The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-09-07
MIR. CALLS BACK DOWN.
HEFI. ATTY REFUSES TO MEET
CHAIRMAN CHIPLEY.
Chiefly Because He Regards the
Letter as an Enemy to the state
TO the Cause of Public Morals,
and the Rights of the People.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, september D.
Hon. Wilkinson Call senior United
States Senator from Florida, has ad-
dressed an open letter to Col. W. d.
Chipcv, chairman of the State DemC-
cratic Executive Committee, declining the
latters proposition to meet him in a
Joint discussion before the people of Flor
ida as contained in Chipley's acceptance
of Senator Calls challenge to his alleged
dctamcrs. His original challenge was
embodied in a long letter addressed by
Senator Call to the editor of the Times
Union, on Iuly 18th, and was offered Ill
the following terms:
II now give notice to my detamcrs
that demand that they shall remove
their masks and assume their own proper
names and stand with me before the pc0-
pic in a canvass of every county in the
State before the nomination of members
of the Legislature shall be made, on the
charges they have made against me, and
the charges which shall make against
them"
On August 18th, Chipley accepted the
challenge and suggested fifty public dis
cussions to begin early in March 1890,
The Times Union will tomorrow publish
Senator Calls reply. ltis document OF
5000 words in which the Senator re-
views the general challenge, but declines
to acccdc to Chiplcy's personal prop0sl-
tions. He SAYS: II have read your let
ter addressed to me and purportnB to
accept the challenge from me to those
persons who were attacking me i'll num-
bcrs of the Pensacola News, the Talla-
hassee Floridan, and other newspapers,
to remove the masks from their faces and
meet me before the people OF Florida Ill
a canvass of the State. You and all
Others will be welcomed by me at every
appointment which shall make for a
public discussion and lair proportion ol
time, both for opening and reply, VIII DC
allowed you and all Others.
Call continues by rcciting the circum-
stances in connection with the railroad
lobby present i'll Tallahassee, during the
last session of thclcgislaturc, and charges
that combine was then and there made
to defeat his reelection to the Senate bN
the Legislature OF 1891.
81 am pleased" he says, that you
lChiplev) are ambitious to be the leader o
this combine. Whatever else may be
said of YOU, it cannot be said that you
are wanting in boldncss or in profound
ignorance of the people, OF their good
sense and their proper appreciation o
their own interests. Whether your as
sociates in this work allow you the pre-,
cedencv, which you claim, or not, you
shall have a fair opportunity at all my
meetings.
Call then announces at some other
time, he will make to the public detailed
statement of the extent of personal and
private interests represented in tie com
bire. The amount oiland claimed by them
the amount of S. |. Wales fifteen per
cent. of indemnity lands; the amount
fifteen per cent. of the States claim lorrc,
endorsement from the United States
treasury tor the Indian war expenses,
and something like 100000 Tor the
alleged lobbyist fees. To these he will
add the expenses OF the Tallahassee
lobby and the concave at Tampa, called
for the purpose of determining the ways
and means to compass Calls defeat as
United States Senator" This, says
Call, Twill give dircctncss to your, Chip
lcv's) statement, thai you wish to appear
in this canvass in the interest of the
State of Florida"
Continuing, Call says: 81 do not re
gard you as sufficiently important either
i'll forming or directing public opinion to
single you out, and limit this discussion
to yog as you propose. In reference to
your statement of my untitnesS and inca
pacity for the high office which the people
have three times bestowed upon me, you
Nvill have ample opportunity to prove 1t
I rI a
thc State; to the cause ofpublic morals
20 the encouragement and protection oi
honest capital, and the rights OF the pco-
pie Your ways and methods are abhor-
rent to my sense of right, and to my idea
of public duty and sopnd public policy. |
recognize in you one of those persons
who have been chiefly instrumental i'll
dispossessing thousands of people 0t their
homes and of their right to homes, under
an attempt to revive an antiquatcd and
obsolete land grant without Il particle Of
right or lawful authority"
Ii was to expose this plot, Call says,
that he proposed to canvass the State,
not to make personal defense OF his own
public record. He wished to direct pub
ilic attention to the extent, cnormity and
ilMQuity of the evil practices in which hr
charges that Chipley and his associates
arc engaged. He charges that Chipley is
identical with the Pensacola News; thai
when il sVeaks, Chipley speaks, and that
Chiplcy inS,,;rcs all its editorial utter
ances; and he warns Chipcy that allie
+ors and newspapers which he can com
mand will not suffice 10 save nm from
righteous public indignation. Call re
counts his own public record as
the recipient of the confidence OI
the prople, and taunts Chlpley. with
never having held public office IN the
srilt of the people Of Florida. He
Closes thus You will pardon me for
saving that your proposition is not only
weak and even absurd, but that 1t is
disrespectfu to the good sense of the
people, INJURIOUS to the rights which have
been conferred by the law on railroad
companies, and to the innocence of pur-
chasers who have bought lands from
them and opposed to all the traditions,
ss.iuciplcs and beliefs of the Democratic
marry. While | cannot accede to your
proposition to make yourself the Chief
figure in the discussion or allow you to I'M
pose conditions of time, place and sub
iect ! again invite you and all Others
of like opinion and relations, to
come to my meetings with my
assurance of fair opportunity for
discussion and courteous treatment"
baseball Yesterday.
At Observation-Disclosures 7, Louisville
s
At altimorr-Baltimore 8, st. Louis
2 in 9th.
At Washington--Chicago-Washin
game postponed on account OF rain;
At NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 4, Phlla-
delphia Z. ,..
At New York-Ncw York +, lndianap-
oils 5,