The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-07
IN THE ORIGINAL.

But here is the interview:
IN THE ORIGINAL.
What do you think will be the out
come of the senatorial contest?
II hope Pritchard will be elected"
What will be the chances for Guth-
RE and Dockery?
Neither of them will have any
showing because neither of them can
ever get anything but democratic
votes. The democratic members might
swallow Dockery, but he would be an
awful dose eve for them. Democrats,
like other people, despise deserters and
traitors"
But Dockery says he was conscien-
tiously for silver and would have re-
fused the republican nomination after
the st. Louis convention declared
against silver.
Yes. And the old humbug was fool
enough to think that somebody would
believe him! Before the republican
convention he was pretending to be
for Allison. an anti-free silver man.,
for president. But after he got licked
in his rascally plans to capture the re-
publican convention by mean Whiskey
and ribald fraud-then he was so
strong for silver that he could not
support Mckinley! Nobody ever heard
of his being for silver till Butler pick
GU I'LL op "a u SAS
chunked him at the republican party.
Butler thought hat was great poll
tics. By it he was going to dlslnte-
CRATE the republican party, give Rus
sell a shaking ague' and 'skeer him
so bad that he would come down in
favor Of the pOpulist candidate for
governor. So out went old Dockery "a
snortin' through the woods, dishing
out exploded lies about RusselPs buy
ing the republican and
about his knitting the republican ticket
in 1888, and appealing to republicans
to vote for Bryan and Guthrie ana
free silver q hear that he voted for
| Watson, and I believe it, Every time
| Dockery opened his mead he rallied the
| republicans to Russell. He was the
cheapest help I ever had. He could not
| have lone better for me if l had had
him on a salary and he had honestly
tried to earn it. Buffers smart man
agement resulted in forcing upon his
party an old hulk that they were and
are ashamed Of and in solidifying the
republican party so hat in all the
state there was scarcely one vote, not
even Dockery'S own vote, which lett
I us to augment the pOpulist eng
Butler thought he was loaded! And he
fired. He busted his gun, but didn't
even 'skeer' the dog. But Buffers case
is not hopeless. He has much to learn.
He is young yet. Besides, his fOllies
have not sprung from treachery but
from a laudable purpose to advance
his own party. 1 believe that those
republicans are in error who think that
Butler wants to betray ms army py
leading them back to the democratic
camp for capture, condemnation and
execution. l believe that he is sincere
in saying, as he does say, that North
Carolina must not be turned back
wards to drop nder the control of the
democratic n
Why was it that you did not reply
to Dockery's attacks on you during
the campaign?
Have I not already told you that
wanted to keep him going? Besides, 1t
consumed too much time in a speech
to lake up in detail the stupid lies OF
this mouthy, maudlin old imbeclle. Fol
example, he said that my brother,
Thomas B. RUSSELL, went to mis- mouse
in 1888 to get him to support me 1or
governor. In this there was not one
word of ruth. Thos. B. Russell neve.
went to his house in 1888. It vas wei
known that I would not accept the
for governor or anything
else in 1888, because / wanted TO heaC
off the democrats by refusing to run 6
state ticket in that year. The result
showed that l was right. He said tina
I bolted the ticket and caused hi:
defeat for governor. The truth i:
: that I supported him and the whole
ticket. I quit my private business
INC lost several weeks in that cam
l paign, paying my own expenses as
always have. Time was worth some
thing to me. My personal earning
l have not been confined to beating
= confiding friends by borrowing thei
e money ard paying them in bankrup
r notices or desperate compromises.
AVE not followed the profession o
office seeking for a living. Indeed,
lave never held an office that did no
involve a pecuniary loss. Yes, in 1SS
I bowed to the decision of the part
because of my devotion to its princi
n pies. L supported Dockery, the blath
5 erskite, against FoWle, the scholal
g jurist and orator. I did more than TIL
for Dockery. While ~canvassing wit
n him and for him in 1888 I subjected m
d ervou system to the strain Of cor
e cealing my contempt while I liStere
d to his stupid rant and nasty joke
II After that let no nan ever Questio
4 my loyalty to the party"