Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-19
HOaUard Thrills MOuLtrle
Audience of S5T Hundred
By Great Fighting Speech
He Launches Offensive Against
Harris, Goes After His De-
tractors and Tells of His
Own Record in Congress

MOULTR1E, Ca, July 16.-Driving
here yesterday from Albany and finding
himself practically a political stranger
i'm Coluuitt county, William Schley How
ard held an audience of six hundred
citizens spellbound while he presented
his claims as candidate for the United
states senate.
Ii was court day in Moultrie ana
Judge w T.. Thomas adjourned court
for forty-five minutes to give MI How
ard an opportunity to speak. Prac-
tically all the lawyers at the Colquitt
county bar, as well as others from
su, rounding counties in the district
were in the courthouse, and the grounds
were filled with farmers.
Mr.. Howard delivered another OF his
fighting speeches that are creating a
sensation all over south Georgia, and
after he had finished dozens of men
came up and told him they were going
to vote for him. They said they were
not especially inclined to William J.
Harris and were dead against. Hardwlck,
and had simply been waiting TO hear
Towards claims before making up their
minds. 10 Now they were satisfied, they
said. that they had hold of the right
man." and they were going to vote for
him and tell all their friends about him.
A prominent lawyer from a county
near Colquitt who sat near Mr.. Howard,
enjoyed his speech with unrestrained
enthusiasm. He laughed, cried, clapped
his hands, cheered, waved his arms and
stamped the floor. and coming down the
stairs he said Il was the greatest politi-
cal stump speech he ever heard deliv-
cred.
Mr. Howard had not been speaking
five minutes before he fastened the at
tention of his audience and held it
like a copper rivet, and then for the
space of forty-five minutes, being limit
ed to that time by Judge Thomas adj
journment, he played upon them like a
violin.
William J. Harris came in for the
most effective attack that Mr.. Howard
has yet made upon him.
Harris Loyalty Test
You may think you are patriots, you
gentlemen sitting before me-" said Mr..
Howard. "You are wearing old clothes
because your government has asked
you to economic and invest your money
in War Savings Stamps. You have
bought Liberty Bonds. You have con-
tributed to the Red Cross. You in
creased your production of food crops
on the farm. Your wife is doing her
own cooking and her own washing, per-
haps, to release the labor of negro
women for use in the fields. You read
the papers every day to find out what
your government wants you to do, and
you do it, Last of ALL greatest of all
hardest of all but most glorious of all
you have offered up your sons as a ltv-
ing sacrifice in the cause of human free
dom, and they are. now barring their
breasts to the cruel Hun on the western
front. You may think you are loyal
You may think you are patriotic. But
YOU are not. These things you have
done to serve your government in time
of war are not the substance of patri-
otto loyalty. You must march up and
tell Mr.. William ]. Harris that you are
going to vote for him for the United
States senate, and he must reach his
hands into the bowl and get few
drops of the holy water of his priestly
JUNCTION and sprinkle it on your heads
and bless you and pray away your sins
of disloyalty and indifference, and Their
if YOU have done all these other things
you will be a loyal and patriotic citizen
of your state"
This line of attack on Mr.. Harris
seemed to sweep the audience like
sheet of fame. They sat very still
when he first began and then they got
I
after service they have rendered, the
Offering after offering they have made
and when he reached the climax of this
partion of his speech they shook the
rafters of the courthouse with their ap'
plause and cheers and jeers and laugh
ter.
Mr.. How. u also paid his respects in
aggressive ms to some of the newspa-
pers which are fighting him for the SEN
ate. His reference to George Long, edi-
tor of the Macon Telegraph, as "a Cana
dian Stacker who will neither fight for
his country where he has made his liv-
ing for the past eight years, nor for the
land that gave him birth" was received
with tumult of applause.
He also paid his respects to Franc
| Recorder.
! Paying his respects to the Savannah
4 Morning News, Mr.. Howard declared
/ that that newspaper has never forgiven
him for introducing the corporation
franchise tax bill in the legislature, be-
cause it's boss is the boss of the Savan'
nah street railroad company, which has
/ to pay taxes under the Howard fran
chise tax act
Newspaper Detractors
why do these newspapers murder
me?" demanded Mr.. Howard. They
murder me because I went to congress
before the Democrats were placed il
power and helped to put an end to Can
nonism in the house of representatives
They murder me because I originated