The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-09
A REPLY TO A CRITICISM.
Paul Bleckley Gives the Facts Con
corning a Telegram.

yesterday morning reprinted the article sent
from this office 10 the Macon Telegraph and
MORNING NEWS on the split in the alliance
caucus held the night Of the 4th instant,
aud said of it: 1.-The following dispatch,
which appeared in yesterdays Macon TeIe-
graph, was widely commented upon by the
alliance members OF the legislature yester-
day, and great Indignation is expressed at
what is claimed 70 be q willful misrepresen-
tation of the facts in the case,
and that az the expense OF the
| alliance. Very great Indignation was
| expressed about the publication, and good
deal Of strong language was used by the ALI
ancemen. k'Ihat, said one of the leaders last
| night, is sample of the tire atment We are
receiving at our opponents hands. who are
Gen. Gordon's friends. That publication.
coming from the source It does, has done
much to solidify opposition to the man
| whose cause the Macon Telegraph is so
active in championing. Every allianceman
should read that just to see what sort of
stuff is being tinted against US. TIE in
situations contained In that article and the
| open glcating over what they claim is the
breaking of the alliance strength are fair
samples Of the treatment we are receiving
| That is a sample of the comment the article
evoked"
! The Constitution seems to me unpardon-
| ably insincere. The paper which has cham
pioned Livingston must have heard of the
affair pretty promptly, and | have good
reason to believe that the incidents of the
| meeting, which it next morning pronounced
harmonious were known to the COnsti-
| tuition two hours before l had the faintest
| idea Of what was going forward.
| Yet the Constitution, with the assistance
| of lone of the leaders, charges me with
| arousing indignation in the breasts of alli-
ancemen and injuring Gen. Gordon's chance
| (which, parentheticAlly. is doing very we
indeed,l by a willful Misrepresentation of
facts at the expense OF the alliance. Also,
1 with gloating over the breaking of the
alliance strength aud with making insinu-
| ations.n
/! There is, besides, little fling about the
| source from which the article emansted.
But of that l shall take no further notice
| than To say that the facts did not come
from ten. Gordon, bnt from several per-
sons-for the matter was, within twelve
hours after the first caucus, the general
talk of the town.
| As to insinuations, the article seems to
me to speak rig out in meeting. The
sense is as plain as plke-staff. Gloating
| presume is not very serious imputation.
were the subjects gloated over not (acci-
| dentallyl mis- ,tated, or one familiar with
the anti-Gordon utterances of the paper
employed on certain occasions might retort
that the Constitution was something of a
4
gloater Itself.
Its other charges, or those of its alliance
"leader," who may not have been Col.
Livingston himself, for augnt ] know or
particularly care, require to be answered
more in deGaiL.
IL the Constitution is sincere, let it INQUIRE
of Senator Todd, Mr.. Reed of Putnam, Mr..
Harper of Carroll, ex-senator Sharpe
now In the H use-Ge Gordon himself or
anybody else who will give it a candid
answer, whether Gordon's prospects have
been injured by my article, a d il the
alliance is "indlgnant" at the statement it
contains. Mcclure and Livingston are in
the alliance, and they may De indignant.
Sledge of Texas may be indignant, L Tx of
North Carolina ditto, and have no doubt
but that Secretary Turner of Washington
city, who called Reed of Putnam half
witted, so the latter tells me, because he
was not willing to be lied by the nose" is
veiy indignant indeed.
Some members of the general assembly,
especially if the outsiders just mentioned
have now any following at all i that body.
may also be indignant but somehow or
other l fail to hear of a single legislator
who feels SO. Indeed, it is represented to
me that any number of Gordon and anti
Gordon men, If not the whole alliance mem
bership of the legislature, indorse the posi-
ton of the caucus ''kickers, and will testify
to the truth of the statements contained in
my report.
Reed of Putnam will do So Harper Of
Carroll says he will furnish proof if called
on. Senator Todd has said that he had no
fault to find wi b the article except that it
didn't go far enough.
These are the men whose names were
prominently mentioned in the story, and,
with their assistance, can furnish all the
proof required that Livingston did try to
run the Georgia legislature in the alliance
caucus, failed, was denounced, and his right
to be there challenged after he had tried to
drive out some of the members. Any al
lance legislator present can testify to the
substantial truth of what | wrote, and all
that l wrote, and will. doubt not, do SO.
So intrenched, l can afford to answer
mildly; but, gentlemen of the Constitution,
| dare you to the proofs.
| have written in favor of Gen. Gordons
election, it is true, and expect to do 50
again, and written ia opposition to the
alliance as a secret political body. But the
alliance Legislators refused to act as a secret
political body on the night of the caucus,
and were commended for their manliness in
my report, and not attacked. Nobody thinks
SO, or is the least angry, so far as can see.
But the inspiring motive OF my work was
neither to help Gordon nor commend the
alliance. It was to call public attention
! to the conduct of some whom | believed
| to be attempting to employ unwarranted
methods to influence and control the dis
position of public business. In the past a
good deal has been said by the Constitution
about its duty as public journal. Now,
am not public Journal, but while acting
as agent for such | came to know that very
ugly efforts were being made by outsiders
to interfere with the work of body to
whom the people bad entrusted the making
of the laws, aud if the press of the state
had duty to perform that duty seemed to
ME to be 70 call public attention to 50 gross
an improperly, that the remedy might
follow.
The Constitution is the keeper of its own
conscience, but under such circumstances to
remain silent or try to blind-bridle the peo-
pie whose interests are at stake does not
to me appear honest journalism.
Sores ON the body polite should be ex-
posed. The Constitution may do as it
likes; when opportunity offers I propose to
expose them.
Certain members of the alliance are now
considering whether they are not In duty
bound to give all the facts of the caucus
and The split, and the occasion of the split,
to the public over their own Signatures.
What will the Constitution, which Do
nounced the meeting "harmonious,n do
thenf 1t would be rather confusing. one
would think.