The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-06-20
Answer TO Vandfver's Midnight Cir
cUIaP-

cular.
To the Democrats of the Seventeenth Sena
toridl District:
Some OF the friends of Mai. Vandiver, at
the midnight hour Thursday night, got
out a circular, which from beginning to
end is deceptive and a sham. 1t conceals
the facts OF the case and makes me appear
as the aggressor, whilst they we'll know
that | was but defending myself against
the willful and malicious attacks of my
opponent. The professed calling of some
of the signers should have caused them to
remember at least one OF the ten COM
mandments, against bearing false testi-
mony against their n%eighbor.
What are the facts in this case? Maj.
&. H. Vandiver has charged over this
county and over his own signature in the
News on Thursday that l was tax dodger.
lie made this charge. He brought this
matter into the controversy, and j.. II.
billiard, J. j. Fulkerson, l. p. Green, Z.
IL. Chambers and W. B. Wilson knew this
to be true when they put their signatures
to the slahderous midnight circular, In
self-defense | was forced TO reply, and
now these gentlemen speaking for Mai.
Vandiver aud in his behalf, place me IN
the place OF an aggressOr. l knew the
fact Tor months that Mai. VandiVer had
never paid any taxes in this county, but |
RETAINED from making it an issue, as my
intimate friends well know; and when L
am maliciously and falsely charged with
being a tax dodger by Major Vandiver,
OfSA A'S w oA7 ~ III WHICH, L Blu"
by the certificates of the collector that for
twelve years | have promptly paid my
taxes and have never been delinquent,
and that the man who first made the
charge against me is himself is not a tax
payer, the gentleman comes back plead
ing the baby act and saying, "See what
Huston has DONE" | say to Mai. Van
diver, you made your charge that | was a
tax dodger, and when any man makes a
charge against me, whether L am a candi-
date or not, | will defend myself. This |
have done, and any air -mindedm man will
say | did right.
Now as to the circular itself. 1t says
that the thousand dollar note was the
property of one l.. b. Tabb and Mai. VAN
diver was merely the agent. The gentle
men jumped from the frying pan into the
fire. As agent did Maj. Vandiver give
this note in for assessment, in either his
own name or the name of Tabb. as he was
required by the law to do? He did not.
This is a familiar excuse of tax dodgers
who W notes; when caught the note
belongs to some one else. We do not saw
that this was the case in this instance,
but we do say Maj. Vandiver, as agent,
did not give it to the assessor. But this
is not the great matter of controversy,
and the midnight circular lodges the
issue. We stated in defense of the mali
cious change voluntarily made in the
public print against us, that the charge
was false and that l had paid my taxes. l
produced and published in my defense
tne ceTtlHcate OF the county collector That
for twelve years had promptly paid my
own taxes. My second charge in my de-
Tense was that the man who made the
charge against me that L was a tax dodger
(to-wit: Maj. Vandiver) had paid no taxes
In this county. / produced the certificates
OF the collector of the county to the effect
that Maj. Vandiver nae never, according
to the books, paid one dollar of taxes. /
do not want the democrats of this district
to misunderstood this matter. My state
were IN nnfPnSp nf the nati0inmG
and false attack which Vandiver had
made upon me. IL in doing so | was
forced to show that the man who seeks to
represent the people in the high position
OF a state senator, was himself not a tax
payer and according to the face of the
(all l had to go by that he was a
tax dodger, it is but another illustration
of the old adage-that Mai. Vandiver, !
living in a glass house should not have !
thrown the first stone.
Democrats OF the district, when you are
voluntarily charged as | was by Vandiver
over his own signature, is it q crime or an
In the estimation OF the
circular" it is. l leave it to you
or not a man who has never paid
o dollar OF taxes, as certified to by the col
lector, and as admitted by the ~"midnight
circular" of his friends, is fit to represent
them. That is for you to decide. But this
circular admits that Major VaEdiver has
paid no taxes in this county; admits he
is now ineligible, but that he can pay this
fall, which will make him eligible. l,
doubt if this would make him eligible.
In the midnight circular" it is said
that on February 18th, 1896, Major Vandi-
yer purchased a farm of two hundred acres
Of land and that the presumption is that
he paid the taxes on this land that fall.
Dur answer to this is, there IS no such
w. B. Wilson, one of the
of the "midnight circular" says
is the presumption. MIR. Wilson
knows as a lawyer hat the taxes were a
lien on the land and the presumption is,
the seller paid them. Besides, we charge
that Mr.. Wilson knew as a matter of fact
,Chas. IL. Nandiver did not pay the
He went to the collectors office
before signing that statement and the coll
lector told him that the taxes were paid
by Mr.. Anderson, the seller, as the follow
ing Certificate will show:
! hereby state hat on Thursday, June
w. Il. Wilson came to the collectors
office to inquire about who paid the taxes
for 1895 on the lands OF Anderson con-
eyed to L. IL. Vandiver, and / told him
hat the book showed the said taxes were
paid by Anderson, n ] further state the
show that said Anderson paid the
l.. NJ, CATRoN.
Deputy collector of Lafayette Co, Mo.
Again, upon this statement we ask why
IS it that Major Vandiver did not give to
assessor in the years gone by for as
'essessment the money with which he
bought this 200 acre farm?
To sum this whole matter up, | am
with being a tax dodger. l prove
he charge untrue, and that it lies at the
1oor OF my opponent, and now he comes
back whining and crying, and saying that
am making the charge. l was but de-
myself. SAN j. HUSTON.
For Sale at A Ha rCa5n