The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-19

on the fair sex, but in order that every seat might be filled with a voter.
 Upshaw Speaks
 w. D. Upshaw, the George cyclone' spoke to a crowded house tonight at Rebie hail in this city and amid rousing cheers and applause delivered one of his characteristic prohibition discussions.
 w. M. McEwing, secretary of the Bes- semer Saloon Opposition league, intro- duced Orville Coston, of Birmingham, who made a 15 minutes talk on/ the Smith bill and referred to Patterson of Tennessee and ONeal of Alabama as the Gold Dust Twins
 The speaker of the evening, MT Up- shaw, was next introduced and pleased his audience with his caustic flow of language.
 Among other things Mr. Upshaw made the following reply to the Bijou speak CTS who attacked him last evening in Birmingham
 "I was amazed" said MT. Upshaw, lon my return to Birmingham yesterday to find that a playful, passing remark in my speech at the Soldiers Reunion last Saturday, had been distorted by the sa- loon advocates and made to appear as an attack on foreigners.
 "As hundreds of people will testify these are the simple facts: Being in Ala bama filling some platform lecture dates | was invited to address the old soldiers being told that after the patriotic DOT ton of my address I would be expected to say something about citizenship 1T the prohibition campaign.
 Toward the conclusion of my speeef I said: But, my fathers in gray. there are no Yankees to shoot now-and we are all glad of it. But the giant intem perance must be fought for the sake O yourselves and your children. And suppose 1t Is not amiss for an American citizen from Georgia to touch upon th' prohibition campaign inasmuch as l have | been told that the list of speakers on tn, other side contains some unpronounciblt | names q tried to pronounce the name: | but couldnD and if you have mar from Syria another from Jerusalem anC another from Italy 1t seems like they ought to have gentleman of color, SC Africa would be represented also.'
 'It was just a little piece of fun, nat. ural in debate. Up to that time I had never seen one of the speakers to know | him, and never dreamed of making a racial or personal reflection. But. honest l injun, it don't sound very American to l have so many funny-sounding names among the defenders of the saloon. MT Jones Moore. who heard the playful remark, saw the spirit in which it was done, and not one of the saloon
 
 Elk ourie, referred to my remark in their speeches that followed. Alhsion to Bowman "Verily, that remark was a small thing to tear MT. P. G. Bowman from the bosom of his family over in South Carolina to rush back to, the battle. to make me the special subject of his speech at the Bijou last night. l am told also that one of the speake CTS, in blundering ignorance, last night re- ferred to me as s. E. Smart Aleck Upshaw, while MT. Bowman himself, in the absence of any argument, called me 'Upstart' Upshaw. and MT. Ton Long referred to me as the imported preacher from Georgia who had desert ed his high and holy calling to insult those who saw fit to differ from him.
 All this, ladies and gentlemen, is very gratuitous on the part or MT Long.
 "To begin with the gentleman from Georgia Is not ordained preacher. | am just a plain every day sort Of work for God and humanity, without apology to any of the army of satan who may oppose.
 q have no titles, thank you, but as editor of The Golden Age and as a lec- turer to American youth 1t is a part of my high and holy calling to stand for the home by fighting the saloon the saloon that can only prosper on the downfall of somebody's boys and girls.
 q stated in my Pinson speech that spoke not as Georgian to Ala bamians but as an American to Americans con- corning the greatest curse In American political and social life.
 Tt was the general comment that my Pinson speech Gas my speeches all ways are) wsa free from all bitterness But l will just add that if Messrs. How ard. Long and Bowman who went out of their way to fling coarse jests and mud at me last night really want a chance at the gentleman from Geor- gia,' l hereby dare any ar all of them to meet me anywhere in the Birmingha district to discuss the issues of this campaign. l will take them one at a time or all three in a bunch, just so the crowd won't go to sleep while l am trying to keep the flies off of them. Come on, ye valiant defenders of the saloon. and there will be crutches and red hair falling around there for about three days"
 There were nearly 200 men and wom- en present, whose loud clapping and exclamations of approval resounded even Into the meeting below.
 General News