National Republican., 1882-01-14
FELTON, VS.. HILL.
HITS AT THE GEORGIA SENATOR.
Dr. William II. FELTON, Makes Review Of Mr.. Mills
Record In Reply to His Recent Statements
About the Independent Movement
Now Incubating In Georgia.
NEAR c,nrrnsr1,1r.G. jan. z. tss2

consent This interview does not surprise me In
any way. Anybody acquainted with Mr.. Hils
past record need not be astouishcd at anythiughe
may do In politics or friendship. Whenever he
proposes TO attack with q malign purpose he al
ways makes loud professions Of friendship and
you can measure his mallgnity by his hypocrisy.
Mr.. llil was a college mate of mine The friend.
ship then formed has been to me something
stronger than political differences or purity nl.
hauccs have seen many things IN his er.
ratio public course that was obliged to disap.
prove, but, while claiming to be his friend, was
enough Of gentleman to say It TO his face and in
private. As Burke said TO Fox our friendship is
at all end"
] PROPOSE TO DEAL WITH iIiN
as should do with any other public man. and
Judge him by his record, which know to be ns
eccentric, rs unwisc, as unpatiioic and too often
as seemingly corrupt that oTany other politician
whose evil counSels have assisted to blight the in
tcrcsts of the State which gave him BIRTH The
public will bear me witness that this controversy
with Mr.. Hill was not fmy seeking. am n free
man. aud plain citizen Of Gcorgia--a man who is
proud to know he has always paid his debts, and
endcNvorcd to protect his pubic aud private
character from amy imnuiatiOu OF corruption
or dishonesty. | chnlicngc records with even
Senator ltll In amy and every station In life,
aud shgll b. satisfied with the verdict OF the public
on the honesty issue. Ills lOly assurance in
stating to your reporter TINT was "houcst wien
started uut,' therefore, only proyokcs smile I
defy him OF any other man in Georgia or out Of IL.
TO prove dishonesty upon my public aud private
reputation. IhC cHn iunlishHny proof dCmnud
is isnppcarrUcc nt once. II stiikcs nc he would be
the inst mnn Ia charge such IN imrutution as tho
one above quoted II he could be made to see him
sclfaS otlCi see him, Furthermore. if he or nuy
other man IN ms that an" ultimntum." requiring
me To Join the Republican party, was presented to
me by President Arthur or 10y any other person
whOmsncyer: or that lave ever accented such an
"uliimalum,' ! pronounce the assertion
MOST UNQUALIFIED FAiSEnoop,
originating In hate und malignancy. nm now
what have lecn iurycars, an independent in pol
tiles, and ] am happy to know that no ring.
masters caucus ever compelled any man TO vote
Tor me against lis viii, nor did | ever 20 into n
convention, aud when they refused ~ nominate
me, went before the people o be elected hy Radi.
cal and Independent votes, rs did Mr. IIill al
Gainesville. lie raised no hue and cry " at thai
time about "Arit.iEing Georgia" He was glad
O. get every "Aircun's" vote, aud now return,
fidence IN his honesty" Ills record before th,
war, during the war and afler the close Of the wal
is too well known to the people Of Georgia to re-
captulntc here. He was known to be all thng
to all men, always distinguished for violence ant
amnesty In the matter Of Democracy | cai
safely compare records with the gentleman. and 4
mine does not stand the test better than his owl
neither deserve a place IN the Democratic party
At the famous DcanO banquet he frankly stated
"if he was Democrat he never intended TO be, :
and his course since that time gives unmistakabic
evidence That c accidentally spoke the truth. A!
late as the year 1877 lie was an
oUTsroKES FRIEND OF Mr. HAYES
an out-and 'Out Republican President In hi
famous address to the people of GcOrgin he snys
w%s anxious 70 support the present Fedora
10 accept Office from him, and no word of com
plaint was heard until the Senator failed to pre-
vail on the President to bcstow the patronage nc
cording to his dictation. Then he became n
blatant and abusive MS he was TO Governor Col
quitt about the Murphy fee" Since that time IN
has rung all the changes upon the Federal Gp
pointments in the Louisiana custom. house whiCl
might have been lnudaions instead II PreSiden
Hayes had been willing to obey the behests of tn
Senator. His attack on Governor Colquitt
better understood now than when he Is
sued that famous address. | have 1t beCor
me at this writing, also the equally inmou
interview in the Baltimore Gazette In whic
he uses these words about the Governor: e d
ADMIT II was corruption, and no instance OF thN
class of corruption was ever more clearly prove
or more distinctly marked or moIo feeby excuse
The ofense I" the Senator as it turned 0ul, did NC
nc IN thG inct mat the Goretior signed the bond
iorthis eloquent lawyer had urged him to do Sc
Neither did II lie IN the iuct that The Govcrio
knew fee was to be pnid, when he did sign tn
bonds for Senator Hill produced letter of his ow
IN evidence, in which lie reproachcd His Excel
lency for moi informing him of the inct accordiu
70 request; but the cruwning iniamy--thc proof
the corruption existed In his own failure to gt
the S7,OOO-and the preference displayed by In
rather than that Of Mr., Hll. II will always be
question whether this exciting little episod
would have ever occurred if the fee had taken q
agreeable direction.
