The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-07-10
THE SPLENDID RECORD OF
HONORABLE j. R. WALKER
(From The Vaidost Tines)

The hope was expressed by many
friends Of both contestants OF the
present Congressional race in this
district that the canvass, so far con-
Quoted so clearly and orderly, might
continue without and eliminating
and recriminating accusation, from
either side. AS far as the candidacy
of Hon. j. R. Walker is conc erned
not word has been heard either
from him or from any of his friends
that would even border on anything
like an unfair remark, still less an
unfair accusation. 1t was hoped by
the friends of both gentlemen that
this good condition might continue
but the developments of the past few
days do not bear this hope out.
The Waycross Evening Herald in
its issue of Wednesday, June 26th,
had an editorial on the subject of
" A Matter of Record" in which by
distorting the actual Record it ac-
cuses Mr. Walker of not only being
y
perience, thus seeking to belittle his
superb ability as his friends know him
but also charges in effect that while a
member of the Georgia General AS
sembly he failed to do his duty be-
cause he did not vote on a number of
roll calls upon which a vote ~vas or
dered. 1t goes further and names
number of bills upon which Il claims
the Record shows that he did not vote
either affirmatively or negatively, and
thereby shirked his duties.
Now to belt tle a man on account
of his youth is certainly pueri!e. Hon.
w G. Brantley, when first elected to
Congress, was but thirty-six and
Georgia has never had an ADLER rep
resentative than he has become The
candidate from Lowndes is two years
older and to try to belittle his can
didacy on account of his age with
the example of the present encum-
bent before our eyes comes with very
poor grace The charge that at one
particular session of the Legislature
Mr.. Walker failed to vote a number
of times on roll call without going
behind the records in order to look
for the cause, and also to take one
session only out of three sessions that
were held during the life of the Gen.
eral Assembly of 1907-S, upon which
to base the charge of the non per-
formance of duty, appears as a plain
effort of not only desiring to be I'M
fair, but also seeking to make a gen.
eral impression upon the voters that
would be far from the truth.
The Record shows that Mr.. Walker
answered every general roll cal dur
ing the regular sessions of 1907 and
the regular and special session of
1908. The Record further shows that
Mr.. Walkers ability was Sc generally
recognized that although being a new
member he was given membership in
seven of the most important commit
tees in the house of representatives,
as follows:
1. Amendments to the Constitution.
2. General Judiciary.
3. Special Judiciary-vice chairman
4. Education.
5. Railroads.
6. Public Property.
Z. University of Georgia end it's
branches.
The Herald, in this connection. in
its spirit of extreme unfairness to-
wards Mr.. Walker, fails to state that
80 per cent of legislation is not done
in either house of the general assem-
bly,, but in the several committees.
Also that the most important commit
tees, like some of these in which Mr..
Walker held membership. often hold
sessions while the general assembly
is also in session, and that the men,
bers of such committees are called
from their committee rooms to vote
only upon the most important meas
ures. In fact, eXcepting such bills that
are OF paramount Importance ike the
prohibition bill, disfranchisement law.
the abolition Of the convict system,
etc, seldom but few over a quorum,
ever voted and it was often with diff
Guilty that such quorum was secured.
The Herald charges that Mr.. Walker
is on record as having voted on less
than As per cent of the bills and mo-
tons that came up in roll call. This,
however, is not true, The Herald has
made the fatal mistake of accepting
the figures of another-the same over
enthusiastic young man that wrote
the advertisement of like tenor as
The Herald's editorial, which appears
in the Hazlehurst News, furnished the
Herald with the data, a lot of which
is not borne out by The Record. The
Record will show that MIR. Walker,
although having so much committee
work to do, still voted on practically
60 per cent of the bills and motions on
roll call. And those roll calls on
which he did not vote, many were mo-
tons to adjourn, to reconsider, or
bills against which there was TO on