The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-29
Declares Governor Erred in References to Him in
 Montgomery Speech
"VERDICT OF PEOPLE WILL BE AGAINST HIM"
Nowhere Have 1 Heard an Expres- sion That the Governors State
 ment Rang True"-RegretsN Question Has Come Up

Gardner Greene of Pell City, a well known citizen of the state and candidate for attorney general, mailed yesterday afternoon to the governor his resignation as member of the governors staff.
 Colonel Greene resigned on account of differences which have arisen as to what took place on the eve of the meeting of the state democratic executive committee in Montgomery January '.
 As is remembered, some time ago Colo nel Greene in Illustrating the pressure brought to bear against him in an effort to make him vote for the majority plan. instead of the plurality plan, which he favored, stated that the governor. irri- tated because of his stand. exclaimed. Then you are for old Comer." and What to hell has Underwood to dc with it.
 In his speech in Montgomery on Mon day night last, the governor said;
 No such words as to 'hell with Un- derwood" or any language susceptible of such construction was ever used in the conversation, and MT. Greene's instima- tion to that effect was without any basis in fact.
 MT. Comers name was not mentioned during the conversation
 Greene Repeats Conversation Regarding the governors statement, MT. Greene. who is in Birmingham, said yesterday afternoon:
 q notice that the governor devoted some of his much heralded speech to a statement issued by me recently in re- .,r1. state executive committee at 1t srneetine held in Montgomery in January, and wish to re-affirm the statement that l made and to say that when I was called to rooms 514-515 of the Exchange hotel l found the governor in the room and he stated to me that he had been informed that I favored the plurality plan or sim gle primary, and I stated that his infor- nation was correct. and that the gov ernor thereupon exclaimed: Then you are for old Comer.' I replied, T am for Gardner Greene for attorney general. During the conversation I stated that the cry of ring politics was already being heard all over the state and that just as sure as the committee departed from the usual custom and called a majority or two primaries, that it would be success fully charged that it was playing ring politics, that the governing body of a
 
 avoid such, and that any such action Of the committee would undeservedly revert to the injury of Mir Underwood The governor retorted, What to hell has Underwood to do with it.
 Governors Statement False"
 q wish further to say that when the governor stated in his speech referrins to mel. that when he discovered that Colonel Riser of Marshall county, who favored the majority plan, had been se- lected as his successor and that his elec- ton by the committee had been as- SUI ed, MT. Greene after consultation with the Conner leaders concluded to take part in the deliberations of the committee and refused to tender his resignation that he tthe governor) made a statement which was unqualifiedly false and in his own language was without any basis in fact. l did not know that Mr. Kiser's election had been assured. as I had heard only four members of the committee state they would support him. I did not ask a member of the committee to vote for the gentleman I had suggested as my successor. did not consult with sin gle Conner leader and neither did one speak to me in regard to this or any other matter to come before the com mittee.
 "The governor was before a large and tHtellIlS duuieuCt ne -WdS tNClteu. F or he added: How MT. Greene could de- gently remain on the committee and vote cli a policy in which he was personally interested no one but MT. Greene could understand The governors mind was Wa ndering. Had he thought a moment, he would have remembered that IT other members of the committee were candi- dates, and one of these was the dis tinguished leader of the distinguished governor in his notorious effort to over ride the will of the people in regard to the primary plan.
 To Florence People
 For the sake of the governor of a great state, 1 regret that the question of veracity has been raised between us The verdict of the people will be, of course. overwhelmingly against him. No sooner had the news reached my home that the governor had assailed me than the business men in a body signed a statement expressing their confidence in me, and unbelief of the false charges of the governor. Nowhere have l heard an expression to the ems that the gov elnors statement rang true. It is ridicu- lous, of course that I should have failed to remember that interesting scene in that room of the EIxchange hotel in W hich the governor, attempting to die tate the course of politics of the state charged me with beinA Tor old Conner, and, in his moment of irritation in that