The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-13
BOB THACH'S SPEECH
BY SEYMOUR RANSOM.


 is so patent that it feels "called upon to expose the way in which the truth had been tempered with"
 In support of it's charges the Advertiser prints both the report of MT. Thach' speech. which appeared in The Age-Her- aid of Wednesday, and the report of the speech which was made by the official stenographer of the committee, MT. Pat MeCauley.
 In commenting on what it alleges to be radical differences in these two reports, the Advertiser says that Ito put 1t mildly, the report published in The Age-Herald Is astonishing when it is laid side by side with the official stenographic report Continuing in this vein the Advertiser says:
 In fact from top to bottom, from side to side the official report Is different from the distortion which appears in the report of the Birmingham (Age-Heralds) staff man. The difference is there for every man to see . The Age-Herald has heartily endorsed the Whitson plan. It's staff correspondent has attacked it, and misrepresented the committee that adopted It."
 These are assuredly sweeping charges If true they reflect unhappily upon the intelligence and fidelity of The Age-Her- aids representative at Montgomery Tues day If unwarranted-well that is a sub ject that most interests the Advertiser.
 Are the charges true?
 Let the testimony of two of Jefferson county's three members of the democratic ~ ar,I Capt. Ben F. Roden-answer the ques- tionl
 MT. Moore was not only a member of the state committee that met at Mont gomery; he was also a member of the subcommittee that reported "the pri- mary election plan"
 If there is any one who would be ac- cepted as competent authority regard ing the accuracy of the report made by The Age -Herald's representative-if there is any one who would have reason to be offended by any attack" upon or any misrepresentation of the democratic state eommittee-Mr. Jones G. Moore surely would be the man.
 What does MT. Moore say regarding the virulent charges made upon The Age Herald's representative by the Montgom- cry Advertiser?
 In a communication sent last night to The Age-Herald, MT. Moore says:
 q attended all the sessions of the state committee at Montgomery. l heard every word of MT Thach's speech. listened to it attentively. I read also the report of it that appeared in The Age-Herald of Tuesday.
 'When I read that report I thought it was in all essentials, an accurate report of what MT. Thach had said. There was nothing in The Age-Herald's report of Mir. Thach's speech that offended me as member of the state committee, and there was nothing In it which, I think, could give offence to any other member of the committee.
 q have since read the stenographic re- port of MT. Thach's speech as printed on the editorial page of today's (F'ridays 8 Montgomery Advertiser While the phraseology of that report differs some what from The Age-Herald's report there is, so far as I can see, no difference in meaning between the two reports. There Is certainly nothing in The Age-Herald's S report to which any objection might be reasonably made.
 q make this statement both in my per sonal capacity as a newspaper reader and in my official capacity as member of the state committee, and l make It glad ly and voluntarily"
 Capt. Ben F. Roden was and Is also a member of the state committee. Captain Rodens testimony will surely be accepted as trustworthy by everyone who knows him. He is not in the habit of making in- accurate statements. He Is surely com petent to understand an inaccurate state ment when 1t is made by another. He would be swift to detect and to resent distortion of words" misrepresentation of facts" and "tampering with truth Incidentally, it might be added, he was maimed for life at Shiloh fighting in de- fense of the truth and the right.
 What does Captain Roden say regarding the charges made by the Advertiser?
 Here is a statement signed by Captain Roden and sent last night to The Age Herald:
 T heard MT. Thachs speech. read The Age Herald's report of that speech. thought The Age-Herald's report was sub stantially accurate and comprehensive, and l think so still.
 q have since read the official stem ographers report of Mir. Thach's speech, and I have re-read The Ase-Herald's re- port of It. There is, in my judgment, no material difference in the two reports.
 MT K. H. Thach, the third member of | the state committee from Jefferson coun- ty, was not in Birmingham yesterday. It is not unreasonable to suppose that could his testimony be obtained, 1t would agree with that presented by MT. Moore and Captain Roden.
 The name that leads this article is the name of the newspaper msn who wrote | in The Age-Herald the report to which | tuously, taken exception. That newspaper man has no desire to engage unneces- 1 sarily in a controversy with any other member of the profession. On an earlier occasion, when a question of accuracy 1 arose between hls reports and those i printed in the Advertiser, he was content to remain silent, satisfied that, though the Advertiser then insinuated he had been | guilty of inaccuracy, developments would verify the truthfuness of his reports and developments have verified their truthfulness It has been rule of his newspaper life to correct an error prompt ly when conscious that one had by him