The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-10-22
HIS REASONS
For no Longer Supporting
Pettibone. ?
LETTER FROM HON. w. p.
GILLENWATERS,
In which He Tells How Brown
low, Reeves & Co., Are Try
ing to Boss the Republi-
cans Of the First
District
FOR PERSONAL GAIN !

TO me hepuOttc6H IOteTS 81 INC
First District: -
As can no longer give my sup
port to Maj Pettibone in the Con-
gressIonal race, / deem il but an act
of Justice TO myself "a we'll as one to
my friends, to make public my res-
sons leading to this course. The
part / have taken in the canvass up
TO this time and all that have done
has been with the sole aim of main
tanning the supremacy of the Re
publican party in the district. l
have no interest in politics aside
from the success Of the party of my
choice, whose battles / have fought
for the last twenty years, with
whatever ability possessed. Facts
have come to light since the pri-
mary election which makes it GER
tain that the object of Maj. Petit
bone and his confidential advisers is
TO organize a purely PERSONAL par
ty, for personal gain, and no one is
TO be admitted as trusty momber
of this party who il not willing and
ready to sacrifice every other inter-
est and the interest of all other men
to serve the ends of the selfish few,
and accept as a reward such favOrs
as the few select leaders may be-
stow in the shape of official patrons
age. The very terms of admission
to the inner councils of this select
4 s.f hAr
honest, independent Republican vot-
er of the district from all participS>
ton In the direction of its affairs.
Such a course of action on the part
of Mai. Pettibone and his immediate
associates opens the way for the
early disintegration Of the RepubliS
can party OF the district and the
permanent establishment OF the De-
mOcraey in power; and need L say
TO Republicans that such action 10
antagonistic to any principle of true
Republicanism. This is a fact that
none will dispute-because it is in
disputable. The eighteen thousand
Republican vsters of this district
cannot support such party with-
out sacrificing both their principles
and their manhood. My faith in
the ultimate success Of Republican
principles and the triumph of the
Republican party is the intelligence,
honesty and patriotism of the com
mon voters, who neither ask nor ex>
pect Office. and who do not aspire to
leadership. / have, as all know,
been the personal friend of Major
Pettibone since he first came to the
State. The only objection that /
ever urged against him was that he
bestowed his favors aud selected for
his confidential advisers class of
men who were recent converts from
the Democracy, to the exclusion of
tried and true Republicans-men
who never affiliated with Democrats
in any way-and whose services TO
their country and to their party en-
titled them TO some consideration At
the hands of Maj. Pettibone in the
distribution of public patronage
and such men ought to be admitted
TO the councils of the party and
have a voice in its control. But,
practically, this class of men have,
since Mai. Petubohe's first election,
been excluded from all official posi-
tions and denied a voice in the con-
duct and management of the party
organizations.
As every man in the district
knows, my support of Maj. Petit
bone in the past has been without
reward, and be has had all my ser
vices without the cost of one dollar
to him. j made the canvass of 1878
at my own expense, and in 1880 l
accepted the electors place in bis
interest, and to save the party from
a second defeat under his leadership.
That canvass cost me S125.00-ev-
cry dollar of which | paid out of my
own pocket except $500 from Judge
Hacker, $500 from John Fain and
$500 from VIM. Greene, and n
part of the expense of this canvass
/ paid out of money earned after the
election was ever, and at q time
when Pettibone was drawing his
salary Of $4,000. In the present
canvass l have spent about $4,000
Of my own money-money that /
needed myself at the time-nota dol
lar of which has been refunded. Itis
also known fact that while was
making the canvass for Maj. Petit
bone in 1873 and 1880 and paying
the expenses out of my own pocket
that he was drawing a salary of
$500 a year as Assistant Attorney
General, and that now he is on a
salary of s., 900.
Ny opposition to Mr. Taylor was
not an opposition to the five thou.
sand and over Republicans who sup
ported him in the primary, and /
know that this 10 true OF ninety-nIne
one hundredths of the men who vot-
cd fer Psttibone. This being so,
every consideration demanded OF
the majority that the rights of the
minority should be respected in per-
fecting the party organization for
the campaign. / was at Jonesboro
on the sth of September, when the
committee met. Twas ther9for the
sole purpose of working in the in
terest of harmony, that the party
might be united and the election Of
Pettibone put beyond question. The
Pettibone men had a clear majority
in the committee, giving Washing
ton county to the Taylor men.
therefore thought it unwise 10 put
Mr. West ont. for the one reason III