The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-22
Dr.. Cunningham on
 Home Stretch.
Invade. Conner strongholds Near Man ufacturer's Birthpiace and is Greeted Cordially by the voters--speech at
 Hurtsburo.
nr yviII sheehan.

| Scale. Aug. 21.-(speciaI Corresponds l enc. )--Dr. R. M. Cunningham began
 the final week of his campaign with a picturesque dash across Russell County.
 He crossed from end to end and de- | liyered three speeches to three splendid crowds
 The Cunningham men had put Rus sel. among the last counties. It was one of the counties they freely con ceded to Mir. Conner. In his campaign | against Hon. John v. Smith. Mir. Conner
 carried the county. although it was | then the home county of MT. Smith. | Mir. Conner was reared in the upper end of Barbour County. only a few miles from the Russell County line A considerable number of his relatives and connections live in Russell. More over, there is sentiment in Russell as there, is in other portions of the State that a vote for Mir. Conner is a punish ment to the railroads.
 | So in the early days of the campaign the Cunningham men were willing to admit that the county could go far Comerward as it liked. What was the use of fighting, the Conner sentiment | seemed so great?
 But changes began to work. Mir. Corners supporters began to learn him as they have been learning him in oth- CT portions of the State. The Cunning ham men sat up and took notice The l fight is on. The majority Mir. Conner gets in Russell, his friends will have to light for. The majority may turn up all right, but his friends will have to | fight to make it any size. The county today would go for Conner. But this week is going to be full of fighting by the Cunningham men. They are winding up the cam paign in a whirlwind finish. They caught inspiration from Dr. Cunning hams splendid dash across the county. They won inspiration from his happy
 demeanor. from his confident air and
 they caught inspiration from his vigor and his energy.
 Mir. Conner was lately In the county.
 He spoke Saturday at Scale. Dr. Cunningham, refreshed by a few days rest at his home in Ensley, came down to Columbus from Birmingham Sunday night. He spent the night there and came to Hurtsboro on au ear- ly morning train. He was as fresh and strong as though he had not been for six months engaged in one of most wonderful personal canvasses ever made in Alabama, and one of the most vigorous. Win or lose. the single stand out as an epoch in the States political history.
 At Hurtsboro, the Lieutenant Gov ernor was met by Hon. J. l.. Pollard, who was active in seeing that he met the voters, and who accompanied him in the Russell County dash. Hurts boro has been one of the strong Conner beats of the county. The words "has been" are used advisedly.
 Sp1eech at HurtsbOro.
 The speech of Dr. Cunningham was delivered under the shade of an um- brella china tree on the principal busi-' ness street of Hurtsboro. To make it, Dr. Cunningham had only an hour and half, for he was to catch the east bound Central train for his speech at Scale. In addressing the crowd. Dr. Cunningham stood in the street few feet from the sidewalk Notwithstand- ing the discomforts of such a meeting, in which the audience had to stand a large crowd collected to hear Dr. Cum ningham's presentation of the issues of the campaign.
 There wasya stir of enthusiasm in the crowd and frequently 1t broke into applause. One enthusiastic Conner man seemed to fret continually over the splendid impression Dr. Cunningham was making upon the attentive audi cree. But the wit and self possession of Dr. Cunningham put him to rout
 
 own friends Joined in the laughter and applause.
 His waterloo came when Dr. Cum ningham had just read the unselfish statement of Judge J. M. Carmichael, giving Dr. Cunningham credit for in- stituting the new convict system, which has proved such financial bless ing to Alabama. In this statement, Judge Carmichael told that bids had fbn fVaa f the convicts under the old system. when as President of the Board of Convict Inspectors he was sent for by Governor Jelks. who informed him that he was contemplating putting in the plan which had been conceived by Dr. Cum ningham. They later had a conference with Lieutenant-Go Governor Cunningham, who discussed all the details of the plain, and who, out of his wide experi- ence in the convict affairs of the State, urged the adoption of the plan.
 Now, fellow citizens" said Dr. Cum ningham, do you doubt that I deserve any credit for this new plan which has put $1S00,000 In the State TreasuryT
 What paper are you reading that from? asked the Conner man, who seemed as though he thought he ought to engage the LieutenantGovernor in a joint debate.
 Tt is The Advertiser" replied Dr. Cunningham.
 If it's The Advertiser, some of us will have to doubt it." said the bump- tious Conner man as though that set tied the whole business.
 Tn ringing voice, Dr. Cunningham asked. What sort of prejudice is 1t that would try to trump up some reason to discredit a statement signed by brave, one-armed Confederate sol dier?"
 4 wild burst of applause greeted this rejoinder. Cheering and laughing, the crowd looked at the Conner man. He sat down upon the steps of a store and chewed his mustache f1ercely.
 pr, Cunningham again went after Frank s. White and The Birmingham News for their distortion and misrepre-