The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-09
MERRITT SEVERE|N HIS REbUKES 0F KENNEDY'S CARD Says Attack Published Sum- day Was "BlOw Below
 the Belt"
PUTS GINGER INTO
 IMPORTANT RACE
Claims Only Six or Eight Members of Anniston Chamber of Commerce Attended Kennedy IndOrse-
 ment Meeting

"I would say that this is not only lick below the belt. put lick below the belt in the back" This was the statment made yesterday by Henry P. Merritt of Tuskegee, candidate for president of the Alabama public service commission, regarding statements made by he Kennedy campaign committee in reference to money wrawn from the state by MT. Merritt while serving in the legislature. The reply to the charges and statements contained in the Ken nedy campaign document. extracts of which were published in The Age-Her- ald Sunday, was made by MT. Merritt while in Birmingham last night.
 In his statement MT. Merritt declares that during the time elapsing since 1907, when he and Mr. Kennedy en- nedy had drawn in salary and expenses an amount practically 10 times as great as that which MT. Merritt had received from the state in the same length of time.
 ANNISTON ENDORSEMENT
 MT. Merritt dwelt a1 length in his statement upon the reference made in the K ennedy campaign document to the large business interests possessed by MT. Kennedy at this time. MT. Merritt also charges that when the candidacy of MT. Kennedy was endorsed by the Anniston Chamber of Commerce, there were only six or eight out of the total membership present. and that the mem bers generally did not know of the meeting, In substantiatfon of this state ment MT. Merritt declares that he has in his possession ierrer from the president of the Anniston Chamber of Commerce to back him up.
 The statement by Mir. Merritt yes- terday was decidsdly the warmest of the campaign and is expected to be the political contests in the state in recent years.
 The statement follows
 q have not had an opportunity of see ing the statement which purports to have been sent out by MT. Kennedy's cam paign committee, reference to which was made in Sundays Age-Herald. To say the least, however, as excerpts from the statement appear in Sundays Age-Her- aid, I cannot allow some things therein to go unchallenged
 "The statement that MT. Merritt has been, to say the least, a bit lucky i1l securing committee appointments that en- abled him to secure more money for his services than has been secured by any other legislator for his services in the past decade is rather ambiguous, espe- cially when followed by the statement that I drew $10 per day as a member of the code committee. If the impression is sought to be left on the mind of the pub- lie that I drew more money than the law allowed, I desire to correct it, as the law is specific and clear in it's terms, and the attorney general, in an official opinion, has so declared.
 OTHER MEMBERS
 T drew no more than the other mem- bers of the committee, lion. A. H. Car michael, speaker of the house; Hon. Lu- cien Gardner, supreme court justice. now running without opposition; Hon. Henry E. Steagall, congressman from the Third congressional district of Alabama, and now running without opposition; Hon. Manley Foster division counsel of the Louisville and Nashville railroad at Mont gomery; Hon. John Lusk, state senator from Marshall county. and Hon. Sam Will John, brave Confederate soldier and member of the legislature from Dallas county, were each members of this com mittee and drew $10 per day for their services as l did.
 I have never heard it intimated dur ing all the long number of years since we performed this labor that we were do- ing anything illegal or unjust in drawing what the law allowed us. I may further state that some of the members of MT. Kennedy's campaign committee were for this committee to receive $1O per day, and other members of MT. Kennedy's 8 committee were in the legislature that voted for me to receive $4 per day and expenses as chairman of the Investigating committee the same as other members of the Investigating committee drew, and 1t seems to me that it is not only unjust and unfair to me for these men to now seek to make capital out of my drawing what they authorized me to do.
 T would say that this is not only a lick below the belt but below the belt in the back However, there is another proposition, if I am to be judged not according to the services I have per- formed on these committees, but accord ing to the pay I legally drew-and cer- tainly I must have earned it or some thing would have been said--I may be pardoned for calling attention to the fact that Mir Kennedy himself, to say the least, has been bit lucky in drawing out of the state treasury since he was
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