken to control them. General Oates briefly reviewed the most important fights he had made Tn Congress- He went over his work m having the bill passed which forfeited the lands granted to the Mobile and Ohio Railroad for building railroad through the State and which was only partIy built These lands had, there fore. been secured to Alabama settlers. He told, too. of his successful et- forts in Congress to have stopped She sale of Alabama lands at S1.25 an acre to large corporations. After he had | learned of the sale of 50,000 acres to ex- Governor Johnston of Margland and his associates and of large tracts to other corporations, he had Congress 10 stop such sales and limit the land to homesteaders. For at that time he saw how valuable the Alabama pine lands would become in the future.
 He reviewed his efforts in Congress to have the National Government re- fund to the South ss0,000.O00 1t had col Iected as a direct tax on cotton atter the war. If he ever occupied seat in
 the Senate, he pledged his hearers that his efforts to get back this money would never cease.
 At the close of the address. many or those present came forward to pledge General Oates their support.