The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-02
THE PASSING or SHOOK.
]. Wiley Shook f1utters.
I,oDV fn1ttpr Shook

He fiutters like the American flag q,
a string of a block-kite. with The Whit,
House at one erd and Haywood county,
at the other.
He flaps and snaps in the keen, era
gy breeze to the sound of Shook Shoot,
He is the only free thing left in Hav.
wood-free as Byron's pirate,
ION the glad waters of the dark bIuq
sea,
With a soul as boundlcss and a heart
as free"
From the Asheville Citizen of yester
day, we take the following:
But the decapitation exercises
were not confined exclusively to the
Democrats. j. Wiley Shook, the ir-
rerressib.e politician from Hay
wood, who has for a short time
been identified with the revenue
service under Collector Harkins, was
compelled to shoot the chute. ].
Wiley had committed the unpardl0n-
able sin of expressing his individual
opinion upon a subject which recent
ly engrossed fer a week the undi-
videu attention of COngress-the
civil service law The revenue of
fcials at Washington would not
brook such an offence ond said that
]. Wiley must go. 1t is said Collec-
tor Harkins protested, but all in vain
for the Washington officials gave
notice that unless Il discharge was
forthcoming, the allowance for the
office which Col. Shook held would
be cut off. This was the blow that
settled it. When J. Wiley was
notified of his discharge this morn
ing, the angry passions of a number
Of Republican politicians rose to u
very high point. Some letters of a
warm" nature were directed to the
department. at Washington. one let
ter stating that the entire Repnubli-
can party Of this part of the State
had been insulted as Mr.. Shook
merely voiced the sentiments Of his
colleagues.
This is Plain evidence of how the
Republican party denies it's mem
hers the right of free speech"
The open letters of Shook to the Presi-
dent have, it is supposed, rendered him
Persona non grata. In these letters he
dared to take the stand that the poll
tician was worthy of his pic, and by a
parity of reasoning. that if he, Shook,
were not too good to take pie, Nc
Kmley was not too good to give it. He
cautioned Mckinley that the Republi-
can party in North Carolina would
grow rusty without OIL, that the Civil
Service law was dry and brittle upon its
web. and could not be run through the
machine i'm way TO turn out up-to-date
campaign documents. With few mOdi.
fcations, Snook would ifave been willing
to rccrganize the mob, but no sign came
from the White House until the. fatal
freak OF the axe about his neck. 3D..
He has been recently Deputy Gollec-
tor. He could nave been greatef He
could have lolled among the loafers Of
she corridors of the Capitol in a white
shirt What did he do? He chose a
blue flannel among his own people
When Pritchard was running fer the
SenatUrship, Shook did not have TO
stand any civil service examination in
order to get the place of chief assistant.
AS the white of his eye, shone through
dim recesses during these peril6us Raj
eigh nights, so since then it has sped
ike a ghost-light along the mountain
ways against the CLINT of moGnshinL
fires.
That it is hard for Pr;tchard to drop
him is saying that It is hard to let so
a live wire. That it will lie hard for
rearson to stand the shock of Shocks
taking off is but TO say that it will go
hard with Pearson to have to live in
North Carolina instead of on the Foreign
A fairs committee, with My dear Mr..
/. eaton" and other social functions.
IL Shook be masought and unsalaried
now he will not hereafter be unsung. II
he have to wander ON foot both ways
to and from Asheville with the brand OF
Lese Majeste burned upon his brow, he
will appeal to Caesar.
The people of Haywood and Mitchell
and Bumccmbe have never yet turned a
deaf ear to Shook-for his voice is 4
cure for deafness in it's worst form.
His ex-parte correspondence may mot
be continued with the President, but
about the time of the next Congression-
al campaign, if Mark Hanna puts his
ear to the ground, he will hear some
thing drop from Shocks voice-the same
voice that has left cracks in the ceiling
of Pritchard's committee room, assures
along the slopes of the French Broad
and fire and freedom in the hearts of
those whose glow of patriotism is red-hot
with the holiness that bales the pastry
of hope into che PIE of party promise.
A man shuts the door when about
to be told secret, and woman opens
- .on 10 ono iS listening ont