The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-02
NEIL TAXES ISSUE WITH STATEMENT
 MADE BY H. B. GRAY
Says Organization Which Secured Nomination of Underwood Not Unani-
 nous for Conner
By l.. $. BETTY

| ny i S DEITY Montgomery May 1.-fSpecial
 ''rhe statement attributed to Henry B
 Gray. former lieutenant governor d
 stanch supporter of B. B. Conner for gov ernor contained in The Age Herald oI 1 Friday, that the orga nization which se-
 cured the nomination of oscar W. Un- derwood by magnificent majority IS
 practically unanimous in it's support oi
 MT Conner. is not borne out by fact. stated R. F.. l. Mel who is secre- tary of the Henderson state campaign committee and who was assistant to Chairman Forney Johnston of the un- derwood campaign committee. "Mr. Gray states" said MT. Mel that first of all Forney Johnston, state manager for MT. Underwood. is a supporter of MT. Conner. Mr. John ston assured me on Wednesday that he would positively take no part in |the gubernatorial campaign and that he had declined to be quoted in any way in the matter. This position of MT. Johnston is borne out.-by his re- fusal on the Friday following the April primary to acceed to the wishes of Mr Gray himself, MT. Donald Conner and MT. Murray Brown, who called upon him to make certain statements regarding matters in one of the con gressional districts of the state MT. Gray states that MT. Underwood's man. ager in the First district was Harry T. Hartwell, who is supporting MT. Co., The of ba eli Ia paign committee from the First dis :. trict for MT. Underwood was Hon T. M. Stevens. MT. Hartwell having been until he became a candidate for the state senate the Mobile county mana ger for MT. Underwood and having properly resigned when he became a candidate.
 "Of the nine members of the state campaign committee of MT. Underwood, Messrs Stevens of the First, Murphree | of the Seventh and Ashcraft of the eighth are supporting MT. Henderson, | according to my information. The Un- derwood organization, however, con sisted in the main of a campaign man ager for every county in Alabama and the following well known democrats, | leaders in their several counties who managed to a successful issue, in most | instances, MT. Underwood's campaign, are now giving their cordial support to Mr. Henderson, many of them being the county managers for MT. Hender- son and predicting his success on May II:
 Henderson Supporters
 "Autauga H. F. Gipson Baldwin.
 Frank s. Stone, Barbour, s. II. Dent; Calhoun. H. T. Pearsons: Chambers, C. | s. Moon; Cherokee, Hugh Reed: Chil- | ton, T. A. Curry; Choctaw, F. L. Bar | field; Cleburne. W. G. Porter; Coffee, 10. c. Doster. Jr.; Coosa. D. Julius
 Jones; Cullman, W. E. James,, Cren-
 shaw, J. F. Walker; Dale. A. B. Byrd Fillmore. H. J. Lancaster; Escambia, G. w. L. Smith; Fayette J. M. Hoffman; Franklin Travis Williams; Geneva, w O. Mulkey; Greene A. P. Smith; Hale,
 E. D. Gewin: Henry, Walter B. Oates: Houston. Joe Baker; Jackson Judge J.
 B. Tally: Lee, N. P. Renfroe; Lime
 stone. H. B. Malone; Madison, R. E.
 Spragins; Monroe, pr. A. B. Coxwell Marshall, w. c. Reyburn Mobile T
 M Stevens; Perry, H. c. Howze Pick ems, Jack Pratt; Pike, John Gamble Russell H. A. Farrell; Shelby, w. B. Browne; Sumter, w. w. Patton; Talla- jpoosa, T. B. Rylance; Walker, A B.
 Aldredge; Washington. j. D. Turner Jr.; Wilcox. P. c. Jenkins-40. Conner Supporters
 "The following are supporting MT. Co mer:
 "Butler, w. c. Coker: Clay. W. M,
 Lackey; Covington, w. s. Harlan; Dal las, E. c. Melvin; Etowah, w. P. Lay;
 Lawrence, Judge J. c. Kumpe, ILowndes. Judge J. c. Wood; Macon
 Judge Milo tAbercrombie Marengo, B.
 F. Elmore; Montgomery, E. c. Watts
 Morgan. Samuel Blackwell; Talladega
 Kelly Dixon; Tuscaloosa, W. w. Bran | don---13.
 '"rhe preference in the gubernatorial contest of the following are unknown
 to me:
 "Bibb. j. T. Ellison: Blount L. o. 1 Box; Clarke. J. ]. Dunn; Colbert, Dr. w H. Blake; Conecuh E. J. McCreary DeKalb. w. L. Haralson: Jefferson,
 Frank Hewett; Lamar. w. W. Ogden: Lauderdale Paul Hodges; Marion Dr. w. H. Howell Randolph, R. l.. Hooten St. Clair, J. P. Montgomery; Winston, J. A. Stanger-14.
 l 'In stating the political preference of any number of gentlemen mistakes may creep in, however much care is exercised. but the foregoing Is accur- ate according to my information. l "If MT. Gray or the Conner shouters, l who. following the tactics of Captain l Hobson, are making vast noise which Tools nobody but themselves. can get any comfort out of the preferences of the Underwood organization, they are welcome to 1t. but the facts should not be misstated even in this primary as 1t was in the last for defeat ever fol- lows such a course"