Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-15
Hon. II. O. Cochran Stirs
South Georgia Voters
In FOrcefuI Address
Candidate for United States
Senate Wiz S M a n y
Friends by Strong Ar
guments His Speech in
Full.

/
DDS In business and the enemy
OF fanaticism and experimental
laws that destroy confidence
and wreck progress, Ralph @.
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
land the progress Of which the
South is capable and pledged
| all his energies to the accom-
| plishment Of the full realization
of these possibilities.
| Mr.. Cochran S speech was as
| follows:
| have entered the field free man.
as a candidate for the United States
| Senate TO succeed Senator Holie
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 is conditions
existed. a free man as a voter, free
| man as {, candidate, a free man as.
one of Georgia's Senators. shall ever
be, IL honored by election to this high
| position-and God knows no man.
| should be so honored whose previous
relations, whose brea 18th 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 as business
men of our State. The energies of
the previous years of my life have
been largely expended in the ACTIN
| ties OF business. l have labored by
day and by night to build up my for
| tunes and to promote the financial in
| terests of those who have intrusted
! their affairs to my care | feel like l
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
| terial interests in legislative halls,
| that they may be promoted and SAFE
guarded. l shall always be the cham
| pion of righteous methods in busl-
ness; but, on the other hand, | shall
ever be the enemy of fanaticism and
experimental laws that destroy conf
dence and wreck fortunes
On this occasion l want to tell you
! that if ! have any one characteristic
more cons picuous than others ii Is my
catholic views and breadth of seTti-
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 Dusipess
disown anv 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 ana
| the ASYLUM of the oppressed. / haI re
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 untrammeed thought. and ne
expression of same, on all matters,
| and the probability of their correct
ness. as much so as | claim Tor my
| convictions and their expression. ms
! is American freedom, this is the sun
| light of thought, the emancipation
la. ..f HrYts N ~
From Middle Class.
! 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 100
| ignorant; but who, in the last ana'Y-
| sis. control the destiny OF this coun-
| try and the fortunes of m2n-and l
pray to that Providence that permits
YOU and me to enjoy this earthly en-
| istence that when | shall have entered
| the Great Unknown what little tndI
/ shall he remembered OF me shall re-
! late 10 my love for the common peo-
! pie. my humbleness in life and my
! fidelitv to the best cause of human-
itV. Nowhere on earth do YOU hnd
trIer patriots. stronger friends or the
home. more sincere Worshipers or the
! great Deity than among that great
class generally known as the com
mon people or every ianu,
have entered this race with no
purpose Of advocating now tangled
ideas or numerous isms as the pana-
cea for our real or supposed Ills. !
have no long list OF reforms that
wish 10 present To you, do not be-
ieve i'm the degeneration OF man ana
his ultimate ruin. ! have every con-
fdeuce In the American citizen. and |
believe all he nee0s is a chance.
This race that ] am making is one
| absolutely devoid OF tricks and sub
terfuge I have nothing to conceal.
and regard the statement as truth
that the best politics is no politics. /
am out in the open. and shall appeal
to 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
buy my way TO this lofty position
ana II had them ] would not betray
the confidence of he people of this
great State for his laud0ble end.
Legislative Record.
have the honor of being one OF
the three Representatives In the Leg
islature from Fulton County. During
the past session many important
matters came before us. in fact. prob
ably this membership of the Legisla
turp has had 10 confront as many inn
portaut bills as any Legislature in
many decades