Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1909-12-04
Thu SPEECH.
OF HON. CONE JOHNSON MADE
HIM MANY FRIENDS IN THIS
CITY AND COUNTY.
GOOD CROWD HEARD HIM.
Auditorium of City Hall Was Filled
and Those Present Heard Great
Speech on State Issues-A
Pleasing Personality.

speech OH 0ldlG iSSuCS--A
Pleasing Personality.
Hon. Cone johnson, candidate for
governor, subject to the action of the
democratic party, was here yesterday,
according to announcement, and adj
dressed a splendid audience of ladies
and gentlemen in the city hall audi
forum at 2 o'clock in the afternoon
Mr.. johnson is the first of the pros
pectiye and actual candidates to visit
this city, and came at a time when
people are very busy and when the
public mind is on other matters than
politics. The campaign can hardly be
said to be open, but simply in the pre-
liminary stage. But despite these
facts, Mr.. johnson was greeted with
very complimentary audience. The
speaker was introduced by Hon. T. B.
Greenwood, who said that the two gov
ernors furnished in the past by Smith
county were men of high ideals and
characters and that the state had q
right to expect such men from Smith,
and that he felt that in the person of
Mr.. johnson another was being of
fered.
Mr.. johnson, after recognition of
the complimentary introduction, went
at once into the discussion of some
of the most important issues before
the people of the state at this time.
He said at the outset that he would
not take up his time nor that of his
audience in any personalities, but
would devote himself to state issues:
He began by declaring that he was
an old-fashioned democrat who be-
lieved in the majesty and dignity of
the law, and that he subscribed to the
principle that a state law should be
respected and enforced throughout the
state. And he believed, too, that the
laws could be enforced without any
frequent calls on the state police. He
believed public opinion could force re-
spect and observance of the law. His
remarks on this issue were well re-
eeived.
ject of state prisons and control of
penal institutions. He believes in adj
vancement along this line, in such
way as to bring Texas up to the stand
ard of other progressive states. He
declared that the state had set the ex
ample that was responsible in large
measure for the treatment of the pris-
oners by the guards and officers. He
said the state operated on the princi-
pie of how much can convict be
made to pay, hence the men in charge
sought naturally to make them pay all
that was possible. His remedy is to
abolish the lease system, to establish
system of intermediate convictions
whereby a convict could gain some
thing through obedience, and for the
betterment of the condition of the
convict in allowing him or his depend
ents the profits of whatever his labor
brought to the state, over and above
the expense Of his keep This policy
also met the approval of many in his
audience.
The next subject covered was the
reform of the Judiciary, giving a plan
whereby the wheels of justice could
not be stopped through so much tech
nicaIity, enabling the courts to dis
patch their business with less delay
and with less expense to the people |
Another subject given special atten-
ton by the speaker was that of public
roads and public schools. Mr. Johnson
laid all of the failures of the farming
sections to the Indifference to these
two things, and brought strong in
dictment against such Indifference.
The last subject discussed by Mr.
Johnson was that of statewide prohi-
bition, which he unqualifiedly en-
dorses. Mr.. Johnson declared that he
is not a wild-eyed fanatic, but that he
discusses the issue on its merits. He
answered many of the arguments of
the ants, and submitted this PROPOSE
ton: That if any one could show him
one good thing in the whiskey traffic
and could show that it was not all
evil, he would concede their discovery
and give the one virtue the benefit to
which it is entitled. His argument
was inYincible. and many present de-
clared it the finest defense of the pro-
hibition question ever heard here.
After the speech was over many of
the audience came forward and com
plimented the Tyler man on his mas
terly address. No speaker ever heard
in Palestine has more engaging per
sonality and more convincing way {
of drawing men to him than has Mr. s
johnson. And, too, he has a wonder
ful voice and the man is stamped with