Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1856-01-30
WHAT'WILL Mr.. PURYEAR SAY NOWs


Our readers will remember that alluded a
week or two ago, to letter Of the Hon. r. c. Pur-
year. of this State in which he declared that the 1st
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 rative.born citizen"
We find, in the american Organ of December
26th this letter from Mr. Puryear together with the
reply of Mr. King, 1st Assistant Postmaster Generals
and publish them, follows:
House OF REPRESENTATIVE Dec. "a, 1855.
DEAR SIR: see in your paper of 22d instant a
statement concerning the appointment of post
master in my district at Madison, Rockingham coun-
ty, North Carolina, which desire to correct. The
conversation to which you aludc was between Mr..
Horatio King LIST Assistant Postmaster General and
myself and not with Mr.. Campbell, the Postmaster
General stated in your article. With this excep-
tion the statement is correct as far as 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? replied tina. did not know whether
he was or not; and asked him if it were possible
that his being Know Nothing would be an objec-
| ton? He replied Yes, l am acting under orders
not to appoint any Know Nothing, and to turn out
all whom know to belong to the order" than
asked him if natve-born citizen and foreign Ro-
man Catholic, both equally competent, were 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 not.
Very respectfully, your obedicnt servant.
r. G. PURYEAR.
In explanation and correction of the above state
ment, says the "Organ," Mr. King sends us the
| following letter, towit:
WASHINGTON, Dec. 81, 1855.
| MEssRs EDIToRs: In your paper of this evening
the statement given by the Hon. r. c. Puryear, OF
a conversation he recently held with me, in regard
| to the appointment of postmaster at Madison, n.
| c., is incorrect do wish to be understood as
| charging the honorable gentleman with intentional
misrepresentation but the conversation, it occur
| red substantially follows:
When Mr. Puryear presented the application tor
appointment, l remarked, laughirgly, that sup
posed the candidate good Know Nothing; to
which he replied that he not himself menl> er
| of the Order; that he did not know whether the
| applicant not and asked if a mans being 4
! Know Nothing really made any difference at tine
| Department in considering; applications for appoint
mcnt My answer was, that it did; that we not
only did not 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 il Know Nothing and an Irish Catholic, both
equally competent, weie presented for an Office,
| which would receive the appointment? replied,
that would answer 10y saying that the fact neither
of his being an Irishnan Catholic would pre-
vent his receiving the appointment if he was good
| naturaiized citizen.
might, also, in strict accordance with the truth
have added that in appointment of postmasters
neither mans birth place nor 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
tenton. am, respectfully, &c,
HORATIO KING.
Messrs. ELLIS & BCsEY,
Eds Americam Organ,
Washington, d. C.