Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-08

be withdrawn-that is to say, who
asked the people not to vote for them
ran far ahead of Mr.. Palmer, VINO
did not ask to be withdrawn. and
did not ask the people to refrain
from voting for him, but went out to
Michigan and made some speeches,
earnestly seeking their suffrage.
Well, my friends, If he can't run any
better than that against four candi-
dates who ask the people not to vote
for them, what sort of candidate
do you think he is"'
The audience answered this ques-
ton with a laugh. The Michigan
returns seemed to tickle their. rtsi-
bilities right sharply. They tickled
the risibilities Of Senator Smith. He
laughed with the audience at the tre-
mendous reality" which the Palmer
campaign committee haye undertake
In this vein the senator remarked:
You know, 1 have about decided
that / am the most available man
the party could nominate. Gap
plause) 1 am interested first in
whipping the Republicans. If the
convention considers me the most
available man, l shall gladly lead
the fight. But if they consider some
other man more available than N.Y.
self, I shall gladly stand aside. But
up to the present / am inclined to
believe that Georgia is offering
about the best choice of ALL
The audience enjoyed very much
the senator's good-humored refusal
to become indignant over the efforts
Of the Palmer newspapers to masnl-
fly Palmer and belittle him.
South's Right To Be Heard.
But seriously he suggested that 1t
was time for the south to assert
itself.
"Grover Cleveland once remarked"
said he. in this connection, that
the south made a mistake by sitting
back and acting as if it did not con-
slider itself part Of the union. AS
long as you do that said Mr.. Cleve-
own value: You, ought to assert
yourselves I think he was right,
don't you? We furnish the votes
that elect every Democratic presl-
not demand the right to furnish a
candidate? 1 believe the south should
present a candidate every four
years."
This point scored heavily, and the
audience replied with prolonged ap-
plause.
Here Senator Smith turned aside
a moment to pay his respects to the
Macon Telegraph.
1T is one of the newspapers that
has slandered me for fifteen years"
Cleveland's administration.
The truth is I resigned from Mr..
Cleveland's cabinet in order to sup
port the party, although the party
had adopte free silver platform to
which I was opposed.
Mr.. Cleveland wrote me a letter
asking me to come back and join his
family, as he wanted to see me there
again. am sorry it hurt the feelings
of the honorable editor of the Tele-
n CT y o1o6
ings did not seem to be hurt. I COM
mend to the editor of the Telegraph
the commandant relating to one who
bears false witness against his
neighbor The malice and hatred of
the Macon Telegraph and the Allan
ia Constitution have not hurt me
much in fifteen years, and Nave an
idea the people no more believe them
now than they ever did,
An dthis point scored with pro-
longed applause.
his Fight for Cotton
Then the senator went into a de-
tailed account of his record in the
senate, devoting particular attention
to his fight for our right to ship
our cotton to the neutral ports of
and the spring of 1915, in which
fight he was supported by President
Wilson; likewise his fight to pre-
vent the war industries board, of
winch Bernard BaruCh was chairman,
to stabilize" the price Of cotton in
the fall of 1918, in which fight he
was not supported by the president,
since Chairman Baruch's program
had been directed by the president.
"They call me pro-German because
I fought for cotton in 1914 and
1916" remarked the senator, "but
they do not call the president pro-
German, though he supported me.
And they call me disloyal, I sup
pose, because I resisted the proposal
20 stabilize the price of cotton in
1918. Well, let them call me any
Thing they want to. You paid the
price-you farmers in the audience
Or helped to pay it. The stabilize
tion' statements issued by Bernard
Baruch hammered cotton down from
Sc cents to below % cents a pound,
and it cost the farmers of my state
not less than 100000. If stabi1i-
Zation had been necessary to win the
war, they wouldn't have complained
and neither would I, but it wasn't