The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-07-20
MAKES MANY FRIENDS
FOR AUSTIN.


| FOR AUSTIN.
Attempt of Tayior's Henchmen to Pre-
vent MIR. Austin Being Heard In Re-
4 buttaI Drove Many Men Into the
Austin Column Who Had Heretofore
Been Supporting His Opponent
Taylor Refused TO Ask His Support
ers To Give MIR. Austin the Same
Attentive Hearing That the Austin
People Had Accorded Taylor.
cambridge, July 15,-(Special.) 49,
Hon. r. W. Austin, candidate for re-
nomination to Congress at the Repub.
llcan primary, August 1, met his OPP
ponent, J, Will Taylor, in joint debate
here today, and as direct result Mr..
Austin made many voters here. Mr..
Austin opened the debate, and in a
most interesting talk of forty-five min
I utes reviewed his work in Congress
and told of what our government is
doing to win the war. After Mr.. Aus
tin had finished, Mr.. Taylor took up
forty4fve minutes trying to explain
why he was candidate and why he
thought he was better qualified to be
in Congress. When he had finished,
Mr.. Austin rose to use his fifteen min
utes in rebuttal. At this time crowd
of Taylor henchmen brought from
Knoxville, Sevierville and Cooke coun-
ty attempted to prevent Mr.. Austin
from speaking. 1t was evidently pre-
arranged plan of Mr.. Taylor and his
crowd, who did not desire to have the
real voters of Jefferson County hear
Mr.. Austin ask Mr.. Taylor some point
ed questions and to answer some of
Taylor's statements.
| During the disturbance, Dr. Hug
gins, one of the leading citizens of
Jefferson County, and at that time a
supporter of Mr.. Taylor, went to Mr..
Taylor and asked him to prevent his
friends from disturbing Mr. Austin,
1nasmuch as Mr.. Austin's friends had
given Mr. Taylor an attentive hearing.
All he could get out of Mr.. Taylor
was that he wouldn't dictate to nv
friends" So disguised did many of
the substantial citizens become that
over fifty of them walked up to Mr..
Austin after the speaking and as
sured him that, while they had been
inclined to support Taylor, they were
now for him and would do all in their
power to see that he was given sub
stantial majority in that county in
August.
Congressman Austin minced no
words in his rebuttal He endeavored
time and again to get Taylor to say
how he would have voted had he been
in Congress when the important war
legislation was pending. But Mr. Tay-
lor each time question was asked
him would avoid giving any kind of a
satisfactory answer. If Mr.. Taylor al
lows his henchmen at each of the joint
! debates to use the same tactics he
did at cambridge, he will increase Mr..
Austin's majority in every county. The
very large majority present here today
did not hesitate to disapprove the dis
graceful attempt of Taylor and his
friends to prevent Mr.. Austin being
heard. 1t really made the people be-
lteve that Taylor's friends were afraid
for the voters to hear what Mr.. Austin
had to say.
In opening, Mr. Austin expressed
pleasure at the opportunity of being
| among his constituents again, declar.
ing he had been confined to Washing
ton by duties there until he had been
given permission to leave by the
Speaker of the House and the minority
leader, who said that Congress would
adjourn from day to day during the
summer.
For some time Mr.. Austin devoted
his remarks to patriotic vein, telling
how Germany had outraged interna-
tional and moral law and had plotted
against the United States while we
still were neutral.
Il have voted for every war meas.
ure recommended by the Commander
in-Chief, as did 80 per cent of the Re
publican members of the House," de.
clared Mr. Austin. He declared that a
call for volunteers was sent out first
and that only 100000 responded, and
that then the selective draft law was
passed He voted for that measure, he
declared, and would vote for every
measure proposed by the President to
send more men, If necessary, to Amer
lean victory.
Services To District.
During his service in Congress, Mr.
Austin declared he has secured three
public buildings for the district at an
aggregate cost of $230,000 for build
ings and sites, while he had secured
provision by the House for three 9th
ers, which were defeated in the Sen
ate.
"This district has had a representa-
tive in Congress for liz years. de
clared Mr.. Austin, "and in that III
years Congressman have secured five
public buildings for the district and
secured three of these five"
Mr.. Austin spoke of his work for the
Arlington monument; for the Rec
Cross headquarters building; for the