The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-28
WHAT Mr.. SIMMONS SAYS
ABOUT TIE STATEMENTS PER
SONAL TO HIM IN NEW
BORNE'S LETTER.
THE SLANDERY MUST BE EXPOSED
And Fitogly Denounced and Pi|loried Before
an Outraged Public The Letters
Asking for Information.


The following letter. written by Hon
+. Nj. Simmons, chairman of the Demo
cratic State Executive COMMITTEES, Is III
reply TO IAN open letter signed 10y j. Nj
Mewborne. superintendent of the penn
Tertiary, and published yesterday:
Raleigh, \. c., July -, 1898.
J. Nj. Mewbornc,
Supt. of Penitcntiary.
Raleigh, y. Z.
Sir: On the 14th day of July | al
dressed you Il letter hereto attachcd
marked a. On the 10th day of July
addressed you letter hereto attacheu'
marked b On the Goth of July | adj
dressed you Il letter hereto attached
marked &c" On the Dist Of July ad-
dressed to Claudius Dockery. ESQ., char
man of the Board of Directors of the
Penitcntiary letter hereto attached'
marked 80" On the 18th of July ad-
dressed to John II. Smith, ESD. Commas
soner of Agriculture, Il letter hereto at
tached. marked e" To the communi-
cations addressed to you | have received
no answer but there is published III to-
days Raleigh Post an open letter dated
July %. addressed to me and signed by
YOU. The public knows the contents of
this letter and it is not necessary /
should reproduce it here.
A little after noon today, | received
through the mails letter signed by Mr..
Dockery, dated July % and hereto at
tached. marked "F." | have received no
answer whatever from the letter ad-
dressed TO Mr.. Smith.
1t is well known in North Carolina that
we have just entered upon Il campaign i'll
which the management of our State az
fairs by the present administration will
be largely discussed and that the question
will be presented to the people to be de-
cided at the election in November.
whether they will continue the control of
the present fusion government in North
Carolina. Under these circumstances L
deemed it due to the voters of the State
to whose interest, judgment and patri-
otsm the party of which | am chairman
proposes to appeal, that they should be
put in possession of the full facts con-
corning the management of their affairs
by the present State Government. to the
end that they may wisely and fairly de-
eide whether the interest and honor of
the State required that their public af-
fairs hereafter be conducted by a differ
cnt political party.
In order that this work in which the
people are so much interested should be
thoroughly and fairly executed. / Sc
cured the services of Hon. Il. j. Jarvis,
former Governor and United States
Senator, and of Captain S. A. Ashe long
a leading journalist of this State and n
man of high character to prepare hand
book giving an accurate statement OF all
the facts concerning these matters.
Early after Governor Russell was in
Quoted into office he appointed John
r. Smith superintendent of the pentcn-
tiary and you commissioner of agricul-
ture. Soon thereafter rumors of mis-
management and misrepresentation of the
property of the penitentiary under Mr.
Smiths management became rife
throughout the State.
1t was stated in the public press and
from mouth to mouth that the Governor
had determined to remove Mr.. Smith
from the office of superintendent because
of incompetency, mismanagement and
corruption.
Sometime last winter the public was
startled by the information that for the
reasons above stated the Governor, act
ing through the Board of Directors. had
removed Mr.. Smith as superintendent
and caused him to be put in charge of the
Agricultural Department, thus transfer
ing man found unfit by reason of moral
and mental delinQuencies to manage the
convicts, to the control of that insti-
tuition which most closely touches the
interests of the predominant element of
the population, the farmer 1t was alst
stated Ill the newspapers and not denied
that the Governor had stated to n mem
hnr ~ M n,.l 4
ture, i'll a personal interview with him
as a reason for the removal of Smith
from the position of superintendent of
the penltentiary, that under him the pen
itentiary management was not only
squanderlng but actually stealing the
property of the State. 1t was likewise
charged that this director stated in q
meeting of the Board of Agriculture that
the Governor had stated TO him as his
reason for transferring Mr. Smith from
the penitentiary to the Agricultural De
partment. that under his management Of
the penitentiary the property of tbc
State was being squandered and stolen
The law requires the superintendent OF
the pcnittntiary annually on the 31st al
December of each year to file under oath
an inventory of the assets of that in
i
rectors To make an annual report of tin,
affairs of the peniteltiary to the Gov
ernor.
1t was ascer.ained upon inquiry that
no report or inventory for the year 1897
such as the law requires should be made
was accessible To the pubic. In view o
these facts and the summary rcmova
OF Mr.. Smith under the imputation!
aforesaid, | thought and still think
that the public would be interested il
knowing and had the right to know tn,
facts concerning the management o
this institution during that year, o.
which no report could be obtained
Therefore as it was intended that tn,
hand. book which Governor Jarvis ant
Captain Ashe were preparing shoul,
discuss these matters, as well rs tn,
facts connected with the management
of tho penitcntiary by Yourself in tn
interest of fairness in giving tn
people information upon these subjects
these distinguished and honorable gentle