The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-17
ROBSON AND DAVIS IN JOINT DEBATE The Negro Is Made Basis Of
 Attack FIVE THOUSAND PRESENT Both Speakers Are Caustic In Their Charges and Counter Charges.
 First Joint Debate of
 Long Campaign.
FIVE THOUSAND PRESENT
BY VICTOR P. WHITE.

5000 people, assembled in a grove adjoining the Agricultural school, Capt. R. P. Hob- son and W. c. Davis met In the first de- bate of the congressional campaign with the issue centered on the negro question: This was perhaps the most picturesque meeting in north Alabama since the po- litical battles during the days of recon struction
 MT. Davis opened the discussion by saying that the great question at issue in this campaign was whether or not this should be white mans government. He charged that Captain Hobson, by his vote on the Brownsville bill, had favored the reinstatement of the negro troops and that by his introduction of the bill pro- viding for the attendance of Filipinos at the Naval Academy and the attendance df one Porto Rican at West Point and the Naval Academy he thereby stood for negro officers in the army and navy.
 He charged that Captain Hobson had accomplished but little in Congress- that he had been absent much of the time and criticised him for engaging in his lectures He stated that Hobson had been disloyal to the Confederacy and misrepresented the sentiment of the district in saying in his speech in Congress in defense of the south that he was glad that he had been born under the stars and bars
 He wound up his speech with an appeal that Captain Hobson be repudiated by his district for his position on the negro position and his advocacy of a big navy, claiming that he was not in accord with l,f1 ters. He also advocated the establish ment of tuberculosis hospitals with the money that Hobson would spend on the navy.
 Hobson Replies.
 In his reply Captain Hobson stated that he was glad to come back to the district and give an account of his stewardship. He though it right to submit his record, but regretted that the campaign had been opened so early. He said that he would first take up some matters that he had been misrepresented in. He said that Davis had quoted him in The Age-Herald in his announcement and that he had re- peated this in numerous papers of the state and district and he therefore wanted to file one Or two written charges against MT. Davis so that there might be no mis- take. He read the following, giving MT. Davis copy:
 "I hereby charge that in quoting me as saying All men are the same and omit ting the rest, namely, We are standing here on the field of eternal justice where all men are the same, you have deliber- ately, Intentionally and knowingly mis- quoted me with intentions to deceive the voters of the district. This was like say ing the Bible said that there Is no God, while it really says that fool has said in his heart there is no God"
 He then read another written charge, as follows:
 T hereby charge that in representing my bills to authorize the attendance of five midshipmen at the Naval Academy from the Philippine Islands and one from Porto Rico as advocating negro officers in the army and navy you have repeated ly, deliberately and knowingly misrepre- sented the facts with intention to deceive the voters of the district"
 Explains Bills.
 He then explained how his bill would not let negroes in; in fact, there were very few negroes in either place. He demanded that Davis answer these charges, or if he failed he should not be given the confidence of voters; for under the old legal maxim of false in one, false in all, he would not be entitled to be- lief He then took up the question of absence and challenged Davis to give the dates of absence and Davis declined.
 He then told about man who had represented Marion county in the legis- lature and in one 50-day session had failed to vote on 356 roll calls, and, turning to Davis. said
 AS Jonathan said to David of old, Thou art the man He followed this up
  had voted against the railroad rate reg ulation bill and bill to establish railroad commission in 1896. also against a bill to provide for constitutional convention by which the negro was eliminated from politics and why he further voted to ap- propriate $500 to Booker Washington's negro school, the highest endowed school in the south. He asked Davis to ex- plain many other bills that he had voted on.
 He asked Davis to cast the beam out of his own eye before he began to look for notes in his neighbours eye.
 Takes Up Record.
 Captain Hobson then took up his own record, stating what he had accomplished since he had been in Congress. dealing ct length with departmental work he had done, and reviewed what had been accomplished in an agricultural way for I1B QlbtIlCl. flo 4pldluou ui5 pOSltlOH in regard to the Brownsville bill This bill he said, provided for an investiga- ton, the first legal military grand jury ever called, and he hoped that as TO- suit somc of the guilty might be dIs- covered and the innocent, if any, rein stated. He spoke earnestly of the white mans supremacy. saying that he was against the negro in the army and navy. but he should be excluded by regular legal methods He said that his standard was to obey his conscience and to him there was nothing else to be done but vote for the Brownsville bill, He discussed brief ly the matter of a merchant marine, his position on tho tariff and the question of the democratic party's position on the navy, stating that the plank in the last | national platform was tho strongest ever | put out by any party. He took up the | question of his democracy. and told why | he was Q democrat from principle. He | wound Up with plea for the voters not l to be influenced by such demagoguery , and said that he had made good.
 DavIs ls lBtter.
 At thu conclusion of his speech Mir. | Davis attempted to speak, but so great | was ths applause and cheers for Hobson | that 1t was some time before he could haaia