The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-12
CALLS CARLISLE A TYRANr.
Judge Flemming Resents His Discharge
in Letter.

judge w. b. Flcmming, who was re-
moved from the position us chief of the
! law and record division of the SUPERVISING,
| architects office, Treasury Department.
/, has sent the following letter to Secretary
| Carlisle:
| Sir: Our Government guarantees to all
! its citizens the privilege of free speech so
! that every American has the natural
+; right to express in Il proper manner his
, political opinions. In accepting the
, office, the citizen forfeits neither his civil
! nor his religious liberty.
| The civil service law was intended not
| to destroy these rights, hut to protect
| them, so that the minor official should Mt
| least he rs secure in defending the creed
| and nominees of his party as would be IL
| Cabinet officer IN exercising the same in
alienable rights. =
No objection on your part to my activity
| in the campaign which has Just closed
was ever made known TO me pending the
| campaign. On the contrary, l was in
| formed that YOU held to the view that
you could not consistently remove any
man from Office for exercising the same
rights which you yourself were eXercis-
| ing.
My removal from office, the first init
| nation of which was obtained from the
newspapers while on the train on my re-
| turn to Washington from my home, was
| therefore, a complete surprise, to me- No
one knows better than yourself the long
friendship had manifested for you, the
interest had taken and the sacl ifices of
| time and money made by me in promot-
ing your ambitions.
In view of all the facts it seems to me
that was at least entitled to some warn
ing and notice before being kicked out of
| Office without even the opportunity OF
| declining or to resign.
Had known or suspected that could
| not hold Office under this administration
and ut the same time exercise the rights
of an American freeman, | would have
| promptly rendered YOU my resignation at
the opening of the campaign.
| lnaSmuch as other appointees of the
| present administration, including many
i'll your own department, have been per
mitted to take an active part against Mr.
Bryan in the campaign. not only on the
stump, but in the work of organizations
| without rebuke or removable is evident
! that the cause of my offending lies not in
| my actions, but in my convictions.
| 1t follows therefore that you have used
| your great Office to suppress freedom o:
thought and action, and to punish those
| who dare to differ from you-a thing in
supportable in free govcrnment-by ter
rorlHlnS over the weak ana humble.
For such abuse of public Office, which is
Il public trust,you cannot but be held nc
countable ut the bar of public opinion as
we'll as by the verdict of history.
In conclusion / can only say that hum
bic as | am / would rather be n dis
charged employee of the Treasury Depart
ment, discharged for doing my duty rs |
see it for my people, than to be Secretary
of the Treasury with record of self
qualification, such as you have made for
yourself, staring me in the face.
This much of n protest deem it proper
to make against your treacherous and
tyrranous action Very truly yours,
w. B. FLEMMING