The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-03-03

'''<'A'| "NNho ttSD lIlc III Mister dCCuStU
-oL Ingersoil Of being interested
n the transmission Of obscene
literature. Now the Colonel objects
% some of the strong statements made
by Mr. Dixon, and announces that he
viii bring the Rev. Mr.. Dixon into
court and force him to either prove
his c'arges or pay the penalty.
The controversy began January 3Ist,
when Mr.. Dixon delivered a lecture
entitled Z" Ingcrsollism as it Is" 1t
was bitter attack on Col. Ingersoll's
q tree thought iGeas.'
In the course of his remarks Mr..
Dixon charged Col. Ingcrsoll with
having advocated the dissemination of
obscene literature and with having
employed his legal talents and political
influence to obtain the repeal of what
are known as the " ComstoCk laws"
The next morning, after Colonel
'nSersoll had read the report of the
lecture he sat down and wrote d polite
letter to the preacher, requesting a
pubic rctractiOn of the accusation, or
a denial Of the report which credited
him with having uttered the language
quoted.
In this letter he intimated that in
default OF such retraCtion or denial he
would sue the Baptist preacher for
malicious slander.
Mr.. Dixon did not retract. His
lighting blood was up, too. He a,
| once published an open letter in re.
ply to the Colonel's politely worded
| uitimatum.
Mr.. Dixon quoted the Ingersol
letter and then taking advantages, Sc
The friends Of the genial Atheist claim
of his opponents absence, proceeded
10 renew the war of words by exten
5lye quotations to prove his forme
charges
! At this stage Of the controversy
| Colonel Ingersoll was in Chicago, anc
no reply was made to the renewed
criticisms OF Mr.. Dixon.
The preacher, in his reply to tn
Colonels letter, said, among othe
things: Il did not use in my ad
dress of Jan. 81 the words you quote
but | should have said them or some
thing like them if, in the press oftime
they had not escaped my mind"
NJ. Dixon then followed up thi
broadsidc with the charge that tn
Colonel was the head and front of tn
movement for the repeal of the Com
stock laws. He quoted the petitio
presented to Congress in support {
the repeal of the obnoxious statutes
This purported to be signed b
Colonel Ingersoll and $4,000 infucr
tiaI citizens. Mr.. Dixon quoted vo
uminously from book said to ha,
emanated from - the brain and pc
Of Anthony COmstoCk," entitle
- Traps for the Young in support (
his assertion that Colonel Ingersoll ha
favored the distribution Of Obscer
matter through the mails.
The letter wound up with tn
CaustiC paragraph: q believe, 81
that these charges against you a.
true. and if you desire to test the
before court of justice l will
happy indeed to represent the pur
| Of this country as against the defen'
!. ers and propasators of obscene liter
) ture.'
Colonel Ingersoll returned from t
7 West Tuesday night, and his attentit
was called to the "Dixon letter
; Later he announced that he intende
J to take the case into the courts.
Il Will not reply to Mr.. Dix
l through the public prlnters,' said Cc
S Ingersoll last might, but | will
= once commence legal action agar
him for malicious libel. That is al
5 care to say upon the subject