The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-08-04

The following letter. ari,;cn hy Mr..
,. N. simmons. chairman OF IN. Demo
cratic STATE Executive Committee. d.
IN reply 60 Mr.. }. ". NEWBORN let
ter. which appeared In tho last i-sg. Of
Tvs Caucasus:
R,LkIaH. y. e. July -. lsa>.
J. NJ. MEwnoRxE, Superintendent of
Peniirntiary, Raleigh. NC.
STR: GA the lIth day Of July I si-
| dressed you q letter. r-rcto attached,
marked "A" On the 10Th day of Jaly
| | addressed you y letter. hereto at
tachsd, marked "B." ON the 2Vh of
July | addressed you a letter. hereto
attached, marked 't." On the 3lst of
July 1 addressed 10 CIAudIus pockery.
Esq, chairman Of the Bnard Of Dire
tors OF the P-nit-ntisry. y letter, here
TO attached, marked ID" On the iith
OF July I addressed To John X. smith.
Esq, Commissioner OF Agriculture. =
letter, hereto attached, marked IL"
To the communications addressed tn
you ! have received no answer. but
but there is published IN today Raj
ei2h Post an open letter dated July -.
|
The public knows the contents OF this
letter and IL Is not necessary I should
reproduce it here.
| A little after noon to-day received
through the mails \ letter signed BY
Mr.. Dockery, dated July -. aud hereto
attached, marked ~" | have received
no answer whatever from the letter ad-
dressed to Mr.. Smith.
Ii Is well known in Nori n Carolina
that We have Just entered upon a cam
paign in which the management of our
State affairs by the present admins
tratiOn will be largely discussed. and
that the question will be presented 10
the people, TO be decided at the cleo
tiOn in November. whether they WI
continue the control of the present
fusion government in North Carolins.
Under these circumstances I deemed 10
due to the voters of the State. to whose
interest, Judgment and patriotism the
party Of which I am chairman proposes
to appeal, that they should be put in
possession OF the full facts concerning
the management OF their affairs by the
present State government, 10 the end
that they ma; wisely ard fairly decide
whether the interest AID honor of tie
state required that their public affairs
hereafter be conducted by n different
political party.
In order that this work in which the
people are so much interested should
be thoroughly and fairly executed,
secured the services of Hon. 4. J. jar
Wis. former Governor and United states
Senator, and Of Captain =. A. A she,
and q man of high character, 10 pre-
pare q handbook giving an accurate
statement of all the facts concerning
these matters.
Early after Governor Russell was IN
Quoted into Office he appointed John
X. Smith Superintendent Of the Peni-
Tertiary and you Commissioner of Ag-
iriculture. Soon thereatteI rumors Of
'mrsffixfake ment End missppropfY4sfbUY
Of the property of the penitentiary
under Mr.. Smiths management became
rife throughout the State.
1t was stated in the public press aud |
from mouth to mouth that the Cover
nor had determined TO remove Mr. |
Smith from the Office OF Superintend- |
ent because of inc0mpetency, misman-
agement and corruption.
Sometime last winter the public was |
startled by the information that for |
the reasons above stated the Governor, |
acting through the Board of Directors, /
had removed Mr.. Smith as SuberIn-
tendent and caused him to be put in
charge of the Agricultural Depart
ment, thus transferring a man found |
unfit, by reason Of moral and mental
delinquencies, to manage the convicts,
to the control Of that institution which |
most closely touches the interests oi |
the Predominant element OF the popu-
latiOn, the farmer. IL was also stated |
in the newspapers, and not denied, |
member of the Board Of Directors of |
Agriculture, in personal interview |
with him, as 3 reason for the removal |
Of Smith from the position of Superin-
tendent OF the Penitentiary, that un-
der him the penitentiary management
WAS not only squandering but actually
stealing the property of the state. II
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 trans
ferring Mr.. Smith from the peniten-
tiary to the Agricultural Department.
that under his management of the
penitentiary the property OF the State
was being squandered and stolen.
The law requires the Superintendent
OF the Penltentiary annually, on the |
3lst Of December Of each year, to file |
under oath an inventory OF the assets
Of that Institution, and requires the |
Board OF Directors TO make an annual
report Of the Affairs of the Penitentisry
to the Governor.
1t was ascertained u pom inquiry that
no report Or inventory for the year
1897, such rs tn. law requires should
he NE
In view OF these facts and the sum-
mary removal of Mr. smith under the
imputatiOns aforesaid. 1 thought, and
still think, thAt the public would be
interested in knowing, and had the
right to know, the facts concerning
the management of this institution
during the year, of which no report
could be obtained.
Therefore, rs il Was intended that
the handbook which Governor Jarvis
and Captain Ashe were PREPARING
should discuss these matters, rs we'll n
The facts connected with the mans ge-
ment OF the penifentiary by yourself.
IN the interest of fairness ia giving
the people information upon these sol
Jecfs, these distinguished and honor
able gentlemen did not wish TO act
upon rumOrs and Newspaper state
ments and requested me to adores. he |
communications hereto attached, ask
ing for the information and facts
therein requested, as basis OF their |
discussion of these subjects.
did not think for . minute that the /
Information asked would not be-
promptly given, and in a way that
gentlemen usually conduct their cor
respondence.
1t was not thought by them or NY
self that IL the information YVES given
It would show state of affaIrs 10 the /
advantage Of the present adDinistra-
ton, but no State officer had ever be-
fore concealed from the public the re.
ports and records Of his Office, because