The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-07-13

Union County Barlan candidate for
the State Senate from this district,
who was present in the Court House
| at the time, and at this stage of his
speech the Congressman produced a
photograph record Of the conversation
between ]. Will Taylor, w. p. Monroe
and George N. Taylor, brother of J.
viii, who is County Judge of Union
County. This conversation showed J.
Will Taylor had attempted to bride the
said w. P, Monroe, who was the at
torney for the taxpayers fighting said
bond issue, and induce him, for
money consideration, to betray his
clients, and dismiss their law suit
Monroe, in order to make a record of
what took place between himself and
]. Will Taylor, had dictograph
(Which is telephone arrangement
used by. detectives to take down con-
versations OF parties under investiga-
tion) placed In the law office of Har-
mon, Acuff and Roy Beeler, the Demo
cratic candidate for Circuit Judge in
Knox County, In the city of Knoxville
and then, according to arrangement
Monroe met J. Will Taylor and his
brother, George, in this law office, and
the conversation which followed was
taken down word for word. 1t was
stated by j. Will that he had gotten
considerable sum Of money out of
the bond issue, and he agreed to divide
this sum Of money with Monroe If Mon
roe would dismiss the suit which he
had been employed to bring, and tell
his clients there was nothing in the
case. The conversation, as it took
place, was written down by stenog-
rapher at the other end Of the tele-
phone line, and Mr. Austin had it in
his possession at the time of the
speaking. The speaker then charged,
and showed by the records of Union
County, that r. Will Taylor stated to
| the County Court of Union County
that in this bond litigation he would
need the services of Mr. James A.
| Fowler, Of Knoxville, who was high
priced lawyer, and that fee of $500
would be necessary in order to obtain
the services Of Mr.. Fowler; and he
then showed that Mr.. Taylor had only
paid Mr.. Fowler $75 of this $500, and
that he kept the sum of $425 for his
own services. Austin then ridiculed
Mr. Taylor's fearful capers about Con-
ner and Hudiburg receiving rs per
cent for their services in collecting
funds for the National Committee,
while Taylor kept IS per cent of this
$500, which came out Of the taxpayers
of Union County.
Austin then sprung the latest claim
of the Taylor family on Union County
for its support J. Wills brother,
George, who is County Judge of Union
County, went down to Knoxville since
j. Will became candidate for Con-
gress and approached ex-Sheriff Rec
der, of Knoxville, who is in the auto
mobile business, and offered to buy
high-priced truck from Mr.. Reeder
for Union County, provided Reeder
would pay to him the sum Of $500 out
Of thesiG srQf the automobile, or sup
frort ~ ~ M fUf Congress. Ex-Sheriff
declined toNbe party to such deal,
and there was nothing doing. Austin,
referred to the fact that Union County
had previously purchased an automo-
bile for j. Wills brother, George, and
said that Ii any more of the Taylor
family ran for office, or got in office in
Union County, that Union County
would have more money invested in
automobiles and members of the Tay-
lor family than anything else it had
ever put its money in.
These charges were made in the
presence Of the county officials of
Union County and other Union County
citizens, and in the Court House, where
the records showed them to be true,
and in the presence of men who fur
nished Mr.. Austin with this damaging
information Mr.. Austin then put it
up squarely to the people of Union
CUuuty DIS W Wu6lIlSI Vi nOI Iuoy
would endorse such conduct on the
part of his opponent, who was claiming
their support on the ground that he
was born in Union County, and he
stated that if any more such men as
]. Will were born in Union County, it
would break the county up to produce
such statesmen. He said that, while
his opponent was great man, that a
little county like Union could not af-
ford to produce many more such
would-be Congressman at cost of
$1O,5O0, not to mention the aforesaid |
$4,000.
: Austin's speech made profound i'm
preston upon the hearers Of Union |
County, and the prediction was freely |
made that when these facts were fully |
grasped by the voters Of that county, |
that Union County will be in the Aus
tin column by an overwhelming ma
jority.
AUSTIN AL WAYS THE FRIEND |