, 1889-10-15
HE M BACK.
Rev. A. W. Williams Replies to Mr..
Accurate.
He Proves His Figures on the Tax
Question.
Reiterates Statements About Cor.
rupt Campaigns.


- NV SNANC VI
On returning to the city from a lew
days absence l find an article in your pa
per entitled THE Preachers Figures, "
written by a gentleman who signs himself
Accurate" in which he says | have
made several glaring misstatements. He
| allows that doubtless these were uninten-
tional. yet were calculated to create a false
impression. Then proceeds to give the
figures of the taxes in this school district;
Territorial, .G063; school, .0063; county,
.00s5; public library, .002; interest on
railway bonds, .O03; total, .0243;" adding
''one can readily see that this total does
approach 4 per cent" l readily admit
admit that from the brief report in THE
LEADER on this item the impression
might be received that | only referred to
that portion of the taxation which Mr..
Accurate has enumerated; but in my re-
marks in the pulpit 1 referred to the sum
total Of our present taxation, including
our city taxes, which are as follows:
General revenue tax, .006; street and
alley. .0O14; water bond, .002i; water
and sewerage bond, .O0l4. Total, OLA.
And this total added to .0243 equals
.035S. Concerning this sum total of taxa
ton | said it is nearly A per cent on a 5
per cent valuation. The fact hat the
word nearly" in my manuscript was
omitted was doubtless a typograph-
ical error, and | would have corrected it
in the issue of the 9th if l had thought
anyone would have been misled by the
sentence as it appeared.
Thus Mr.. Accurate's several glaring
misstatements'' are reduced to one. and
that not one of my own making.
Now concerning his last statement,
''Mr. Williams says a politician confessed
to giving 5 $1,000 for a nomination" | do
not know who is hurt, but | did not say
any such thing.
In THE LEADER, which does not pro-
fess to give a verbatim account of my re-
view, which l did not write out in full, we
read: "A gentleman of this city who was
willing to spend 81, 900 for a nomination,
has candidly said So" Did Mr.. Accu-
rate Intentionally misquote that sentence,
for he could not misread it2 The differ
ence in meaning is simply immense. But l
did not aver say what was printed, though
the words for the nomination" are on the
margin. What | did say when speaking
of the corrupting influence of practical
politics, was substantially this: A gentle
man of tie highest personal integrity in
other matters did not hesitate to say to
me, Il would be willing to spend 81, 900
or 1000 in the election, # l secure the
nomination." Is is necessary for me to
add in so many words, This is a factI ~
Well, it is a fact, though, of course. [ de-
cline to name the man, even if Mr.. Accu-
rate does fling hot defiance in my face.
The fact of the matter.ls, hat if this gem
tlemau, who is so worthy, is behind the
scenes if he is in the green room" of
practical politics, he Is in a position to
know a great many facts he would not
care to print. So that it is not such a
very strange thing if even a preacher
should occasionally stumble upon a fact
that would not come entirely within the
precepts of the highest ethical teaching,
A. w. WILLIAMS.
Cheyenne, Oct. u. 1889.