The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1908-current, 1920-06-19
CARAWAY RAPS
HARD AT KIRBY
Continued from Page ~

! mlSrepreSent the truth as camou-
flage to gain votes.
| Mr.. Caraway explained at length
his position and that of Senator Kirby
on the Conner amendment, devised to
regulate cotton exchanges, which he
said his opponent is playing up to
gain the vote of farmers. He cited the
Congressional Record to prove that
Senator Conner of Alabama, its author,
is the owner of eight spinning mills
which made dividends of 800 per cent
last year, and that he admitted in a
/ speech in the senate on May 6, 1920,
that the spinner wanted a cotton
exchange where he could hedge and
not be compelled to buy cotton when
| it was being offered by farmers" And
further, that Senator Corners mills
had spent thousands of dollars to run
propaganda to have legislation en-
acted to benefit the spinner. Senator
Kirby voted for this amendment, Mr..
Caraway said, although only IA out
of 435 representatives from cotton
growing states gave the measure their
votes, and these Ia were from dis
tricts where spinning interests were
greater than cotton interests. Sen
ator Kirby, he said was the only SEN
ator from Texas, Oklahoma, Florida,
Arkansas, and Mississippi who cast
his vote for the amendment. "The
spinner wants his raw cotton as cheap
as he can secure. Therefore, whatever
is good for the spinner is bad for the
farmer. In whose interest do you
suppose the Conner amendment was
offered, the spinner or the farmer?"
Statements by Senator Kirby that
he championed the Smith amendment
and secured its adoption, resulting
in raise of three cents per pound for
cotton all in one week, were challenged
by Mr.. Caraway and branded as pure
fiction. He declared that the amend
ment met such opposition that it was
withdrawn, was never supported by
Senator Kirby and never became a
law. Cotton men in Arkansas, he
said, will recall that the Smith amend
ment was a five grade amendment and
not ten grade amendment as claimed
by Senator Kirby.
The attitude and actions of Senator
Kirby during the course of the war
furnished a part of his speech which
Mr.. Caraway delivered with vim, CEN
said the senator made to secure the
exemption for George Grady Hays
from military service. Hays was his
clerk or his secretary and is the son
of eX-Gov. G. W. Hays. Mr.. Caraway
read a copy Of the affidavit which he
said Senator Kirby made, in which
he declared on oath that Hays ''is a
necessary employee of the United
States government. He has been my
private secretary or clerk since | en-
tered the senate in 1916; that the said
George Grady Hays has been clerk Of
the committee on expenditures in the
department of agriculture since | was
appointed chairman of the said COM
mittee in 1916; that his services are
greatly needed in these positions
When this affidavit was made, Mr..
. Caraway said, three other clerks were
in the hire of Senator Kirby at the
expense of the government, but per-
forming no service. The committee
named in the affidavit, the speaker
said, is and has always been a dunn
my" in support Of which statement he
displayed a letter from c. A. Sander
son, secretary of the senate, in which
he says the committee referred to is
an inactive and nominal one. Not one
minute of Hays time was required hy
1t, Mr.. CaraWay said, and that Hays
was Pulaski county registrant and
without dependents. The speaker
contrasted the stand taken in this af-
fidavit with the senate speech made
about the same time by Senator Kirby
IN opposing extension of the draft
age to as years. His speech in the
senate was quoted, to the effect that
there should be no exemption from
military duty and that the classes
IRON q to 81 years should be COM
PEELED to compose the army: "Why
should not husband be taken from
wife and father from children, if that
is necessary to defend the country in
which this wife and those children
live" Concluding this reference to
his opponents alleged lack of patrio-
tlsm, Mr.. Caraway reminded his audi
ence that Grady Miller, secretary to
Senator Joe T. Robinson, left his po-
sitlon and entered the army, with the
consent and approval of his chief. So
far as he knew, Mr.. Caraway declar-
ed that Senator Kirby was the only
house or senate member to demand
exemption for his clerk.
Reverting to the attack which Sen
ator Kirby made on the late Senator
James P. Clarke in 1918, for having or