The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-26
CARTOONS STIR
GOVERNORS IRE
Resents Implications in Age
Herald Columns
LENGTHY STATEMENT
Denies That He Is Under Domination
of whisky Interests and the
Louisville and Nashville
Railroad"

Montgomery November 25.-(Special)
The governor of Alabama this afternoon
gave out statement in reply to several
recent cartoons in The Birmingham Age
Herald, inferentially charging him with
being under the domination of the
whisky interest and the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad company
The governors statement is as follows:
Recently it became my duty to ap-
point a United States senator Both Mr..
Frank p. Glass and Mr.. e. w Barrett
were applicants. l could not select both,
and because finally appointed Mr.. Glass
Mr.. E. w. Barrett Immediately proceeded
to take deep offense.
Before made the appointment wrote
Mr.. Barrett a letter in which In very
frank and friendly terms I mentioned that
the necessity of making a choice between
| friends was one of the most embarra ssing
and disagreeable features of The appoint
ing power, but that after careful consid-
Grafton 1 had selected Mr.. Glass for the
appointment. Mr.. Barrett, however, de-
| clined to accept my Letter in the very
! friendly spirit in which 1t was written.
Sunday night a week ago | was aroused
after midnight by the incessant ringing
| Of the telephone. So violent and persistent
was the call that concluding at that late
| hour some matter of life or death was
involved | sleepily responded. Mr.. Bar
rett answered and in vigorous language
proceeded to express his undying opposi-
| tion to Mr.. Glass appointment He most
| earnestly protested against my right to
| use my executive power to select one
L
not appreciate the force of his logic.
Mr. Barrett seemed to have overlooked
| the fact that if l had selected him L would
nave done the very thing against which
| he protested-I would have necessarily
| lave selected one editor over another
Moreover, If / had appointed a lawyer
a banker, merchant or farmer would
l not have made a choice between men
In the same profession or business? /
could not therefore yield to the force OF
Mr. Barretts argument, because If
had 1 would have practically eliminated
every prominent man in Alabama from
consideration.
I had foolishly supposed that Mr.. Bar
rett would appreciate the high honor [
proposed doing the great profession to
which he belonged but | soon discovered
that he was vehemently insisting that all
editors but himself should be barred. and
that L could not appease in any degree
his wrath unless l wholly declined to
consider any editor as eligible. will saw
in justice to Mr.. Barrett that he frankly
told me the dire consequences that would
follow Mr.. Glass appointment, and frank
ly warned me that if l persisted In my
stubborn course l might expect criticism
and attack from his powerful journal.
Unfortunately, l am so constituted as to
be somewhat callous to hints of this char
| acter. have never learned 70 fellow
4 1a ~ L.,
always been so foolish as to tread that
| path which l honestly believed was
marked out by duty. My mother trained
me at her knees to fear but two things
God and my conscience. | am now too
fixed in my ways-too stubborn, if YOU
please, to yield my honest convictions or
sense of duty to the threats or wrath
OF any man. or any journal, however
powerful or influential it may be- Mr.
Barrett, however, promptly proceeded to
carry out his threats. I had yainly hoped
that a nights slumber would calm his
ruffled spirits and convince him that the
attitude he had assumed was without
logic or justice. No-his wrath must be
appeased by humiliatlng me and discred-
itng my administration.
Cartoon of Wednesday
"On Wednesday, Immediately following
Mr.. Glass appointment. The Age-Herald
contained a cartoon THE Voice of the
Masters in which I am represented as
listening. in the form of a dog, to the
compelling and controlling voices of the
liquor interest and the Louisville and
Nashville railroad-in other words Mr.
Barrett attempted to convey the insult
Ing charge that Mr.. Glass appointment
was dictated by these combined interests
Again, on Thursday, appeared another
cartoon, in which l am represented as
heinz la.rf a.,
refusing to convene the Legislature In OK
traordinary session to relieve the fnan-
cial difficulties of the city of Birmingham.
Il did not intend to give any notice to
these cartoons-puerile, vicious and insult
ing though they were, because / was lib
eral enough to recognize the spirit of bit
ter personal disappointment and unchar-
liable hostility to a rival editor by which
they were inspired. Yet, since they have
been made the basis by certain opposition
journals in the state to recommence
against me and my administration a Bit
ter campaign of abuse, slander and false
MOOD, further silence on my part would
be misconstrued. Some of these journals
have sleefully reproduced these cartoons
and filled their columns with loose-tongue
rumor and cowardly innuendo. 1t NAV be
that the privilege of circulating falsehood
ana slander is now claimed as a legal
right by few disreputable Journalists
III Alabama which no public official
should dare to challenge. My position.
however, does not deprive me of the right
of self-defense, and l am always ready
to defend my character and my adminis-
tration as well against the honest critics
as the journalistic thug
Must Be Based on Truth
"A cartoon or lampoon to be effective
must be based on some semblance of
truth. Mr.. Barrett has been very frea
IN his advice to me. and / trust he will
permit me to say that in my opinion as
Well as In the judgment of every i'm
partial citizen of the state he has no
moral or legal right to make a journal
supposed to be engaged in a public serv-
Ice the vehicle for the expression and
qualification of personal hostility.
Every man familiar with political his.
tory in Alabama knows that the Louis.
Vile and Nashville railroad bitterly op-
ence they possessed was freely used to
encompass my defeat. From the begin
ming of my administration | have stood
upon the wise principles proclaimed in
the last state democratic platform as to
public service corporations:
We favor legislation which will safe
guard the rights of the public against
such corporations, just and impartial serv-
ice and efficient and courteous perform
ances of their duties, but we condemn
any legislative attempts to cripple such
corporations by enactments which are
harsh, retaliatory or inspired by a spirit
of hostility