Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-15
Hon. r. 0. Cochran Stirs
South Georgia Voters
In FOrcefuL Address

| IVA ~AA5 @@4
guments-His Speech in
Full.
CAMBRIDGE, GA. March
l4.-Pledging himself always
the champion Of righteous meth
DDS in business and the enemy
of fanaticism and experimental
laws that destroy confidence
and wreck progress, Ralph 0.
Cochran, Of Atlanta, spoke here
to a large crowd to-day IN
forwarding his campaign to
succeed Senator Hoke Smith to
the United States Senate in the
coming election. Mr.. Cochran
outlined in convincing figures
the great industrial prosperity
and the progress of which the
South is capable and pledged
all his energies to the accom-
Enlistment of the full realization
of these possibilities.
Mr. Cochran S speech was as
follows:
| have entered the field free man,
as candidate for the United States
| Senate to succeed Senator HoGe
/ Smith. | have no enemies to punish
or friends to reward. ! have not been
! identified with either of the political
factions in Georgia in previous years,
! but | have always reserved the right
to vote my convictions as conditions
existed A free man as a voter. free
| man as "a candidate, a free man as
I one of Georgia's Senators, | shall ever
be. if honored by election to this high
! position-and God knows no man
! should be so honored whose previous
relations whose brea It'll of thought
and sentiment do not encompass the
entire people of this great State.
Appeal to Business Men.
! | am one among that considerable
number who are classed az business
men of our State. The energies of
| the previous years of my life have
| been largely expended in the acti"i-
| ties of business. | have labOred by
! day and by night 10 build up my for
| tunes and to promote the financial in
terests of those who have intrusted
their affairs to my care. | feel like
am in touch with the best business IN
| terest of the State, and that ! am IA
miliar with the conditions that exist.
! A plain man, a business man, | ask
| OF you your suffrage. And, indeed,
/ the tremendous awakening along in
! dustrial lines, and the stupendous
business interests of the entire South,
and Georgia in particular, call out in
clarion tones for conservatism, famil
| iarity and breadth of conception Of
those who represent these great, ma
terra interests in legislative halls,
that they may be promoted and safe
guarded. I shall always be the cham
pion of righteous methods in BUSH
ness; but. on the other hand. | shall
ever be the enemy of fanaticism and
experimental laws that destroy conil-
denee and wreck fortunes
On this occasion ! want to tell you
that if | have any one characters &c
more conspicuous than others'it is my
catholic views and breadth of senti-
ment on all questions arising out of
the relations of our people There is
nothing in my views contracted on re-
ligion, morals politics or business
disoWn any disposition to be narrow
or fanatical on any question that may
arise among our people. ! recognize
the right of every man to think as ne
pleases and express his thoughts. In
deed, this is the land of the free and
the asylum of the oppressed. | ha e
my views concerning religion. con-
corning moral questions. concerning
politics, concerning society; but
shall never obtrude them on those who
differ with me | recognize in every
other man the inalienable right of free
and untrammeled thought, and ne
expression of same, on all matters,
and the probability OF their correct
ness. as much so as ! claim for my
convictions and their expression. TIL 5
is American freedom: this is the sun
light of thought the emancipation
day of humanity.
From Middle Glass.
| am frank to tell you that ! belong
to the middle class of our people,
who are neither too rich nor too poor,
who are neither too learned nor too
ignorant: but who. in the last ana'y-
Sis. control the destiny of this coun-
try and the fortunes of men-and |
pray to that Providence that permits
YOU and me to enjoy this earthly eN-
istence that when l shall have entered
the Great Unknown what little that
shall be remembered Of me shall re-
late to my love for the common peo-
pie. my humbleness in life and my
tidelity to the best cause of humaa-
tty. Nowhere ON earth do YOU find
truer patriots, stronger friends of the
home. more sincere worshipers of the
great Deity, than among that great
class generally known as the com
mon people" of every land
/ have entered this race with no
purpose OF advocating peW-tansled
| Ideas or numerous isms as the pan1-
| cea for our real or supposed ills.
I have no long list of reforms tAat !
| wish to present to YOU do not be-
/ ieve i'm the degeneration of man ana
I his ultimate ruin. [ have every con-
! fdenCe i'm the American citizen, and !
| believe all he needs is a chance.
| This race that am making Us one
| absolutely devoid of tricks ana sub
! terfuge. have nothing 10 conceal
and regard the statement as truth
| that the best politics is no politics. l
| am out IN the open. and shall appeal
( 90 the manhood OF Georgia to elect
me to the United states Senate.
have no paid press backing my
/ candidacy. / have no bags OF gold to
! Duy my way To this lofty position
/ ANA II ! had them ! would not betray
HN.s