The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-07
CALL ANSWERS CHIPLEY.
he DECLINES TO ACCEPT THE
CoLONEL'S CONDITIONS.

| Ihe Senator Promises, However, to
GIVE His Opponent a Fair Showing
He VIII Come to His Meetings.
Col. Chipley Charged With Being in
With the Railroad Lobby.
| JACKSONVILLE, FLA, Sept. 6.-Hon
! Wilkinson Call, senior United States sena-
tor from Florida, has addressed an open
letter TO Col w. d. Chipley, chairman Of
the state democratic executive committe,
declining the latter's proposition to meet
| him in joint discussion before the people of
Florida as contained in Col. Chipley's &C
| ceptance Of Senator Calls challenge to his
alleged defamers This original challenge
was embodied IN a long letter addre ssed by
Senator Call TO the editor of the Times
Union, on July 10, and was offered in the
! following terms:
II NOW give notice to nv defamers t1at
demand that they shall remove their masks,
assume their own proper names and stand
with me before the people in a canvass of
every county In the state before the nomi-
nation Of members of the legislature shall
be made on the charges they have made
against me and the charges which shall
| make against them.n
oHIPLEY's ACCEPTANCE
On Aug. IS Col. Chipley accepted the chal-
lenge and suggested fifty public discussions
| TO begin early in March, 1890 The Times
Unioh will tomorrow publish Senator
| CalPs reply. 1t is a document of 5000
words, in which Senator Call reviews the
general challenge, but declines to accede to
Col Chipleys personal propositions. He
says:
Il have read your letter addressed to me
and purporting to accept a challenge from
me to those persons who were attacking
me in the name of the Pensacola Netos,
Tallahassee FIorididn and other news
papers, to remove the masks from their
faces and meet me before the peonle Of
Florida in canvass Of the state You and
all others will be welcomed by me at every
| appointment which ] shall make for public
discussion and a fair proportion Of the
time, both for opening and reply will be
allowed you and all others"
THE ALLEGED RAILROAD LOBBY.
Senator Call continues by recitiug the
circumstances in connection with the
alleged railroad lobby present in Tallahas-
see during the last session OF the legisla-
ture, and charges that combine was then
aud there made to defeat his reelection to
the Senate by the legislature Of 1891. II am
pleased, he says, that you, Col. Chipley,
are ambitious TO be the leader of this
combine. Whatever else may be said
of you, it cannot be said that YOU
Ignorance Of the people Of their good sense
and their proper appreciation Of their own
| interests w lether your associates in this
work allow you the precedsncy, which you
claim, or not, you shall have fair oppor-
tun1ty at all our meetings."
TO MAKE A DETAILED STATEMENT
Senator Call then announces that at some
other time he will make to the public a
detailed statement of the extent of the
personal and private interests represented
in the combine, tho amount Of land claimed
by them, the amount OF s. l. WALES Is per
cent. of indemnity lands, the amount of the
fifteen per cent. OF the states claim for reim-
bursement from the United States treasury
for Indian war expenses and something
like $4,000 for alleged lobbyist fees To
these he viii add the expenses Of the TaIla-
hassee lobby and the conclave at Tampa
led for the purpose Of determining ways
and means to compass Senator Calls defeat
as United States senator.
This" says senator Call, twill give di-
rectness TO your (Chipiey's) statement that
you wish to appear in this canvass in the
interest of the state Of Florida
THE CHARGE OF UNFITNEss.
Continuing, Senator Call says: "I do not
regard you as sufficiently important either
| in forming or directing public opinion to
| single you out and limit this discussion to
you as you propose. In reference to your
statement Of my unfitness and incapacity
| for the high office which the people have
three times bestowed upon me, you will
have ample opportunity to prove it to
| them. L regard you as an enemy to the
| state, to cause of public morals. to the
| encouragement and protection of honest
capital and of the rights Of the people.
| Your ways and methods are abhorrent to
my sense of right, and to my idea of public
| duty and sound public policy. 1 recognize
| in you one of those persons Who have been
| chiefly instrumental in dispossessing thou
| sands Of people of their homes aud OF their
| right to homes under an attempt to revive
all antiquated and obsolete land grant.
without a particle Of right or lawful
authority"
OBJECT OF HIS CANoNs.
1t was to expose this plot, Senator
vass the state, not to make personal de.
fense Of his own public record. He wished
| to direct public attention to the extent.
| enormity and iniquity of the evil practices
in which he charges that Col. Chipley and
his associates are engaged. He charges
that Col. Chipley is identical with the
Pensacola NelOs; that when it speaks
Col. Chipley speaks, and that Col
Chipley inspires all its editorial
utterances, and he warns Col. ChiDley that
all the editors and newspapers which he can
| command will not suffice to save him from
| rig beouS puDliO luulRnaLlOn. senator Ga4l
| recounts his own public record, as a recipi-
ent Of the confidence of the people, and
taunts Col. Chipley with having never held
public Office in the gift Of the people Of
| Florida.
| WEAK AND ABSURD.
He closes thus: "You will pardon me for
saying that your proposition is not only
weak, and even absurd, but that it is dis
respectful to the good sense of the people,
injurious to the rights which have been
conferred by law on the railroad companies
and TO innocent purchasers who have
bought lands from them and opposed to all
the traditions. principles and beliefs of the
Democratic party. While cannot accede
to your proposition to make yourself the
chief figure in the discussion or allow you
to impose conditions of time, place and
subject, again invite you and all others Of
| like opinion and relations to come to my
meetings, with my assurance of fair OPP
| portunity for discussion and courteous
| treatment"
|