The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-20
LaWrence's Letter.

ioaS.
 LaWrence's Letter.
 October l9, 1907 Capt. John G. Smith. Birmingham:
 Sir--l see in the Birmingham Age-Her- aid of Friday, October IS, that you used at Woodlawn on the night of Thursday, October F, the following language with reference to myself:
 This carpetbagger. Brooks Lawrence who was dumped out of a cart in Ohio into the south, is being paid $5000 for com ing here when he couldn't earn $1200 if he had stayed at home.'
 Assuming that this reported statement is correct, I wish to submit the follow ing proposition. In the first place all your statements with reference to myself and my salary are false. Now to adjust the matter I propose a committee of three to consist of Colonel Smith, president of the Birmingham Trust and Savings bank; pr. F. T. Snedecor. dentist First Ma tional Bank building. member of your anti-prohibition committee, and one other to be named by yourself, to examine the books and voucher checks of the Alabama Anti-Saloon league, and determine the ex- act amount of salary I am paid per year. If the committee reports that I do re- ceive $5000 per year salary, I herewith publicly pledge myself to give 5000 to the new Birmingham Public library fund within 30 days: if on the other hand, the committee of three, referred to above, report that my salary Is less than one-half Of 5000 per veal, then you will agree to pay within % days the difference between the actual amount of my annual salary as reported by the committee and $5O0O, into the treasury of the new Birmingham Public library.
 l wish to state that whether or not receive S5000 or s5O,000 per year, it s not an issue in this campaign, but I feel that your statements are entitled to no- tfce only as means of aiding in the pro- motion of d great public enterprise in our great city.
 Failure on your part to reply within 24 hours will be construed as an admis- sion that your statements were without foundation and mere attempt to de- ceive the public. Yours truly,
 BROOKS LAWRENCE.
 Captain Smiths Reply.
 The reply sent by Captain Smith is as
 Birmingham, October 19, 1907.' MT. Brooks Lawrence, Birmingham:
 Dear SIr-Your favor of this date just at hand. Permit me to state that the report of my speech in Woodawn varies some what from what I actually said. My statement was that 1t was common ru- nor that you received >S5000 year for your work in Alabama, and I doubted whether you could earn $12O0 in your home town, Toledo, Ohio As to your statement that my remarks about you were false I have to say that my character among the people of Birmingham, where I have lived for many years, for truth and verac- ity is known. and the answer to accusa- tions of falsehood upon my part cannot receive it's proper answer on paper.
 I said you were "carpetbagger," and to my mind you fill the bill better than anyone I have seen since the days of re- construction. We welcome all men from other state, who with brains, muscle or money come among us to help build up this great county, but those who come to pull us down and to SOW seeds of dissen- tion and discord, as we believe you are doing we would like to see them go back to Ohio, where there are about nine times as many whisky licenses, and 20 times as much whisky sold and drunk as there Is in Alabama. Yours truly,
 JOHN c. SMITH