The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-05
Letters to The Editor
THn orrLrkA MEETING.
A Fair statensent ef 1t and The Ad-
 vertiser's Report. ,.o.

Vert0&ro Report'
 Opelfka, Oct. 2, lSos. Editor The Advertiser:
 Tn Justice to The Advertiser ana lts readers and In defiance of all disputers or the report of the Brooks Lawrence address at the mass meeting held in night or September 1s, 1903, l desire to get at the facts as to what was really said by the speaker of the occs-
 further desire to commend the ed- itors of The Advertiser for their efforts to get at the facts as to what was re- ally said by the speaker of the occasion
 On hearing that the report was dis- puted by a number of the leading nit, izens of Opelika, Major Screws called me, over long distance phone, saving thst he had prepared an editorial m defence of Governor Sanford as against the slurs supposed to have been cast py the Rev. Brooks Lawrence, but that ne would withhold 1t pending an investi- gation of the report.
 I called up several parties Whose names were to the denial-there were not so many as Major Screws thought. being only ntneteen-and one or the number, am sure, against the consti,, tutional amendment-and was told about as follows:
 One man, a minitser of the Gospel. said that there was a reference to for mer Governors. but that the speaker were present at the mass meeting in Montgomery.
 One man said that there was some thing said along the line that former administrations had been dominated by the liquor influence.
 If you will look up the file that con tains the denfals you will see that the nineteen deniers did not deny the fact that the Rev. Brooks did not say you can not trust your Legislatures
 The denial of the report was very technical; they apoiogized for 4lenying A. P. McFerrin introduced the speaker.
 The facts were about as follows: There were probably 500 people present, not over one-third were men; not all the men present were rf for rot the ths, amend
 Having taken such an ardent interest in the candidacy of Governor Sanford. who was consistent prohibitionist. and whose gubernatorial throat would have been cut by some who are grand high priests in the Conner Brooks Lawrence camp, I resented the remarks or the Rev. Lawrence, not for Sanford alone, Veteran, Win. c. Oates. who had lost an arm in the defense of Southern or States Rights" and who was too much a. soldier to resign and retire from ser been an exemption. l am ashamed of the Alabamian who made the remark that certain man who had been elect ed to the Governorship on the empty
 In explaining what was really said by the imported divine from Ohio. I can only explain the report of The Advertiser in this way:
 I am against the amendment and MT. Brooks Lawrence too. I went to the Court House and had 1t put in thor ough condition for the meeting and went up to see that all were comfort, of my choice. so I went as critic, and looking for what he might say that was not right and ready to take issue with him if he made misstatements. made at my instance and l assume the responsibility of 1t with the trifiing discrepancies above referred to. Sev- eral parties called me up. just after The sent that report to the paper; l said no, because I did not send the report as it was printed, literally. ha ying been sent in by phone and chopped np." to way, but not the fault of The Ad- Vertiser
 Numbers of very good people were present at the meeting and do not re- the tune but not the words; the tune was prohibition regardless of any oth- CT consequences and they assented to 1t. It was a prohibition meeting and would consider an undesirable citi- gen." But pro-pro- q mean pro-pro- hibition) was the theme and woe be unto him that opposed 1t.
 voted for prohibition and will do so again, as to Lee County, but it is not right that should vote something on Mobile or Jefferson County that was not right. Local option is the only fair and reasonable solution of the whiskey question. and the people-the mass of the white people should say what is right and not a paid lobbyist who would intimidate and coerce leg iSla fnra fha State CQnifO1
 Knowing that the merits of this ques- tion will be ably discussed from "the stump" I will not argue further here.
 J. B. Lyons.