Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-08-22

he. I told them that the people of
the second Tennessee district were
patriotic, that they were honest and
as decent as were the people of any
other part of the United States
that they had been represented in
Congress by John Williams, Hugh
Lawson White and Horace Maynard;
the peers in integrity, morality and
ability of any in the nation, that
they had voted for Houk in ignor,
ance of his real character, and when
they learned how he had disgraced
them they would Indignantly repu-
date him.
They replied to this that if what
l had said was true, Houk was the
most impudent man who lived, or he
would not dare ask a reelection at
the hands of people whom he had
SO betrayed and disgraced. It was
because I thus defended you, my
neighbors and fellow-citizens, that
Houk tried to intimidate me by
threatening to have me dismissed
from office.
In defense of his criminal neglect
of his duties and to bolster
up his rapidly waning reputa-
ton, Houk, or some friend
of his, has procured and
published certificate from
nineteen Tennesseeans that he is
very sober, hard working Congress
man. They say that s.some of US
have been with hun every day and
night for several months, say since
January" Now, I want to know
which of these nineteen gentlemen
(all of whom owe the offices they fill
to Houk) spent the part of the day
with him in the station house? They
say ''some of us have been with him
every day and night since January"
1t was on the earl y morning of the
18th of June that the police authors
tiles put him in the lookup. When I
learn which of these disinterested
patriots spent that day with him I
shall then want to know who will en-
dorse their sobriety. l am informed
that one of these disinterested
patriots took Houk to a Turkish
bath house in this city III the hope
of steaming the whisky out of his
hide by the hot vapors OF an Eastern
bath. This certificate is dated
Washington, July 25th. One
of the signers to it was not
in Washington, July 25th, had not
been for weeks before and has not
been since, as | am able to prove.
Some of these gentlemen are clever
men, and my personal friends and I
viii not speak harshly of them for
their inability to refuse to respond
IN this manner to the plteous appeal,
''help me, Cassius, or | sink, of tie
man to whom they felt under person
al obligations for their offices. But
these gentlemen are not we'll read III
the official records of the police sta,
ton where Houk was confined. It
would be criminal in me to fail of my
duty in telling You how cruelty you
will be deceived if you trust
to this endorsement of Houk's
sobriety and his efficiency as Con
gresham and his standing in Wash-
ington. Why does not Dir. Roak get
a certificate of like character from at
least one member Of has committee on
aCar claims
Why not call on a political friend
and associate on LIS com mittee who
would write independently and
truthfully, instead of calling on the
men who are indebted to him for
office? He does not do SO, simply
because he knows that not one
man of his committee could or would
give such an endorsement
The statements made by Houk' s
ofhceholders as to his efficiency IN
having claims paid. are equally IN
true He has secured the payment
of but single private claim by the
passage of special act since he has
been III Congress, although be has
introduced hundreds of bills of that
character. While he has had great
er opportunities, as chairman of the
war claims committee, he has
procured the passage of fewer
private bills than any man
with like oppo tunities, who has ever
been in Congress, This is not be-
cause Houk does not possess fair
talents, but it is because of his I'm
fortunate habits With his habits
he would be worthless as a Con>
gresham, if he had the talents of
Henry Clay Equally unfounded is
the claim made by Houk and his
friend, that he secured the passage
of the bill for the payment of Quar-
termaster's stores, when he
and they know that it
is customary for Congress to
pass these claims as they are report
ed by the Quartermaster General.
ALI this Houk knows. But he is
trying to deceive and hoodwink the
people, and, if for no other reason,
he deserves defeat for practicing a
fraud, and thereby insulting the in
telligence of his constituents.
If DIR. Houk feels that my descrip-
ton of his disgraeeful conduct in
Washington has been harsh, he
should remember that he sought this
controversy, and that his treatment
of the people who elected him has
been harsh and ungrateful.
Respectfully, your fellow citizen,
JOHN B. BRowNLoW.