WHILE THESE CHARGES PROGRESSED
the Senator was fairly smOthering the GovernC
with continuous protcstaions OF warmcst friend
fpme unacCOunt1ble reason produced in print
ceNiiicate OF good character which was as culo
glsuS S"' the Governor as his fathers furious nc
cusation had been otherwise. With this charg
and Others hanging over the Governor the peopl
refused to assent to his nomination again, and IN
clamOr was loud for the appearance of Mr.. Hill u
the stump to explain this corruption So well $,
forth by him In the public prints. Did he do il
This honorable gentleman fed ingloriously frol
tire State, ,mcndaciously asserting he never 6rougi
charge against the Governor in his whole If
Such Is the quality Of his patriotism in State pol
IfAs.N ,.slf
charge upon the Independents, horse, foot an
dragoons, it is believed he is controlled by Il
hope of retaining the influence of other politician
IN the State for his own particular benefit.
friend sugg, sts to the cause fer the presei
attack upon Georgia Independents the appea
nnce oil hh editorial squib in your paper mlima
ing "some Independent would run for his place
~ my olinion, nothing could have been write
That would have cXHsperated him more.
HIS YASITY Is EQUAL TO Anything,
and he is impressed that he has divine right
the nlace. IL is II question To hG solved wllrth
the state of Georgia Is longer willing TO be han
pered in her material and.iudusrinl progress by Il
sectional prejudice and short sighted policy of
Senator who plays indenendcnt or regular Just
ms own ambition or pccuniary profit suggests. /
has lost all influence with his own pnrty-ald, b.
ing the laughing stock of hrs enemies, he is pov
erless to ND Georgia III any effort he may uildc
lake. Ills advocacy seals IL with defeat II
former friends will lie grieved TO see such tot
lack of policy ns they find In this crusade up,
,te go9H N, men OF th9 state state VINO have Gung TO hi
he was playing part in his desire 10 keep Il
favor OF the organization, while ut heart he "
liberal ana conservative His worst enemies "
e&ult over his want Of Judgment, aud he will soi
find himself where they have long desired to 8
him-namely, without friends or n following .
TO The rest Of his TRADE against myself snap II
fingers in the face Of IL. Georgia has heard Ii
Bame twaddle until IL has become an old son
Amy specific charge upon my character shall n
tce, but he may howl himself hoarse against Il
independents ana their party in Georgia. A vi
giniaTTTa Democrat odd me few weeks ag
ben HIS tomfOolory aud mania 10 hear himsC
talk had lost that state TO the Democratic part
Ibelieve with him-any party
WILL THRIVE ON HIS ABUSE.
And hope he will do all he threatens to do +
many people are getting rcstiye under his polit
cal ossumacy and Bourbon buiiOOnery. Wht
this presuming leader dares tO charge me vii
trying to "Airicanize the state" because cla
for every man, White and COlOfCd, tho right to yo
free ticket aud TO have that vote cOuuted-b
cause claim the right Of every child TO II pla
English education AT the expense OF the State aI
Federal GOycnInents-bccallse claim protect,
for the poor, wrcehed creatures who are, by {
multitude, being pushed INTO the convict camps
the Senator's political AlliCs-the people will beg
TO understand the true inwprdnCss Of the BouTb
supremacy IN Georgia. hope every poor mal
white and cOlOtcd, the mechanic, the dHy-labore
the men of sweat and toll may hear this polite
nutOcrnt as lie cracks his lash over my back |
cause dared 10 be their humble friend and ndN
cate. wish the Senator to understand dlstiuC
that with all my political faults no man can chGl
me with appearing before the American CouEr
in opposition to a measure which required an /
mense railroad corporation to pay It's lawful dl
to the Government Of the people and when I
opposition miled, as II should have failed Y
not found a few days thereafter appealing TO
Supreme Court IN the interest uI this deiea
monopoly, for and IN consideration of an imme
fee, leaving the world in doubt whether the
had been contracted for before or after the iaYo
BILE vote was given Thank God, my Democracy
not
sSHRCHED WITH SUCH CRIME As THIS.
With all my defects as n Democrat, was ne