Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-01-26
WHAT WILL MR.. puRYEAR SAY NOW, i

WHAT WILL Mr.. PURYEAR SAY NOW ~
Our readers will remember thst We slluaed 4
week or two ago, to letter of the Hon. R. g. Pnr-
year of this State in which he declared that the LIST
Assistant Postmaster had told him that he should
be compelled" if such case should be PRESENT
ed to appoint to office "a foreign Roman Catho-
lie " in preference to "a native-born citizen"
We find, in the "American Organ " of December
26th this letter from Mr.. Puryear, together with the
reply of Mr.. King LIST Assistant Postmaster General;
and We publish them, as follows:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE Dec a. 1855
DEAR SIR: l see in your paper of ed instant
statement concerning the appointment of post
master in my district at Madison, Rockingham coun-
ty, North Carolina, which l desire to correct The
conversation to which you allude was between Mr.
Horatio King, LIST Assistant Postmaster General and
myself, and not with Mr.. Campbell, the Postmaster
General, as stated in your article With this excep
ton, the statement is correct as far it goes, but
it does not embrace all that occurred between Mr..
King and myself on that OCCASION
When made the application for the appointment,
Mr.. King asked me if the applicant were Know.
Nothing? l replied that did not know whether
he was not; and asked him if it were possible
that his being Know Nothing would be an objec-
ton? He replied YES am acting under orders
not to appoint any KnowNothing, and to turn out
all whom know to belong to the order" than
asked him if native-born citizen and foreign Ro
man Catholic, both equally competent, to apply
for the appointment, OH which would he bestow it?
He said he should be compelled to appoint the for
eign Catholic. then left the Department, and do
not know whether any appointment has yet been
made or not
Very respectfully, your obedient servant.
R. C. PURYEAR.
In explanation and correction of the above state
ment says the Organ" Mr. King sends US the
following letter, to-wit:
WASHINGTON, Dec. "a, 1856.
MEssRs. EDrroRs: In your paper Of this evening
the statement given by the Hon. r. C. Puryear, of
a conversation he recently held with Inc, in regard
to the appointment of postmaster at Madison, N.
c., is incorrect. do not wish to be understood as
charging the honorable gentleman with intentional
misrepresentation but the conversation, as it occur
red, substantially as follows:
When MIR. Puryear presented the application for
appointment, remarked, laughingly, that sup
posed the candidate was good Know Nothing to
which he replied that he not himself mem er
of the Order; that he did not know whether the
applicant was or not and asked if a mans being
Know Nothing really made any difference at the
Department in considering applications for appoint
mcnt. My answer was, that it did; that we not
only did appoint Know Nothings, if We knew it,
but that we turned them out whenever good Demo-
Gratis were recommended for their places He then
asked, if Know Nothing and an Irish Catholic, both
equally competent, we've presented for an office,
which would receive the appointment? replied,
that would answer by saying that the fact neither
Of his being an lrishman nor Catholic would pre-
his receiving the appointment, if he was good
naturalized citizen.
might, also, in strict accordance with the truth,
have added, that in appointment OF postmasters,
neither mans birth place his religion is ever
made the subject Of inquiry; but denial of the
! obligations imposed and the rights secured by the
! constitution is matter which does not escape at
| tention.
am, respectfully, &C.,
| HORATIO KING.
| Mcssrs. ELLIS & BUsEY,
| Eds american Oryan,
Washington, D. G.
What will Mr. Puryear say now9