The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-13
BY Ex-eov. JOS. F. JOHNSTON.

l can readily forgive the distinguished
editor of the Georgian for indulging
sharp criticisms under the smart of i'm
penang defeat / trust that the soutn
may yet have the benefit of his brilliant
intellect in the Senate of the United
States, and | can but regret that he has
not yet reached the stage of "perhapslt."
If | ever reach the Senate | hope that
shall not be too old and feeble to give
nm hearty welcome when he has
passed through the chrysalis stage. VIVA.
| said before the committee was not tc
criticise Georgia for her action in 1861,
when she SO gamely followed the lead
Of South Carolina and Alabama"
| said that the representatives. from
South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and
Alabama came to Washington to partiel-
pate in a friendly conference, as breth-
rem, TO decide which aspiring city would
be most acceptable to the majority in
which to locate the sub-treatury, AID
pledged to stand Loyalty by the judgment
of the majority, that when Georgia found
that 1t was probable that she would lose,
she seeded from the conference and
abandoned her brethren that | had par
ticipdted in a movement of that kind
some forty-six years ago and the result
was entirely unsatisfactory; that | aid
not object so much to getting back into
the Union, but that | did not enjoy the
way we got back. being dragged in feet
foremost, and that | apprehended that
Georgia would not fare much better in
this affair.
| gave over four years of my life t.
following the flag of Dixie and in de-
Tense of constitutional liberty, faced
many times the sharpness of battle and
have scars to testify that | was on the
firing line, so that | am not much af-
fected when my loyalty to the south and
her cause and people is attempted to DC
put in issue.
What a pity that the representatives. IF
Georgia on this occasion did not follow
the example which the Georgian so
warmly commends of his conservatism
statesmen, Stevens and Johnson who
made the most memorable pleas for SET
Ting our sectional divisions within the
union"
The same pleas were made for Georgia
10 settle our sectional differences in Ic-
spect to the sub-treasury within the con-
ference, but our Georgia friends refused
TO permit the senators and members
chosen by herself and her southern sis.
ters to decide the question and went out
of the conference "unconservative states
men," declaring that if she could not
get the sub-treasury that none should be
established.
| do not think that Atlanta, with all
her intelligence and push and wonderful
energy and cohesion nor the splendid city
of Savannah, so near to our hearts. will
ge into bankruptcy because the sub-treas-
ury is located in Birmingham. | believe
that each will continue to grow i'm years
and strength and beauty and still COM
mand the admiration of their sister
cities. Their foundations are too seoul
to fail under the pressure of a sub-treas-
ury
| am glad that my speech was ''restful
to the committee on ways and means.
that it made no requlsiton on their
minds" and Imposed no obligation upon
thought II was not my purpose to-
improperly and unduy agtate the COM
mittee. nor to veX their minds nor wreck
their brains. I did not wish to impair
their future usefulness. and then I had
an uncarned advantage over the dis
tingulshed editor of the Georgian ~ that
| did not have upon my shoulders the
herculean task OF explaining to the COM
mttee why my people were putting them
selves into foreeful opposition to the
wishes and judgment of nearly or quite
two-thirds of the senators and represen-
tatives from the states concerned, and /
sympathized with my friend in his fruit
less effort to agitate the committee make
acquisitions on their minds and impose
upon their thoughts.