Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-01-02
TCoMMuNIcATED.1
Col. ALEXANDER MURCHIsoN,
w. President c. F and d. r. Nav, Company:


w. President C. F and d. r. Nau. Companu:
DEAR SIR Some person kindly sent me number
of the Standard, containing a communication from
YOU in reply to certain structures IN the journal OF
This Mace u on the management OF the work under
vour charge, in which you represent me as having
gon.. as the Agent of the Stockholders in Whining
ton to HAYWOOD for the avowed purpose OF eJectlng
from the Board gentleman who is as much acquant
ed with the River any man on 1t, Tor the reas on
he was supposed to be opposed to Mr.. Douglas =
Now how you could arrive at such conclusion IS
more than | can imagine. You certainly could draw
no such inference from any acts of mine; tor voted
for the gentleman referred to for Director, OF my
own free will and accord, and without solicitation
from any quarter; neither would anything when L
said during my trip to- or stay at Haywood on that
occasor warrant such assertion as You make, 1or
spoke more freely to you than to any one else about
thai gentleman You cannot have forgotten the cir
cumstance and | should hardly think the substance
of nv remarks, which were, that had been inform
ed that he was so opposed to Mr. Douglas tina, ne
had declared he would not on the Board OF d.
rectors if DOUGLAS was retained in the Company's
employ, and that if such was the case might De un-
der the necessity Of opposing him, tor that the WI
mington Stockholders had more commence IN MT
Douglas than in any person connected with the "oIk
and that should consider myself as instructed 10 de-
fend and support him against attacks .come from what
quarter they might to which you replied it was an
entire mistake, that he was very tIlPndiy towards
Mr. Douglas | expressed my gra,hcation al
learning that such was the case, treleaved me from
an embarrassing position, the nature OF which you
understood, but which had no reference 10 eJectln
him from tie Directory the contrary, though did
not say So thought and still think ii would have
been better for the Com any if he had been chosen
President in the outset
Again, prepared and advocated the resolutions in
troduced by me in the Stockholders meeting, as a
compromise to satisfy many who Wee disposed to
vote against him on the ground, as alleged, of some
interfering with the engineer in the prosecution OF
his plans after they had been adopted by the Board
From whence, then, could you have drawn inferen'
ces to warrant you in thrusting a private individual
before the public for you had well given my
as make such reference as fully identified me [ am
the more amazed at this, not only being dragged be-
fore the public without my consent, but being placed
in false position at that, because it was wholly
necessary 10 establish your position, that the vii
mington Stockholders desired 10 have Mr.. Douglass
retained Chief Engineer, having confidence in his
skill and experience in that kind Of work and you
might have added, without fear of contradiction, tina
they still believe that, if his plans had been faithfully
| executed, and the work on Deep River had been let
as it should have been, TO the company that offered
to take it at the Engineers estimate and complete il
by the lst of August 1856, and wait for their pay
till the work completed it would have been bet
ter for the Company by more than seven times tht
| seven thousand dollars you imagine you have saved
| the Company by letting il cut to other parties,
| Yours, &C. JOHN McRAE.