Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-21
HILL TO FELTON,,
THE SENATOR'S REPLY TO THE
REVEREND INDEPENDENT.
A Statement Of Political Affiliations
Matters of PersOnal Import, Etc.


FELTON,.
This letter is certainly the most bitter and
venomous summary Of charges against my
public and private character l have ever seen
The viIest production Of carpet-bag slum could
not cav more to defame me am pictured as
having been all nv life-"befOre the war, DUR
ing the var. and since the war corrupt,
''hvpocritical," ''malevolent." 'mendacious"
man. whose counsels have ''blighted the State
of my birth" and DESTROYED the Democratic
party" and as one who, under professions OF
friendship " has always been ''treacherous and
vindictiver
All public men are liable to abuse. thought
had enjoyed my full share and would have
some exemption from such in the future. But
this letter gathers up nearly all the worst
calumnies of the past colors them with new
odium and then adds new ones invented by
the author for the occasion. This fierce HOOD
Of vituperation comes too. from man OF
whom I never in all nv life spoke or wrote one'
unkind word. but In whose behalf had spoken
and written more kind words than ever dld
for anv other man and because of my friend
ship for whom for seven years l had almost
imperilled my own standing in the Democratic
party.
in kind. and my respect for the people OF Geor-
gia will not allow me to descend to a contest OF
dirty epithets, The explosion is personally
harmless from overcharge. but this letter from
DR.. FELTON, has a significance and meaning OF
public importance at this moment; ana 10
| show this meaning and significance is the pur-
! pose of this writing
~.
| charges he has rehearsed and invented with
| such sudden virulence? During the rugged
| VOYAGE of the stormy periods in which my So
/ cial and political life have been passed, have
| sometimes heard pleasant voices. Many kind
| and partial things have been said and written
| about me. and it has been my ambition to &C.
serve them No man has been more earnest
/ or more frequent, or more fulsome in his
/ praises Of me for forty wears than DR. FELTON,.
! No man has repelled with more indignation
all ISLANDERS upon my public and private life,
| and especially some of the very ISLANDERS he
| has now rehearsed to defame me.
| During four consecutive canvasses for Con-
| gress in the 9TH district he has warmly eulo-
| giZad me as ever a model public man, ana has
| made conspicuous my Endorsement Of his
| personal and political integrity as proud evil
| dence to the people of his fitness to be their
| Representative. All the people or the district
will bear testimony in support OF this state
| ment
Does any man or child believe that when DR..
FELTON, was indulging in these high-w[ought
eulogies upon me. he really believed l was.
| and all my life had been, a corrupt" men
| dacious," 'hypocritical' and bad man? If he
| did not believe so while pronouncing such
| eulOgies he has certainly shown himself to be
| the most expert hypOcrite ever yet known.
| To act the partOf such hypocrite for long
| series of wears without ever exciting the
slightest suspicion OF his sincerity, IS a
would entitle its author to the distinction of
| being the hero of hypocrites.
Up to the writing of this letter l do not be-
| lieve DR. FELTON, ever uttered an unkind word
| of me either in public or private. am sure
| never did of him. 1t is impossible to conclude
that DR.. FELTON, believes the charges he has
| now made because it is impossible for any
| man to attain to such perfection in hypocrisy.
On the other hand if DR.. FELTON, did not be-
| lieve the charges to be true, and yet made
| them and made them, too, with such furious
| mendacity, then he has shown himself to be
the most peridious and ungrateful sanderer
that the purlieuS of degrade form OF politics
ever produced. Without provocation, without
| and without the SLIGHTEST nrnViOlIC
notice. he has slande ed an admitted friend of
| forty years. and friend who, for seven years,
exposed himself to the reproaches and critl-
| csms of his party in order TO maintain TINS
one man in his political aspirations. And he
has slandered me, too, with a reckless violence
| and an abandoned untruth'uineSs never
| equaled by my worst enemy, even or the car
AS there could De no possible reason for
this conduct the next question is: What is the
| excuse for it? DIR. FELTON, uses for his excuse
| an interview with me reported by Mr.. Grady
in which interview he says l abused him and
made against him an implied charge of dis
honesty. The reader will see the utter weak
ness of this excuse at once. for that an inter
view reported in the language OF another
should authorize such flood OF calumny
| against a friend of forty years OF unbroken
| planning or denying the interview. There is not
| a word in the interviw which is or which car
be justly construed TO be personal ly unknd and
| Mr. Grady, or the Constitution, has so dis
| tInctly stated But even II there was one
word which might possibly bear such con
| struction, even an enemy would have asked
| for an expla alton before letting loose such g
deluge of bilingsgate and calumny.
