Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-09-02
Judge Williams Vindication


Ed. CBSER vEh-A paragraph or two in
your last issue require a brief notice from
me as they are somewhat personal. You
say in one: "a correspondent Of the Amer-'
ican says that Judge Williams temporarily
left the bench in Spencer last week and in
dulged in bitter political TRADE abusive
of the Democratic party" In the other you
say: "But there is Circuit Judge of Ten
nessee who temporarily vacated the judi
cial bench TO make bitter anti Democrat
ic speech, and he, we are told, does travel
on free railroad pass. We will not at
this time discuss the prOpriety of Judge
accepting gratuity from a company that
may be an interested party in cause To
be tried in the court presided over by him. "
These paragraphs may be very good rea-
ding for those who believe the highest pur-
pose of a Journal is to malign the personal
status ofthOse who differ with them on pub
lie questions, but they are wanting in the es-
sential elements of truth. left the bench
to go to dinner, and in the meantime the
citizens organized public meeting, Dem
ocratic meeting; large petition had been
circulated before got there asking me &c
address the citizens on public questions, and
when the meeting convened they invited me
TO speak and sent committee to convey the
request, for was not at the court house,
did address them, but not in a bite
speech, | made Democratic speech; a.
bused no one and had no occasion to do so.
| Your candidate is life long personal friend
| so are many persons who were connected
/ with your recent convention, so are many
of the railroad men, and against none Of
| them did utter word of abuse; in fact
while presiding over the convention of seee-
| ding delegates, / defended the members of
| the other convention from the charge that
| they were brought there in the interest of
the railroads on free passes. This you could
have known by reading even the garbled
statements of the american. l have had
pass for some time on one of the railroad
! lines of the State. In presenting it the su-
perintendent ii polite and gentlemanly
way informed me that it was their custom
! to pass free over their roads persons en-
gagged in the public service. Do you mean
10 be understood that these passes are Civ
en- TO influence the official action of the re-
cipient ? If so, you greatly wrong class
of men as honorable as yourself Do you
| think The judicial or other officer receiving
them are bribed in this manner? If so, we
have nothing TO say. If you mean neither
then your illusions are pointless. If that
is the purpose of the railroad companies you
must admit they have mistaken their man
this time. In reference TO the concluding
paragraph in the extract quoted, let me say
TO you, discuss the propriety of my conduct
to your satisfaction and when you have
done so, just refer it 10 The people and l will
be satisfied. l do not complain al your
turning the discussion of public questions
into personal attacks on those who differ
with you, but doesn't it look like very
bad cause that has TO be thus supported!
But you take great exceptions TO the fact
that /, a judicial officer, have thought prop
err TO indulge in the discussion of this mat
ter. You seem just now to have forgotten
that last year very nearly all the Judges
in the State were importuned to take the
stump on this State debt question, and some
of them did so while others wrote and pub
lished their views, and l cannot now cal
TO mind that you or any other paper on yOul
side objected ii. But then,it the farmers
OK that is being gored, and that makes a
difference. / have written this TO you, be-
lieving that you wouldn't willingly injure oil
do me a wrong, and you would allow those
who have read your criticisms TO read my
defence also. OF course my self-respect
would debar me from noticing the scurril-
Gus and insulting illusions in the Other
Fayetteville paper. Respectfully,
j. j. WILLIAMS.