Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-31

made this request of the only man /
knew I'm Georgia or elsewhere who had
a file of the paper that contained the
material I needed to meet the assault of
my opponents. l made II in open and
manly fashion, without guilt, without
misrepresentation. l made It, as l
would have made 1t of any editor, DEM
ocrat or Republican, or Populist, the file
of whose paper contained material that L
desired to use. 1 used it In the same
way that l expect to use certain files of
the Augusta Chronicle against Eve before
this campaign ends, and with no more
idea that l thereby incurred a load of
personal and political debt to Watson
that will feel am obligated to Loyless,
when at later date 1 use certain flies
Of the Chronicle to assist in defeating
Eve.
And yet, simply because he let me
have these newspapers, Mr.. Watson with
measure of egotism and self-conceit
that have rarely seen equaled and have
never seen excelled, has posed during
all these years, before theNdistrict and
before the state, as the man who sent me
to congress and kept me there II
have not publicly repudiated his preten-
sions on this subject it has been simply
because it always seemed to me particu-
larry ungracious In a successful candidate
to repudiate the claims Of any man who
boasts, after the election, that he elected
him, whether the man who makes 1t was
friend or foe. I only contradict il now.
after all these years of silence and mis-.
representation, because 1t is made the
basis Of the f1imsy charge of 'fngrati-
tude" that Mr.. Watson lays at my door.
In the campaign of 1902 Mr.. Watson did
not vote for me. He did not vote at ALL
So far as l know, or have ever heard,
he never lifted either hand or voice, in
public or in private. for me. in my con-
teFt with Mr.. Fleming.
But, this brings us to the second speci-
fication in his Indictment for "ingrati-
tude"-the state campaign of 1906. In the
national campaign of 1904 in opening his
windmill crusade of that year for the
presidency, Mr.. Watson, speaking at At
lnnta had said that IL the Democrats OF
Georgia ever got tired of chewing on the
negro ''cud." and ever got ready to real
ly disfranchise "cuffy'' he was ready to
do his part in that work and help pro-
tect and free the white people OF Georgia.
HIS ONE UNSELFISH ACT.
This was about the only statement he
made anywhere, at any time, during that
campaign that bore any real fruit.
happened to be present when he made his
speech. Early In 1905 1 informed him
that a number of Democrats, in every
part of Georgia, had determined to wage
q state campaign m 1906 to accomplish
two purposes First, to disfranchise the
negro, and place Georgia In line with the
balance of the south; and second, to ex
ercise q more thorough control over the
railroads and to free Georgia's legisla-
ture and Georgia's governor from the
control of an all-powedful lobby. I call
ed his attention to his Atlanta speech
in 1904 in favor of negro Acknowledgement
and to the pledge he had given. / urged
him to enter the Democratic primaries,
In which most of his old-time friends
we're already. participating, and to make
good his words in 1904. He agreed to
do so. Mr.. Pope Brown was the gen
tleman whose candidacy we first discuss
ed. because he was the only candidate
for governor spoken of in the public
press. with whose views on both of these
issues we were familiar and approved.
II was a fight for principle, not for men,
end when Mr. Brown decided, and wisely
decided. that Mr.. Hoke Smith could
make the race with more certainty or
success than Mr. Brown, Mr.. Watson was
not consulted simply and solely because
he was not present when Mr.. Brown
made that decision When the
change was finally made and Mr..
Smith became candidate and Mr..
Brown retired, Mr.. Watson, after consid-
cradle baking at Mr.. Smith, whom he
aid not like, either personally or politi-
cally, agreed to support him because he
thought, as he expressed himself, that
the principles at Sake were vastly more
important than the personality OF the
candidate This decision of Mr. Wat
sons was, in my opinion, the one unset
fish act of his whole political career.
1t was the one act that made me think
Ia,
in the past, and that his personal ha-
treds and iislikes were not as strong
as his patriotism. There is no need to
lengthen the story. Smiths overwhelm-
ing victory followed. FOR Watson's
part in this campaign l have always
given him not only the praise that was
due him, but extravagant praise, in pub
lie and in private. To this day, and
now l feel, and 1 freely acknowledge
It, that the thanks of the people are due
him for the valuable aid that he rem
dered in this critical fight for negro
Acknowledgement and for the proper
contro. o. me corporations. Nothing that
he can do, nothing that he has done In
the past, or may do in the future can
detract from the just praise that he Is
entitled to for his conduct in that cam
paign Thank God for once the man In
him arose superior to his pre1udies'
higher than his mates. But, the luea
that / was under personal or political
obligations to him for his conduct In
this campaign never once entered my
head. AS 1 understood 1T, as I lived IT,
as / .elt It, our fight was for principle,
not for men. The principles at stake
were all-important to me, at least, and L
never once dteSned that Tom Watson
or anybody else could think otherwise.
The issues were what fought for and
wNat I thought Watson fought for, and
VIII ether the governors name was Brown,
Smith or Jones, mattered not one whit
to me.
But, let US pass to another specifica-
ton in thfs remarkable Indictment for
'fnEratitude," with Thomas z. Watson
as it's prosecutor
am charged with ingratitude because
watson says he kept the Joe Brown
leaders from giving me opposition In
1908. II so, he did 1t without my knowl-
edge, and without my request. While
did not want to be bothered with his
friend McGregor in 1905, because I had
more important fish to try, have never
been afraid of his friend McGregor in
1902, in 1905, in 1908, or in 1910, VIII ether
backed by Watson or not -"
Still another specification: that in
the campaign OF 1908 I was guilty of
''ingratitude" towards my self-confessed
"benefactor" and ally" because I
would not allow him to differ