The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-14
WILLIAM BANKHEAD
 OPENS HIS CAMPAIGN IN FAYETTE SPEECH
Calls Attention to HObsOn's Sudden Change of Resi- dence-Refrains From
 Personal Abuse
By J. ID. YOUNG

Fayette, March f3.-- (Special)--W. B. BanlShead spoke here today to crowd ed courtroom at the opening of the spring ! term of court in behalf of his candidacy 1 for Congress. He was given enthusiastic
 attention throughout an address of over
 an hour and at the conclusion accorded an ovation. This is the county in which
 he spent his boyhood and is personally
 known from childhood to a majority of
 the voters. It was free from personal
 criticism of his opponent and apparently | received with approval. His friends con- i fdently assert he is much stronger than 1 two years ago when opposed by MT. l Oliver, and that MT. Hobson does not | have the support he enjoyed in former campaigns.
 The speaker referred to the reports of | personal criticism and erroneous charges made by Mr. Hobson in his speech last 1 Saturday at Jasper, and explained in connection with the charge that he was instrumental in the arrangement of the new district that the legislature merely carried out the provisions of law, and that he had no connection with the blli until after it had passed the Senate in support of which he referred to a state ment by the author of the bill in the Senate; that after it came to the House he went to Montgomery and in legiti- mate way endeavored to prevent an amendment that would deprive west Ala
 bama of an additional representative and at the same time insure democratic district in the Seventh, and urged it's passage. He explained, contrary to the
 charge made by MT Hobson he had nothing to do directly or indirectly with
 the defeat of the bill to take convicts cut of the mines, but had openly ex-
 Iii ion, how oh drawn from the mines and worked on
 the roads of the state.
 AROUSED INTEREST He aroused considerable attention and interest in describing how MT. Hobson had moved his citizenship to the Tenth district by letter addressed to the mayor of the town of Jasper the original of which he exhibited to the audience, postmarked Tuxedo Park, New York; on the reverse side of which, in MT. Hobson's handwriting, appeared the following: "R. F. Hobson of Tuxedo Park New York;" and in parenthesis, and Jasper, Ala" He then detailed how recently he saw an old citizen with his wagon, household goods, chickens. COW and a calf fodder and corn and family, with old Ring trotting along behind. moving from one county to acquire citizenship and an an actual domicile in an adjoin- ing county, which, he said, was what we call moving. but in the case of Captain llobson he sat in his library in New York and effected his moving by a letter and a postage stamp. He urged the voters if they did not think he was the man to send to Congress not to do so, but to send someone who lived in the district that there were numbers of men who had the ability to represent them other than an outsider.
 lie reviewed the former campaign with MT. Oliver and how it was de- void of personal animosities which had heretofore been the case in what is sometimes called the bloody Sixth" and that he hoped the same would be true in this contest.
 He declared, if elected, he would re- main at his post while Congress is in session, attending to his duties, which he termed a mans job, which could not be said of his opponent during his re- cent service at Washington.
 He described the effect of a proper rural credits bill which it was the duty of Congress to enact for the bene- fit of the farmer to enable him to secure long time loans at fair rates of interest such that he cannot secure with the banks at present and declared his purpose to stand with the Presi- dent in reasonable preparedness pro- gramme and deplored any attempt to commit the government to a great navy and army scheme at great public expense to satisfy a jingo spirit and the avarice of intuition manufacturers; that an immense military programme was within itself dangerous not only as la provocation for war but to the spirit of democratic institutions.
 He concluded with eloquent ap- peal for support on his merits alone and referred with some feeling to the fact this was his boyhood home and