Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-10-10
MINING JOURNAL.
FRosTBURG MD, OCTOBER 10, 1891.
Mr.. John u. Poe.

uutlIS oOliN VI iii' uteSSO "oOt III
court concerning endowment Orders.
The organ of the Fraternity asserted
that Mr. Poe, in the Progressive En-
dowment League proceeding, declared
that 'the Iron Hall and similar insti-
buttons were frauds, and that he pro-
posed to wipe Maryland clear of them"
Mr.. Poe then denied in two letters
that he used the language or entertain
ed the purpose ascribcd to him. In
his own words
The language imputed to me never utter
ed or anything like it.
The Iron Hall was not assailed by me in
any shape, nor have l ever said word in
disparagement of its objects or work. On
the contrary, so far as | can learn, it has
proved great success, has demonstrated its
ability to do all it claims to accomplish and
has been an investment of immense good to
its large and steadily growing membership.
Seeing this the editor of the Fra
te,nHy goes to the stenographer's re-
port and finds the following colloquy:
The Court-Is the Iron Hall on a sound
foundation?
Mr.. Droegc-I am not defending the Iron
Hall
The Court-I mean this must not the Iron
Hall shortly become insolvent?
Mr. Poe-That is inevitable. | think the
principle is fallacious I doubt if they have
as much money on hand now, since they
have commenced to pay, as they had three
years ago.
Yet Mr.. Poe "never uttered the
language imputed to him, nor anything
like it ~
The truth is, Mr.. Poe is one of the
men charged with wrecking the Pro-
gressive Endowment League, and
through this the Semi
because he actually believed them
fraudulent, but in order to get his heo
partner appointed q recejcer.' And it is a
significant outcome of the wreck that
Mr.. Droege is one of the receivers
To effect this professional" pur-
pose hundreds lost various amounts of
money
Moreover, the $1,000 lost in Frost
burg can be traced to the wreck of the
Progressive Endowment League by
Mr.. Poe in order that his partner
might become a receiver.
We will leave the utter want of
scrupulousness in this case to the
imagination and contempt of our
readers, especially those who had to
lose that Mr.. Droege might win.
But did Mr.. Poe use the words he
denies having said
The Fraternity says he did, as side re-
mark to either Mr.. Whyte or Mr..
Richie during their arguments. The
affidavits of six reputable men have
been offered to the Fraternity to that
effect.
More than this, Mr.. Whyte, counsel
for the League, abiding to Mr.. Poe's
vehement denunciation of endowment
Orders, said in reply:
My brother scared me, and wondered, out
there in the country where | sleep at night
whether l had overlooked anything in con-
nection with this organization which made
the Attorney General feel that it was doing
an unlawful business. While my brother
(Mr. Poe may have the opportunity after
awhile-and | hope he will have of filling
much better the shoes Of the Attorney-Gen-
eral which will be vacant before fall Zap
plause) and | hope he will when he comes
to discharge his official duties, look at the
law that the Legislature has recognized, and
that he will not allow himself to be used as a
cats paw for anybody to destroy a legal or
ganization.
What was Mr.. Whyte responding to
if not to some radical expression Of
Mr.. Poe's violent intention concerning
the endowment Orders In the lam
guage of fraternity, "Mr. Whyte's
words are meaningless if Mr.. Poe did
not at some time during the trial ex-
press a purpose to wipe Maryland
Maryland clear of the endowment
Orders if elected attorney general"
Mr.. Poe, therefore, may deny, and
deny, and deny, but the evidence
against him cannot be overcome. He
stands out in full relief against clear
sky as an acknowledged endowment
Order wrecker
He might as well deny his cham
pionship as a Chesapeake and Ohio
canal wrecker!
He might as we'll deny that he stood
up in the Senate last year as the UNI
professional advocate Of a scheme
which proposed to take from the
people of Maryland an immense prop
erty and give it for song to a few
men, some of them not citizens of the
State.
He might as well deny that his
scheme then contemplated designedly
or undesignedly the destruction of one
of Marvland's great public works, the
gripping of great Maryland corpora
ton and the ruin of Maryland's great
est mining industry.
He might as well deny that on these
ruins he proposed to build two colossal
West Virginia enterprises coal rail
road and coal region.
So, voters, as a ''wi per-out" Mr..
Poe's reputation is made, and next
and each SncceSSiya wear while the