The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-03-30
HARDWICK ACCUSES
THE ADMINISTRATION
SAYS THAT WILSON AND M'ADOO
TURNED DEAF EAR TO THE
FARMERS OF THE SOUTH.
Defends POSITION SHIP BILL
Junior Senator Makes a Speech at
MouItrie in Which He Replies to
Charges Against Himself and Pays
His Respects to Administration.

MQulGI1e IN NnICn ne 1Ntp1leS I'D
Charges Against Himself and Pays
His Respects to Administration.
MOULTRIE, Ga.-United States
Senator Thos. w. Hardwick spoke
here Friday night defending his atti-
tude in opposition to the ship pur-
chase BILL He expressed regret that
he had been forced to take issue with
his party associates, and replied to
his critics, holding that the charge
that he had deserted the party was
"puerile and untrue." He held that
the bill was essentially undemocrat-
| ic," and that it had never received
the approval Of the party in conven-
ton, hence the caucus action on it
was not binding. He held that the
measure was not only a violation "of
the explicit pledges of the party in
five national platforms" but it was
in direct conflict with the democratic
principle that the one and only le-
Ultimate business in which the gov
eminent should engage is the govern
ing business"
AS to his loyalty to President Will
son, he held that when the bill was
under consideration he was willing
to make concessions for the sake of
party harmony, and claims that he
should be given credit for that, say
ing:
"But it is said / should have sup
ported the Wilson administration in
anything and everything it suggested,
right or wrong, whether my 1udg-
ment and conscience approved or dis
approved because my election to the
senate had been regarded in Georgia
as victory for the administration
| because it was known that the presi-
dent had looked with favor upon my
candidacy for the senate.
81 repudiate the suggestion with
all the emphasis of which l am ca
pable.'
HI argued that the measure as
proposed was not for the interest Of
the cotton grower and the. cotton
producer, but said the resolutions of
the chambers of commerce and 9TH
ers making this contention was 'po-
litical buncombe.'
Administration Deaf Ear"
He said that the farmers would re-
member how the administration had
rejected all efforts to relieve them
when the cotton market was over
thrown and demoralized as the re-
suit of "tho first awful shock of the
European war " Continuing he said:
"They recalled that the admins
t,ation, and especially the secretary
of the treasury Mr.. McAdoo, had
turned a deaf ear to their cries of
distress and every remedy suggested.
denouncing them all as too radical
and socitIistic' without suggesting
either improvement or substitute.
They doubtless wonder why it is
radical and socialistic for the govern
ment to buy cotton, or to lend money
on it, to the men who have produced
it, until there could be some read
iustment from the war shock, and
neither radical nor socialistic, but
only necessary and progressive for
that same government to buy ships,
even at the risk of a great foreign
war. in which to transport this same
cotton to foreign markets after the
most of it had been sold at starvation
prices to the middlemen, many of
them located in New York. They
must simply cape in rustic bewi!der-
ment at this amazing spectacle of in
dividualistic cotton transported in
socialistic ships. They can doubtless
amuse themselves, during the dull
and dreary summer puzzling over
the question as to when measure is
only progressive and when 1t be-
comes socialistic.
"They can debate the question as
to when it is simply progressive for
the government to build railroads at
the equator or at the pole and to sail
ships on the distant seas, but rank
socialism and radicalism to deny all
forms of relief to the cotton producer
at home, even when his market is
suddenly destroyed by a great war
shock"