Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-07-21
HARDWICK HEARD
IN VIGOROUS PLEA
BY VOTERS HERE
Former Senator Ridi-
cules Opponents in
Governors Race

|
the Sumter coul.ty courthouse, for
mer Senator Thomas w. Hardwick
last night made as eloquent and ear
rest plea for the support Of the
voters Of this community in his race
for the governorship as has been
heard here in many days. His talk.
delivered with great power and en-
thusiasm, lacked that bitterness which
which had been expected by many
| of his hearers who know by having
heard him before or from his repu-
tation something of his ability as a
fighter and his inclination to take
the initiative whenever a fight pre-
sents itself. His speech apparently
pleased a great mony of his hearers,
and seemed to displease few, even
those who bitterly oppose him in this
race.
! In forceful language he presented
| his case in separate divisions, hrst
reviewing the recent senatorial prl-
mary fight and the state convention,
eliminating in the refusing OF the
San Francisco convention to seat the
Georgia convention delegates. This
he followed with a statement of the
principles for which he stands as
against his opponents and answered
the charge that he was running for
governor on national, not state IS
sues.
Answers Red Charge.
He closed with reply to the
charge that he is a "Bolsheylst, Ked
or Radical" for having accepted en-
ployment as attorney defending Mar
tens, the Russian representative IN
this country, in the senate lnvestiga-
ton of the latter. To this latter
charge he declared that the constltu-
tion of the United States guarantees
every accused man the right OF coun-
sell: that Aaron Burr, accused or
treason, was defended by half
dozen of the most prominent Amerl-
can LAWYERS of the times; that Jetter-
son Davis, accused of treason. was
defended by several Of the North
most brilliant lawyers and acquitted,
and that in neither of these cases
were the defending attorneys accuS-
ed of sanctioning the crime with
which the men they were defending
were charged. ,,.o W.,
l.er refusing a $4,000 feet" heI
nueried. Nobody, and they never
will, because he will never be oHer-
ed one" ,o,d
ed occasionally during his speech,
nut most of the time he was heafo
with studious attention. He was IN
GOOD voice and spoke with clear
annunciation that made every Word
heard distinctly in all parts OF Ihe
hall His speech was not the tlfe-
some sort which characterlzes SO
many political addresses, but kept
iis hearers interested all the time.
And # afforded entertainment tor
those who did not agree with "haV
he had to say pI
Mr.. Hardwick was introduced py
DIR. B. F. Bond. county health com
missioner. DR.. Bonds remarks were IN
defense of the record of Mr.. Hard
wick as a man who stands by his con-
victions, whether they please those IN
authority or not, and as a defender OF
the rights of the common people. he
declared that his stand during the
war was not disloyal, giving this as
the Judgment of man who had been
in the service during the war-him-
self.
Mr.. Hardwick opened with COM
nliment to South Georgia, in which
he was born and which he said he
loved as boy and still loves. He men
toned the flag floating over our fed
eral building as the most beautiful
emblem in the world and declared
that "if | had ever been disloyal to
that flag | would not dare to stand
here and face you tonight" He de-
clared that the country had passed
through pefikous times, that "the
night of intolerance and injustice of
autocracy and one-man government,
has been spent and the dawn of tree
dom streaks our skies again"
He reviewed the recent presidential
| primary in Georgia, the fixing of the
rules by the "bosses" of the state
convention; of the Palmer delegates
participating in the convention from
first to last and being defeated and
then the Palmer delegation going to
San Francisco to represent the state
of Georgia which had repudiated it.
ooh, yes, we have bosses, big and
little, in Georgia. he declared, "but
we're not going to have them much
longer"
He characterized Palmer as the
self-appointed candidate who went to
San Francisco known as the Fight
ing Quaker" and came away known
as the "Quaking Fighter.
Ha daoIarad +bat vvhiIa Palmer had
less than one-third tie total vote cast
in the state primary, standing on the
unqualified endorsement of the
League of Nations, TO more than two
thirds for Smith and Watson, who OPP
posed it as it stood, he himself was
Continued or page 81