The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-10-08
Rise to Declare Mis-
representations.
AMENDMENT CHAMPION
CALLS DOWN WRATH
Attendance at Court House Beyond
Expectations Rooms
Crowded.
Presence of Women Unusual Fer Po-
litical Meeting In Montgomery.
Court Room Too SMALL To
Accommodate An Of
Attendants.

Contending that Judge weakiey had
distorted the utterance of his opponent
Hon. Emmett ONeal, In their Joint de-
bate at the Montgomery County court
house last night. large part Of the
audience arose, shouting:
He didn't say 1t; he didn't say it,
and refused to be quiet until the mat
ter had been adjusted to their satisfac-
ton.
This interruption and controversy
between Judge Weakley and a large
part of his audience was the sensation
al feature of the livel1est political
meeting held in recent years In Mont
gomery.
The controversy between the audience
and the speaker was spontaneous and
unexpected. and SO far as Montgomery
is concerned. is without precedent. The
audience. or rather q large part Of 1t.
in effect charged Judge Weakley with
distorting what Mr.. OrNeai had said
This incident the most exciting of an
exciting evening, occurred during
Judge Weakley's close. in which he
was answering the argument of Mr..
ONeal.
He did say one thing tonight which
have been hoping for and expecting
said Judge Weakley. HE made an ad-
mission here in Montgomery which ]
will quote throughout Alabama. and
which ! have been expecting. He de-
clared his purpose, and that Of his
friends, of voting down the amend
ment and when that was voted down to
elect a Legislature which will repeal
the prohibition laws of Alabama. He
proposes to repeal the prohibition
laws of Alabama WREN he has voted
down this amendment. oh. thank thee,
Roland. for that.word."
The pro-amendment people in the au-
dience cheered this utterance. but
when the cheers had died away. some
man arose and said: but he did not
say IT." And then chorus arose: HE
didn't say It.. Nav. he didn't say IT,
So many of these cries arose, SO ex-
cited did large part of the audience
become, that Judge Weakley could not
proceed He folded his arms. saying:
II have twenty minutes in which
to make my reply. l propose to stay
here all night until get those twenty
minutes"
Still the cries of "he didn't say It"
arose. One or two amendment cheers
1oined In the confusion. saying: HE
did say it." But they were drowned
out by the overwhelming contenders on
the other side.
Mr.. O'Neal declared earnestly: y
said nothing of the Sort"
A large part of the crowd stood Oh
their feet to contend as witnesses tina.
Mr.. O'Neal had said nothing of that
kind.
Judge weakley said finally:
"There is a stenographer here taking
notes. and his notes will show who Is
right"
With this the crowd quieted and
Judge Weakley took up another part
of his answer to Mr.. O'Neai.
The remark which had occasioned
this comment from Judge Weakley
was agreed upon substantially after the
speaking, as being:
THE people of Alabama have arisen
in a solid phalanx to vote down this
amendment. And when they have voted
down that amendment they will elect a
Governor and a Legislature who will
not violate their pledges to the people
of Alabama, a Governor and a Legisla-
ture who will preserve the constitu-
tional liberties of the State. They will
elect Legislature which will not have
to have a paid attorney to draw its
bills
The crowd at the Joint debate was
exceptionally large and enthusiastic.
The crowd was just as large as the
court room would accommodate. A man
on the outside said that there were
perhaps 500 people who could not get
within hearing distance of the debat-
ers. The crowd which filled the court
room, windows, outer half and gallery
was estimated at from 1900 to 1900
while a great many others could not
get within hearing distance. The
crowd was overwhelmingly in sympa-
thy with Mr.. O'Neai. In the earlier
parts of his speech he could scarcely
proceed with his arguments. 1t is
doubtful If in his career as a public
speakers he has had more enthusiast
tic audience.
Still. Judge weakley had friends In
the audience. There were not only a
number of ladies and ministers present,
but there were a number of voters
who, although in hopeless minority
made themselves heard wnen the time
came to cheer.
No man present would say that the
crowd was not overwhelmingly against
the amendment.
Mr.. O'Neal, in the debate, sarcasticaI-
" commented upon the different po-
sitions assumed by Or. Carmichael,
DR.. Weakley and DR.. Conner" in dag
nosing the Fuller and Carmichael
bills.
'They were ALL he said. explaining
and apologizing for the present dras-
tic prohibition laws adopted at the
extra session and so far they had not
agreed upon harmonious explanation"
All in all the crowd which filled
the court room to hear the discussion,
was a representative Montgomery au-
dience in that practically every class
and condition of the city's people had
representation. The crowd. for n polit-
zeal meeting in Montgomery. was
unique In the presence of a number of
women--a number not so large as was
expected according to the statements
of the pro-amendment leaders during
the day-but the representation was
probably satisfactory to the pro-
amendment leaders.
The attendance of ministers, for the
number there are in Montgomery. was
exceptionally large. The ladies and
the ministers in the Montgomery au-
dience. however. unlike those at the
Sheffield. Jasper and Guntersville de-
bates. did not I'LL the front seats. The
ladies last night occupied seats without
the railing of the court, while perhaps
200 men occupied the chairs within the
railing.
The anti-amendment people, were.