The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-11-22
a Card.

There is q newspaper, one half of which
is printed i'll Lincoln county, called the
Brookhaven Democrat. It draws it inspi-
ration from few "sore heads" protesting
to be Democrats, and from the defeated In
dependent candidate for the Legislature
i'll this county. This newspaper has seen
proper for the qualification of it's inspira-
tors to attack me, and to basely and falsely
assert that l aln not Democrat. Now
will briefly state the facts. There was n
free race for all county officers in Lincoln
county at the election,just over, including
Representative; the county Democratic
convention, having, by a vote nearly
unanimous, declared it ineXpedient to
make any nominations whatever, Let me
say hero, that every officer elected in this
county is a "Simon pure" Democrat, and
this, too, notwithstanding the said news
paper asserts that the county has gone
back to the Radicals. If +. NJ. Martiu,
and Il. ". McNair, and jesse Warren, and
Allen Smith, aud the other elected officers
are not Democrats, then there are none.
But to return: l never professed to be
anything bat Democrat in my life. Only
one candidate opposed me in this free
race. We canvasscd the county together.
He professed to he Democrat. charged
that was a better Democrat than he. l
showed that in 1877 nc ran Independent,
against the regular Democratic nomineet
for the Legislature and was defeated; that
in 1879 he wrote such letters 30 the Green
back paper ut Jackson, rs caused that or
gan to claim him as q Grccnbacker; that
in 1881 he supported and voted for al . In
dependent candidate for the Legislature
against TIE Democratic nominee, and
owned and caused to be run, q newspaper
which opposed the nominee Of the Demo
cratic party. All Of this was admitted,
and besides, my said opponent was not
content to run on the Democratic plat
form, but constructed ono for himself
which Tesombled Chdlmersism more than
anything else known to the politics of the
day. To he Just to this opponent of mine,
who received $50 votes-mUre than half of
which came from cOlored nien--1 am salts
fled he believed he was converted man
and Democrat; but though he labored hard
he could not make the people believe it.
lie also in the canvass assaulted my Democ-
racy. All that he could show was that
had run once independently and was elect
ed. Tho people decided between MS and
and repudiated his Democracy and endors-
ed mine, giving me 1854 votes. If am an
unworthy Democrat, as the Ames people
of this county assert, their candidate was
moro unworthy. l do not hesitate to say
that received nine-tenths of the regular
Democratic votes of this county. If my
assailants can find ten men who have vO-
ted nothing but the regularly nominated
Democratic ticket each time there was ono
for the last ten years in this county who
did not vote for me, shall be much sur
prised. l assert they cannot do so. If the
editor of the Democrat would ask,
each of these scribblers for, or in
spirators of his, how they themselves
have voted, he would see that he has
been made the instrument of Re-
publican assault on me and on the good
Democrats of this county. Now it is true,
/ did run independently for the Legsla-
ture two years ago; did not, however, go
into a convention and, after failing there,
then oppose the nominee. was announc-
ed as and independent Democratic candi-
date long before the convention was called.
l believe that those who now assaI1 mo,
aud who were not then and are not now,
Democrats, (save in profession, would con-
troll by trickery the convention. In this
they failed and / should have come down
and not run against Hodges, but for the
fact that the same creed at once brought
out an Independant candidate OF their
own. They brought out very popular
and worthy young man whom they beguil-
L
down the result would be his and not
Hodges election. ! knew l cOuld carry
some of the votes which, if l were ont of
the way, would go to the candidate of the
boilers friends here. / consulted a few
days before the election with prominent
Democrats and promised to get out OF
Hodges (the Democratic nominee) way, if,
in the Judgment of Hodges friends, his
cause w0uld be promoted. They said and
believed that Hodges could beat McGrath
Independently more easily with me in the
field than out; that l could not carry my
strength or the half of it to Hodges; so
remained in the field and the result was
my election. My assailants every one
years ago, against the regular Democratic
nominee. What sort of right have they TO
assail my Democracy Let him who writes
for the Democrat, and him who assails Inc
answer
LIST. Were you not Republican in Ames'
day.
2nd. Were you not an otiice-holder by
! his appointment?
Bird. Were you not elected to an Office as
the nominee of the Republican party.
! 4th. Have you not, in the last ten years,
voted against or, opposed Democratic
nominees7
| II these questions are all answered truth
| fully in the negative, you have a right to
| be heard; otherwise not. No Lincoln cOun-
ty man who can truthfully answer them in
the affirmative assails me. The editor OF
the Democrat is but the unwilling instru-
ment of the enemies of Democracy. He
knows not what he does.
In conclusion shall only answer two
articles which appeared in the BrOOkha-
ven Democrat of last issue, under the head,
communicated and signed 'Demo-
crat." That might secure negro votes at
the last election, am charged with say
J ing, during the canvass, that voted for