The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1881-06-30

How EHe Interviewed tho WISH
IngtOn Mad ThrOWors.

Washington Special "a Courier-Jomnal.1
The Star Route business bids fair
to make some trouble outside of the
courts. Bad blood is being engen-
dered all around. The free manner
in which the good names Of certain
citizens are being handled by special
correspondence having retroactive
effect Recently the Washington cor.
respondent Of the New York Times
telegraphed to his paper, q paragraph
to the effect that certain persons i'm
plicatcd in the Star route cases were
warm personal friends of Congress-
man Money, OF Mississippi. Room
No So in tho general post Office
building, the headquarters Of the gov
ormeut agents charged with the prep
aration OF the testimony against the
Star route, 10 also the headquarters Of
the newspaper man who wrote the
S.arrouto paragraph. Yesterday Mr..
Money visited This room IN search Of
Sir. Root the enlerpIising CORES
ponlcHi OF ihe Times Mr.. Money
had on bis war paint; he found Nj
Root deep buried in q pilo of Star
route literature, from which he was
Extracting thc choicest mcrsols. Col
Money, perhaps a little excited, app
preaching Mr. Root, and asked 10 be
was the author OF the article. lie
answered that he was, and that he
meant no reflection on the Colonors
character by it.
"That won't DO, young man, said
the Colonel sic you don't mean to
convey any inference by that Ian
guage, what was your purpose in
using it.; you are a novice in Wash
ington journalism OF you would have
known that during my whole career
in Congress ] have done all in my
power to curtail the expenditures on
these exploded routes, and in several
reports have pointed out what I called
their gross extravaganza. Why, the
very case with which You connected
my name was taken bodily from a
speech I made, showing the recklefs
waste Of money Can't you read {?
What kind of trial are You fellows
supposed TO be carrying ong You
are a slandorcr and defamer Now
propose to give you Just three days
to correct that impression in your
paper; # you don't do it within the
specified time, IN make il personally
uncomfortable for you That's al
I've got to say to you"
Then turning to the other gentle
men, Messrs Gibson and Wood
ward, he said Gas for this whole
crowd Eve only to Say that when you
End any evidence that connects me
dishonesty with any public orprivate
frauds, make the most Of it, but my
character is my only stock ia trade,
and ! serve notice oa you now that
if you attempt to smirch il by innu-
endo and assail it by underground and
oowardly insinualions, IN hold you
to q personal account You'll prob
ably end out that the reputation Of an
American citizen Is not to be killed
by smut machiao" And the colo.
mel left
This little affair has served as food
for considerable gossip here The
general verdict seems to 6e that the
nance Of prominent citizens are
handled to freely in connection with
this Star route business, and as the
investigation is backed up by the gov
ernment, whose agents are not pre-
pared TO 60 into court with their case,
the only resource for parties who feel
themselves aggrIeved by newspaper
publication Is to take the law into their
own hands as a measure Of self pro-
lection. Col Money is an old news
paper man. and undoubtedly under
stands what he is driving at.