But aside from all this here is one fact
which it is my painful duty to state here
| which will make this pretence of unkindness
| more damaging if possible, to DR.. Felton'S
| good name than the slanderOus letter.
| For years DR. FELTON, and myself have been in
tn habit of writing frank and confidential et
ters to eao h other. One OF the first things die
after reading his interview published in 6
| Chicago paper. and embodying his new plat
form. 1 wrote DIR. FELTON, just such a letter
| In the unreserYe of our long frienship, ano
feeling that his political course would some
what involve me, as l had always maintained
his political honesty, and believing | might
be better posted as to the meaning of recent
political movements than himself. J express
ed the pain / felt on reading, this inter
view. l also said that if it was true l appre
hended it would make him Republican and G
, stalWart Republican st that. ! warned him OF
| the dangers ahead, and expressed the earnest
hope that he would not allow himself TO be
ensnared at this late day into the Republican
partY But in this letter l also said that
could never speak of him otherwise than kind
! ly This letter he must have hsd before hin
when he made unkindness by construction his
excuse for abusing me as no political enemy
had ever donel The letter was private, but
do not object to its publication
Either Dr. FELTON, believed the charges made
and invented in his letter, OF did not believ'
them and on this subject these proposition
are now established:
/. If he believes the charges he convicts
, himself OF being the worst Aypocrite ON rec
9 If he does not believe the charges, ne con
victs himself OF being the worst slanderer oI
record.
2 3. The excuse he offers for making tn,
, charges was not only unfounded, but wa
known to be false'when offered / will not an
! nounce the terrible conclusion as to what thu
"Ia nretence together convict hin
Of being. leave him with facts, ana Cne sll,
pie statement that q man who will be false t.
a friend will be true to nothing.
But evesy effect must have cause, and thl
: letter of Dr. Feton being an extraordinary
effect must have an extraordinary cause, ant
that cause is not and cannot possibly be in any
|; thil l have said or done, nor is the cause II
DR. F'elton's belief or unbelief of the charges b.
has made. To say he believes the charges /
to discredit him as a hypocrite. say he doe
not believe them is to discredit him as a Sian
derer. Ard to say he made the charges for tn
excuse rendered is to dscredit him both as
hypocrite and a slanderer.
The truth is, the only cause Of this unprece
dented letter exists, and exists only in DR.. Eel
ton himself After hard struggle with tn
bitterness of defeat and the wooings Of ambi
ton, Dr. FELTON, has formed new purpose, AM
is to have new friends and allies. He has no
changed any of his political convictions, bu
he has changed his political purposes ant
affiliations, and he is himself ashamed or tn
change
He hopes to deceive others who have stoot
by him in all his struggles, and he hopes b.
, | uGGGiNtuR
allies. But he has no hope of deceiving me
he feels and knows l understand him, and tina
l will lose respect for him. He cannot stan(
in my presence, and remember the assurance,
he has so often given me when begging me Il
stand by him, and that he could never deceive
or disappoint me, and not lose respect for him
self There was but one desperate resources
left and that was to get rid of me He gath
cred ali his energies for the blow. He called t
his assistance all the dirty scandals Of years
which he had so often denounced, but which j
now seems he had preserved in his scrap book
and he adds to these such as the advantages oi
a long confidential friendship enabled him tC
invent. and discharged the aggregate mass a.
my unsuspec ing head. II my poor sadly -faller
friecd can survive the blow, / can. L nevel
wrote anything more in sorrow and less IL
anger. do not envy the man VINO can wit
ness the perhdy or feel the ingratitude of a life
long friend and not be sad. There is a manly
way to change opinions and affiliations which
every man must respect. Such changes grea
and good men have often made In the past anC
will often make again. There is an unmanlS
aud foul way of forming mongrel coalitions oi
incongruous elements for the common pur
pose of winning spoils, which no man car
respect These changes only perhdious meI
ever have made or ever can make.
We have now arrived at the point when We
can fully understand the meaning and signifi-
canoe of DR.. FeltOn's letter and his new
movement" But before showing this feel
ought to make brief explanation to the De
mocracy of the State, and Of the Seventh dis
trict especially. I did not approve of DR.
Felton's so-called independentism, but fol
four elections refused to go into the district
TO oppose him, and for every election gave
| him new certificate of good character. per
sonal and political, which was often told by
both parties and by himself he used with great
| effect. often spoke well OF him in private
and in pub ic, and twice, at his earnest re
quest, introduced him in most complimentary
I N,, Iar In osf ~