The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-06-04
SM|THW|Ck-kEHOE
JOINT DEBATE Is
HEARD BY CROWD


Both candidates for congress from
this congressional district, who met in
joint debate last night in front OF the
Elk's Club, must be credited with OBJ
serving all of the qualities of being
pleasant and agreeable toward each
other and their manner and gentle
/ bearing toward their hearers won for
them an equal amount of appreciation
j There was a good sized assemblage
to hear the men make their last talks
before the final test at the polls. The
| candidates have opposed each otner
throughout the district until each knew
| about along what line the other would
| present his case and forecasted it
Particularly was this so when Mr..
| Smithwfck was closing when he said
Mr.. kehoe would tell fox hunt story
on him and Just to satisfy him Mr..
kehoe did so and related how MFR
Smithwick's pack OF hounds ran down
a fox and the owner OF the bayiny
pack came up in buggy and an
nounced that we have caught him.
Throughout the debate there were
good natured quips handed by each
! gentleman to the other and all Were
accepted in the friendly manner ,D
which they were intended.
| Mr.. Kehoe led off for thirty minutes
and Mr.. Smithwick followed for three
quarters of an hour and Mr. Kehoe
closed with fifteen minutes. He was
prone to stretch his time as it required
/ f. ID. Beggs, who presided to remind
Mr.. Kehoe that he was running over
time, and the congressman expressed
/ his regrets that he had encroached in
| this manner, stating that he had not
/ heard the chairman announce his time
was up.
| Judge Beggs prefaced his remarks at
1 the beginning Of the occasion by stat
| ing that these debates had been held
| throughout the district on a very high
plane and it can be said that the final
meeting between the opponents for
| congressional honors were character
lied by the high toned manner in
which they had previously been con-
| Quoted.
/ Kehoe is Applauded.
/ Mr.. Kehoe was greeted with applause
| upon his initial appearance in Pensa-
| cola in this debate He told how Mr..
Smithwiek had been defeated two years
ago and how he had told him, Mr.. Ke-
hoe, he was going-to run again. This
was to illustrate that Kehoe had not
| been an offender in sins of omission
and commission in his record as con-
gresham, but simply to show that Mr.
Smithwick had never stopped running
| Mr.. Kehoe said that Mr.. Smithwics
had wasted his time advertising ano
that he, kehoe, had been placed in a
/ wrong light by certain reports. He
referred to q morning paper in Pensa-
] cola printing several times that he was
not with the president. He said he
was with the president He was for
| the drafting OF men for the army but
had to wait from April to September in
order that draft plan could be worked
out by the administration and in the
meantime let those who wanted to vol
unteer, as there were good re FLOODED
Americans who would go to the front
without hesitation, and when the
method of the draft was worked out,
| he was for the draft.
/ He was not among a certain 24 con-
| gressmen who stuck out to the last
for the volunteer proposition. He said
| Congressman Hugh Dent of the second
Alabama district, chairman of the
house committee on military affairs
was for the volunteer system up to one
million men and il this did not work
| out, then adopt the draft system.
Mr.. Kehoe said the point he wanted
/ to make was that at no stage did he
| ever vote against the draft but he did
| want the volunteers to have chance
| to go first - there were red-blooded
| Americans anxious to offer for service
| After that others entitled TO go IN the
draft could be looked after. He was
| in favor Of placing the age limit at
| from 2f to so years.
Congressman Kehoe emphaticaly
stated that If he ever opposed the
draft he will buy another Liberty bond
and give It to the Red Cross.
Was For Laboring Man.
| The speaker then took up the re-
ports that he was against organized
labor This he denied. He said his
father was a contractor here and he
himself, had worked on the walls OF
buildings in Pensacola. He was a friend
| Of organized labor.
| Reverting back to the volunteers and
/ the drafted men he said he wanted vol
unteers to stay in the bill and also
| the draft until something could be Sc
cured from which to draft.
Mr. Kehee's half hour expired and
he retired to seat amid applause and
Mr.. Snithwick spoke. He prefaced his
remarks by complimenting Mr.. Kehoe,
upon the clean debate he had conduct
ed in the district and added that he
was not applying his remarks to Mr..
Keloe, personally but the record he had,
made I'm congress.
Throughout his remarks Mr.. Smith
wick interspersed humor which was
received in happy manner by the
! audience. He related how he told Mr.
Kehee in the San Carlos Hotel. after
Mr.. Kelloe had won the last eleetionI
that If he did not make q good con,