Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-07-10
SENATOR .HARDW|CK
ANSWERS CRITICS OF
SPEECH IN COLUMBUS
ReiterateS Three Main Points
in His Address, Saying He
Was Either Misunderstood
or MiSrepreSented

SANDERsvILLE. Ga, July 7.-sena-
tor Thomas w Hardwick today gave out
the following statement:
Based on what must be an
entire misconception of my Co
lumbus speech. possibly, in some
quarters willful misrepsesenta-
ton of il, of it, certain of the cuckoo
newspapers in Georgia and certain
other people who are either misin-
formed or who put their desire for local
encampment and other like pap above
everything else, have burst into pre-
concerted and prearranged howl OF crit
icism leveled at me.
IF they enjoy it, all right. it does
not disturb me. L would not say word
about il if 1 did not desire that no man
shall be misled or deceived Now, what
is the truth? At Columbus L laid down
three propositions, all of which | here
and now reiterate. First, that while we
ought to stand by the country, right or
wrong, 1t is every mans duty to do all
he can to keep 1t right; that standing
by the country does not necessarily
mean accepting blindly every policy
that may be suggested by any man. be
he president or what not.
IF this is not sound, then we are in
deed living in an autocracy, and not in
a democracy.
Second, that while am willing to
shed every drop of blood, and to spend
every dollar in America to support an
American war waged to vindicate Amer
lean honor and to establish American
rights. am not willing to shed a sin
gle drop of American blood to deter
mine what the boundary line Of any
European nation shall be. or what form
of government any foreign country
shall have. That while, of course, we
ought to make whatever temporary ar
rangements, military, financial or eco
nornical, with other nations at war with
Germany that might be suggested
by our mutual interests, yet we ought
to avoid permanent entanglements and
alliances with any European power.
DECLARES HIS LOYALTY.
If this is treason, then l stand brand
ed traitor along with George Washing
ton Thomas Jefferson, James Madison,
James Monroe, Andrew Jackson and al
most every other statesman of any
weight or consequence in this country
until the advent of these latter day pro-
phets.
Third said plainly at Columbus,
that while L was against the conscrip-
ton law, 1t is the law of the land and
so long as it remained such ought to
be implicitly obeyed. What is wrong
about that? Now one word more, adj
dressed solely to people who like to
know the truth and are weary of abuse
and Misrepresentation. The men or the
newspapers who say or intimate that I
am not as loyal to this country as any
man who lives. lies and L say so with
out mincing or softening words.
The man or newspapers who think
for one moment that either abuse Uor
Misrepresentation is going to deter me
from telling the whole truth as l see II
to the people of Georgia, had better take
another thought, he has one coming. If
the principles 1 enunciated at Columbus
are not true Americanism then we will
have to make 1t a crime to read in pub
&c either the Declaration of Independ-
ence or George Washington's farewell
address, we will have to deny free
dom Of thought and speech in the coun-
| try and in pace of a republic set up
despotism. I was born a free man and
as long g. I live L expect to remain one.
expect to come to Georgia when I
| please, as often as 1 please, and remain
as long as 1 please Cor cam all Of that
without the consent of any man or
newspaper in Georgia. AS soon as my
duties in Washington will permit 1 ex-
pect to address the people of Georgia as
often as my health and strength will
permit, and to tell them the plain I'M
vanished truth about the situation
Nothing on earth short of my death
can prevent 1t.
'"ro the editor Of the Macon Telegraph
[ would suggest that 1t is both imper-
Thence and impudence for him, an alien
and unnaturaliZed foreigner, living in
our country by courtesy and comfy
alone, to have the unmitigated gall to
suggest to a senator from Georgia, born
on its soil, with FIVE generations of his
people buried in 1t, and holding the
highest position of honor and trust
that her people can bestow, when he
can come to Georgia, how long he may
stay or what he shall say or do What
ever may be his rights, or his duty in
his own country, in this country he
has neither the right to vote nor the
duty to fight. If he is so anxious to do
both, he had better go back to Canada.
Of course he is not to be expected to
take a purely American view of the
situation as l must do. ...
(Signed)
THOMAS w. HARDwICK."