The news & observer., 1897-11-23
HITS BACK AT CHAIRMAN
A POOR BUYER HE SAYS IF HE
PAID so CENTS FOR CORN.
THOSE COLLECTlBLe BILLS
And Other Matters Discussed Thanks cockery
For His Commentator of Mr.. Leaz-
erS Management.
ers Management.

Mr.. Editor: In your issue of Sunday
Mr.. Dockery, chairman of the Board OF
Directors replies to my article publish
ed a few days ago. This reply makes
statements that are so misleading and
some of them so positively untrue, that
l cannot refrain from replying.
To begin with Chairman Dockery
saws. 'His statement seems to have
"enraged'' me very much. Now WlSh
to state for the benefit of Mr.. Dockery
that | was never in a better humor with
everybody even to Mr.. Dockery hln-
self than when / wrote the article TO
which he refers and as to the rage, &c,
I think il would have been about as
hard to discover as the wave of pros
perity brought about by the Republican
administration led by Mark llama,
President Mckinley, Gov. Russell,
Chairman Dockery and others. Now L
am very glod to see in Chairman Dock
ery's article his very high commendation
of Mr.. Leazar as superintendent of the
North Carolina penitentiary. l shall
preserve his article and will no doubt
have many occasions to refer to it IN
future which / shall ever do with pleas
ure.
Chairman Dockery says / try to con-
vey the impression that they are making
a systematic effort to discredit Mr..
Leazar and his administration, then he
says This is not true" Then he goes
on and says: 81 repeat the statement
that we took hold of the penitentiary
without two weeks rations ahead" l
now respectfully submit that if Chair
man Dockery had said without two
weeks supply of meat and bread his
statement might have been accepted
that is; if he had not gone any further,
but hear him, in the very same article
when he says: "Collectible bills, &c.
footed up SS,297.67, and now then, il
he had not referred at all to assets, &c,
he might have had yo~>2 ground for the
conten' io~ wgs e meant meat and
bread, but mis- reference to assets col
lectible bills &c, destroys entirely any
such contention and leaves his statement
Just as he intended it should, viz: To
make the impression that Mr.. LeaZars $
administration turned over the peniten-
tiary to the present management with
out two weeks provisions or the means
with which to procure them. Now as
to Chairman Dockery's statements as TO
losses, &c, I have to say. In his inter-
view as published in your paper of Ilth
inst. he says: "The losses during the
four years of Mr. Leazar's, administra-
ton were S164, ,14S.51." In his article
of yesterday he says: "These same
losses were S104 14S.51." Now Mr..
Chairman. you have told two different
tales about this matter. Do you sup
pose that the people believe either of
them" | asked you in my article of
OH L. IL l. L. hnxx-
arrived at these conclusions so far you
have failed to show Mr.. LeaZar's fig
ures in his report, and the world
can and has seen them; now give them
yours so that they may understand and
that without having to call in an ex-
pert to explain them.
"Chairman Docl1ery fslrthers says:
"The charge has been boldly made that
Mr. Ledbetter and his administration
sold the corn they made in 1896 (now
mark you he says 1896 at 80 cents per
bushel and made it necessary for us to
buy it back at about 30 cents per bushel,
&C." I demand of Chairman Dockery
the name of the party or parties max
ing such charge and denounce as false
every word of it.
During Mr. Leazar's entire administra-
tion, the corn made in any one year was
never sold until the summer of the en-
suing year, and further the crop Of
corn made in 1895 was partially sold
during the summer of 1896. During the
latter part of July, 1896, the floods came
and destroyed the then growing crop
Immediately Mr.. Leazar stopped the sale
of corn for the reason that all corn then
on hand would be needed for consump-
tion and ] now repeat that no part of the
corn crop made in 1896 was sold by the
previous administration and as to his
paying so cents per bushel for corn
will just state, during the last days
OF March Of the present year Mr.. Smith,
the present superintendent instructed me
to wire and get prices on corn. l did
SO and upon his instruction bought car
load of corn delivered at Weldon for
the price of 33 cents per bushel This
was No. 2 mixed corn. The price for
same grade of corn during the summer
delivered at Weldon, Halifax or TiIlery
has been from 40 to ~ cents per bushel.
(See market reports.) / refer to actual
bills for corn bought by merchants.
will only say that il Chairman Dockery
as he says paid 80 cents per bushel for
corn he is a very poor buyer
Chairman Dockery also makes the
statement that, "He has the highest re-
spect for Mr.. Leazar and his abilities
and that he does not need the defense
of any one. "quite agree with him in
this statement and it gives me pleasure
to say that Mr.. Leazar is fully able
to take care of himself against any man
in the State, bnt as an humble citizen
Of North Carolina desirous of nothing
so much as the protection and mainten-
ance Of her good name and the securing
of the best government for her citizens.
I suppose Chairman DocSery will con-
cede to me, or to the humblest citizen
within her borders, the right to ques-
ton or ask for an explanation OF any
statement made by any Of her officials
no matter whether he be chairman Of
the board of directors of the penitentiary,
superintendent of the same institution,
Governor or any other officer whatever.
Personally l have had a high regard
for Chairman Dockery, but in his article
he oft ptc 70 hx1 60