Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-08-29
MARTIN ANSWERS
J0NES's CHARGES.
Senator Uses Plain Language
In Academy Speech at
Richmond.

/
Richmond, Va, Aug. 29.-Takin,
up in detail the charges made agalns
him during the campaign by his op
ponent and recoun ting his own recors
as a public servan, Senator Thomas
Is. Martip, in an address at the Acad
eny Of Music last night, laid his cas'
before the people of Richmond and 0
Virginia.
Senator Martin was obviously an
CRY. Yet he was as collected, as care
full in his language, aud as deliberate
in stating bis points, as in any OF the
few political addresses which have
been events in his career.
Therefore the denunciations which
be visited upon his opponent bore the
stamp of prelneditation and delibera
ton. As a matter Of fact, most 0!
them appear in his carefully prepared
written speech. He started out with
the express intention to combat the
accusations which, he said, had been
'unjustly, maliciously and offensive
ly" made against him, and of so dis
proving them as to destroy the credl-
bility Of Mr.. Jones in Virginia. This
he accomplished to the satisfaction OF
his friends in the audience, if the
applause which he received is a criter-
ion. To gain his point, be announced,
he proposed to call a spade a spade.
He did it.
The charge made against him that
he was lobbyist before the Virginia
Legislature in the interest of the rail-
roads. Senator Martin characterized as
'infamously, basely, inexcusably, ma
liciously false" He challenged the
production of a single witness to the
charge. If any railroad company, he
said, could show that il ever employed
him to appear in its interest before a
legislative body he would resign his
seat in the Senate. No member of the
General Assembly, he continued, could
say that he had ever solicited bis vote,
for if he did say so he would be liar.
Il have met this old charge time and
time again" said the Senator. I have
put the brand LIAR on the FORE
head of eyerv man who utters it."
Repeating his former explicit state.
ment, Senator Martin declared: | have
never represented any railroad or any
other corporation, or any Individual,
before any legislative body, for COM
pensation or without compensation.
The J. S. B. Thompson letters re-
ceived a good deal of Senator Martins 8
attention. He first said that he had
never known a man of honor who
would use for his own purposes prop
erty he knew to have been stolen.
But, he added, this was not his defense,
but was only referred to for the pur-
pose of discrediting Mr.. Jones as a
witness The letter to himself he could
not recall, but did not dispute it. 1t
was simply in reference to campaign
contribution.
The senator went into his record on
the tariff, the ship subsidy, the Wash
ington Union Station, and other matters
referred to by Mr.. Jones in extended
detail, which the audience stood for re-
markably we'll. He said he had voted
for revenue tariff on lumber and other
articles sosthat everything the South
buys would not be tariff taxed while
everything this section produced came
in free.
He denied emphatically and fatty
that he had ever voted for protective
tariff. Discussing his support OF tax
OF 81. % on lumber, be referred to the
fact that Representative Carter Glass
not only voted for tariff on lumber,
but made speech for it. Mr.. Jones
is supporting Mr.. GLASS;" said Senator
Martin. yet be seeks to prove that | am
am a democrat when / supported the
same principle as that espoused by Mr..
Glass and by Senator DaLiel and most
OF the Virginians in Congress with a
majority OF the democratic senator's. .
Although lie had voted with Senator
Aldrich when Aldrich voted right, .
he declared he had cast bis vote against
the Payne-AIdrlch bill when the meas.
ure came up on its passage, because
the South had been Disseminated
against.
When the senator arose to begin his
speech, scores of the audience arose
and cheered vigorously for some min.
utes. This was repeated twice during
the meeting. When Senator Martin
said he would win by $4,000 votes,
hats and haudkerchiets were vigorously
waved and hands and feet we're brought
into action.