Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-21
HARRIS ATTACKS HOWARD
IN SPEECH At LAFAYETTE
Candidate for Senate Also
Speaks to Citizens at
RoSSviIIey Ga,
BY BRADFORD BYRD.
Journal STAFF Correspondent


LAFAYETTE. Ga, May 1S.-William
| J. Harris, candidate for the United
| States senate to succeed Thomas w.
Hardwick, was given a most attentiye
and cordial hearing here today when he
spoke in the old Walker county court
house.
| State Senator Mcfarland and Judge
Henry divided the program with Mr..
Harris and whenever President Wilson's
name was mentioned by any of the
speakers the audience cheered. La
Fayette is awake over the war. Walker
county is awake. Many of the boys
from this county are in the Eighty-sec-
ond division, part of which has already
arrived overseas safely and patriotism
here is rampant.
Citizens openly avow that no man
here will vote for Hardwick and they
| let it be known that the race so far as
| this county is concerned is between
Mr.. Harris and Mr.. Howard. While the
first part of Mr.. Harris speech was
taken up with criticism of the incum-
| bent, the burden of it was aimed at
| CONGRESSMAN Howard.
Senator McFarland's Speech
49,
Forty-fourth district, introduced Mr..
Harris and paid a high tribute to Presl-
dent wilson Senator Mcfarland declar-
| ed il was needless for him to discuss
how the state was misrepresented IN
the United States senate by the Junior
senator.
In opening his speech Mr.. Harris dis
cussed topics of a local nature, paying
tribute to the late Mr.. Judson Glenn
ents and Gordon Lee, two prominent
walker county men. He reviewed the
progress of the country in the great
world war and then entered into a
scorching arra:gnment of Senator Hard
wick.
mo man can be on the fence now"
he said. He's either for the govern
ment or against it. Hardwick has OPP
| rosed every measure which would aid
the country's war program. He tried
| to get a measure through congress TO
prevent the use of the national army
abroad. Had this bill passed nothing
could have hindered the government
more"
Mr.. Harris then reviewed his legis-
Iative record, detailing the measures in
| troduced by him in the Georgia senate.
When the candidate branched off into
praise of President Wilson the crowd
! applauded.
Had Hardwick on the Run
when Woodrow Wilson was talked
| of as a candidate for the presidency
| thought he was the greatest man in
the world, and / still think So" h.
said when L was appointed census
| director ! found Ne1S Highlander who
| didn't know a cotton boil from boil
weevil, handling the cotton statistics
| I changed this and now a Mississippi
| boy is filling that position. 1 did all
that I could to put southerners in po-
sitions in Washington l did the same
thing when l was appointed to the led
eral trade commission"
Mr.. Harris told his hearers how many
| of his friends warned him not to sac
rifice his position in the capital and
take a chance on defeating Senator
Hardwick. But" said Mr.. Harris, /
knew 1 could beat Hardwick and
wick on the run Then many came
| to me and told me 1 was right and
they wanted me to enter the race, so !
announced and resigned my position Ill
| Washington"
When the candidate reached that
point in his speech dealing with Con-
| gresham Howard there was hushed
silence over his audience.
when Mr.. Howard asked me to tell
who gave me that $4,000 check In
Washington he knew there was no S2o'-
! 600 check" he said.
! "Camouflage," shouted man In the
audience.
ITS worse than camouflage," an
swered Mr.. Harris. II not calling
men names. I'll leave that to Hard.
wick Mr.. Howard was trying to hide
! his own campaign fund by asking me
| questions about mine
Says He Cleared the Way
Mr.. Harris charged Congressman
Howard with being afraid to enter the
senatorial contest until after he (Har-
ris) and his supporters had driven
Thomas w. Hardwick out of the state.
He claimed that he had the courage
to announce his opposition to Senator
Hardwick many months ago at time
when Senator Hardwick was generally
believed to be powerfully strong and
dangerous and hard to beat while Con-
gresham Howard stayed out of the
fight until ''he saw an open road
which 1 had cleared"
Harris Campaign Fund
In reference to the charge made in
/ wrightsviIle by Mr.. Howard that some
body in Washington had contributed
! $4,000 to Mr.. Harris campaign fund
Mr.. Harris said:
} mat CndI 10 uSAAbCANSSAS SAAN va
! fully false, and Mr.. Howard knew it or
could have known it if he had wanted
to. He made it for the same reason he
has done these other things 1 have re-
ferred lettings in his public record
solely to deceive the people of the
state In the same connection l want
to take occasion here to brand the
charge he made that 1 employed a law
yer, as chairman of the federal trade
commission, TO do certain work for that
rcommission, at a salary of $4,000 a
year. That's some more of Mr.. How
ards method, in keeping with his rec
ord.
Speaks at RosSvtlle
/ Mr. Harris arrived at Rossville early
Saturday and spent the forenoon cir
culating among the voters. State Sena'
tor J. r. Mcfarland introduced the
! candidate to a crowd attending the JUS
/ tice Of peace court. Mr.. Harris made
a short speech and applause greeted
his criticism of Senator Hardwick. I'm
! like his Lafayette speech, he directed
| most Of his fire against the incumbent
| rather than against Congressman How
ard
Mr.. Harris made the trip from Ross
| Vile to Lafayette by auto and stopped
! over at Chickamauga TO mingle with tn;
| voters. Stops were made at nearly
| every crossroads store where Mr.. Har
/ ris met and talked with many citizens