The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-18
Chairman Forney Johnston
Makes Statement on prog
ress of the Campaign
is VIGOROUS IN HIS
THRUSTS AT HOBSON
Says Only Patronage Requested by
Hobson Was for Negro Spigener,
Who Is Still on the
Pay Roll
The case Of spigener!


House was for negro gentleman
by the name of Spigener from the
Sixth district who draws s720 a year.
He was appointed May II, 1911, and is
still the single beneficiary of Captain
Hobsons endeavors in the way of pat
ronage"
Thus Forney Johnston. campaign
manager for Oscar W. Underwood, re-
plies to the "hallucinations of the SIM
pie minded" who persist in talking of
Mr. Underwood's "colored secretaries"
In the statement issued last night,
Mr.. Johnston declined to concede a
single county to Hobson, not even Hale.
He predicts an overwhelming victory
with jefferson leading with an Under
wood majority of between 5000 and
60O0.
Fury and senseless charges and
misrepresentation have shrunk to the
proper perspective and the contest has
got beyond the stage of noise and de-
ceit," he says.
| With this paragraph, Mr., Johnston
proceeds in the following statement to
sive an outline of the situation:
"NOt Even Hale"
"The news from over the state is,
without exception. fine. There never
has been any doubt of the result and
the reports from all quarters are daily
more reassuring. There are a few coun-
ties, less than half dozen. in which
local conditions have delayed our work
Of systematic organization and these
gaps will be closed in the coming week.
We do not concede a single county
against Mr.. Underwood--not even
Hale.
This campaign has been a remark
able one on account of Captain Hob
sons established method of personal
abuse. The great body of the people
have respect for any man in public
place and when Captain Hobson rose
In his fine frenzy at Wetumpka and
said that Mr.. Underwood was the tool
and dupe of criminal interests--but
otherwise perfect conference.-the
people. were puzzled. They did no.
know Captain Hobson and they knew
Mr., Underwood more as a national fig
ure than as a great and lovable Ala
| bamian. Fury and senseless charges
ana instrumentation have shrunk to
the proper perspective and the contest
| has gotten past the stage of noise and
| deceit although We hear the simple
| minded still talking about Mr.. Under
woods negro secretaries and other
mental hallucinations. in order to
oounteract Hobson's attitude on the
Filipino cadets, Brownsville, etc.
amiably overlooking the fact that the
only patronage requested by Captain
flobson of the democratic House was
for negro gentleman by the name of
SpiSener from the Sixth district who
draws s720 a year at the capitol, was
appointed May II. 1911, and Is still the
single beneficiary of Captain Hobson's
enoeavors in the way of patronage!
The result is that this race has been
reduced to the only issue which should
have been raised-the self-control ex-
perience. efficiency and legislative san
iity of the two candidates. Men out of
the state have been shocked at the re-
mote possibility of Mr.. Underwood be-
ing deliberately retired from public life
and number of inquiries have been
received by me from men who enjoy
national confidence. 1t has been a
pleasant privilege to be able to reas-
sure them.
HObsOn to Remain
From now on Mr.. Underwood's COM
mittee intends to keep matters NOV
ing. We are informed that Captain
Hobson Will remain in Alabama until
the primary, and proposes to make 500
speeches. in addition to the 500 or 400
he has already delivered, and also
proposes to continue the statements
which were too much for the profound
patience and forbearance of Mr.. Under
wood-such as the statement that Mr..
Underwood took a tax off of liquor
and put 1T on the cotton bagging and
| ties of the farmer.
II have prepared the exact facts with
reference to this matter and VIII pub
lish 1t Immediately. A stenograpic re-
port of Captain Hobson's speeches will
be quoted to show that when he made
and repeated-and still repeats-the
statement about cotton bagging and
ties he could not be excused on the
| ground of ignorance or msunderstand-
| ing and that when he made the state
rent about a tax on liquor he with
held all material facts except one and
distorted that-the truth being that
the tax referred to by him was an in
ternal revenue tax proposed to be i'm
| posed on sweet wines fortified by
brandy or pure spirits and exempting
wines preserved by benzoate of soda or
other chemicals. the sole purpose of
the tax being to discriminate against
/ pure wines and in favor of the chem
! ically preserved wines of Ohio. Mr..
| Underwood explained to Captain Hob
son long before he announced for the
| ntHdtt lndt Ht was opppSeu 10 tue III
sertion of that tax in the tariff bill
| in the shape it was proposed, but that
| if Hobson or any other member desired
| to subject all wines to an internal rev.
| enue tax he would be glad to arrange
| for hearing this winter in order that
no unfair measure or one deleterious to
public health might be adopted Cap
| tain Hobson has been too busy this
winter to tax wines-except on the
stump
Persistent in Error
"On account of Captain Hobson's per-
sistence in error, we expect to accept
| the generous offers of score of the
men in front rank in public life in
the democratic party in Alabama to
! take the stump for Mr.. Underwood.
The present plan is for two speakers of
note to hold a joint meeting at the
county seats and large towns in each
county and to diverge from those
| points with local speakers and cover
| the county.
| with the avalanche of orders which
have been pouring in on the printers
for the campaign book. we think the
/ facts will get to every democrat in
/ Alabama who has an open mind and
viii read. The rest will respond to
I the sincere appeal of Mr.. Underworld S
I friends who consider him the greatest
single personal asset of the state, and
IF we don't make 1t unanimous, 1t Will
be because Captain Hobson has mes
merized some gentleman into the con-
n Of I,lf lf-x~h u