Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-07-29
MR. MARTINS REPLY,
Gives Out a Statement Regarding
Charges BY Mr. Jones'
He MAKES SHARP THRUSTS.
AIludeS TO the ADimuS Of The Attacks
Of the Congressman.
POPULAR CHOICE OF SENATOR'S
VIII Vote 10 Submit to the Peopie
the Question of Making the con-
stitutionnI Changc-Vote on the
War Bill.
War Bill.

| Senator Martin late last night gave out
a carefully prepared statement In answer
to the charges made by Hon. William a.
Jones, in his speech at Houston Monday.
The statement was prepared after con-
sultation with a number of friends, in
| Guiding Mr. J. =. Moon, Of Albemarle,
and Hon. Claude a. Swanson. member of
! Congress from the Fifth District. Mr..
Swanson's familiarity with the Congress
sional Record made him OF value In the
preparation Of the paper
! The statement was typewriter. with
a number of interlineatons, and erasures
in pen and pencil, showing that it had
been carefully revised Mr.. Martin put
in the greater portion OF the day at work
upon it. and it was not completed until
about midnight.
REPLY TO MR. JONES.
| The statement is as follows:
In the newspaper reports Of a speech
made by Mr.. William \. Jones, at the
last term OF Halifax County Court, / see
some statements requiring notice at my
hands.
In the first place. Mr.. Jones makes a
disparaging remark about my not being
present with the battalion Of cadets at
the battle Of New Market. ! entered the
Virginia Military Institute as cadet on
the first day Of March. 1864, when 16 years
of age. | remained with the battalion OF
cadets till the end Of the war. NO one
can truthfully say that during my service
as cadet / failed 10 discharge to the
fullest extent my duty. The insinuatioh
which I hear now for the first time
thirty-fve years after the event-that l
failed 10 discharge my duty in every re-
spect, has its origin in the enmity OF po-
ntical opponents. and is without a Color
OF truth to sustain it. II is true was
not present al the battle of New Market
/ When the battalion Of cadets was oIuei-
ed down the Valley, on the occasion ol
this battle, / was sick in the hospital II
would have been impossible Tor me 10
have accompanied the battalion, ana l
have never before heard suggestion
from any source that had been at idul'
in the matter. With this one exception,
/ was with the battalion Of cadets IN an
the service il rendered around Richmond
and elsewhere until the end Of the war
I feel sure that fair minded and honor
able Virginians can have no sympathy
with so uniustihable fling as this
VIRGINIA NOT ASSAILED.
Another statement Of Mr.. Jones when
! calls for a reply from me Is mat ! hdNc
called 70 vindicate Virginia when assail-
ed in the senate. In reply to that state
ment | can only say that during my term
of service in the Senate | have never
heard Virginia assailed or disrespecttully
| alluded TO in any way. / did not go 10
the Senate with the idea that speech
| making ought 10 be my chief duty. NO
! Virginia interest has ever suffered by
silence on my part. / have endeavored
| TO pursue such course I'm the Senate as
would command the confidence of my col
leagues and be most serviceable TO the
people Of the State.
| have been always ready 20 defend
any interest by speech or otherwise when
the occasion required it. l have consid-
cred il more important TO the people OF
my State for me 10 accomplish results
| for them than for me 10 spend my time
| preparing and delivering speeches, unless
/ some practical result could be accom-
/ plished that way better than in any other.
/ No one familiar with the course or busl-
| ness in the Senate can say that any III
terest Of my State has suffered by my
failure at any time TO speak. II there Is
any one thing for which the Senate may
( be more Justly criticised than for any
other It is the amount of time uselessly
consumed in speech-making.
NEVER A LOBBYIST.
Again. Mr. Jones states that at the
time OF my first election 70 the Senate
was known TO the Virginia people only
as the agent and lobbyist of railroad cor
porations. ] do not know where Mr..
Jones gets this idea, but / do know that
IL has its origin in falsehOod and in
malice. because 1 have never, at any pc
riod of my life, been the representative
of any railroad or other corporation or
/ OF any person or persons in connection
with any matter pending before any
| legislative body state or national. Many
| such retainers have been offered me as
a lawyer. but invariably I have declined
! them | have never I'm my life mad my
/ course as citizen in respect 10 any pub
lie matter embarrassed by "a retainer. No
one can truthfully say that ] have been
retained 10 represent, or have in fact,
represcntcd. any interest for a corpora
ton or any one else before a legislative
body. The only connection | have mad
with railroad corporations was this: Be
fore my election 10 the Senate | was To-
/ cal counsel for the Richmond and Ale
! ehanv Railroad Company until 1t was
J consolidated with the Chesapeake ana
| Ohio Railway Company.
! / then became the local counsel for the
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company
which | had not before that time repre-
scented. My agreement with that .oih-
pany was TO prosecute and DEFEND sults'
and transact all legal business In when
| they might be interested in five counties,
for which / received an annual salary. II
was a retainer solely in legal matters.
did not even know the president OF the
company. Mr. NJ. +. ingalls,, untll AFTER
/ WAS elected 20 the Senate. lie, as wen
as every other railroad president IN VIZ
g!nia. was opposed TO my election, never
represented any other railroad cofpuId-
/ ton. but. as the records OF the coui u
win show. l constantly brought suitS
against them. When ! was eiec'eu 10
the Senate l resigned my position as ioceu
! counsel for the Chesapeake and ONO
Railroad Company, and have since that
time represented no corporation what
ever. In fact, have boon unable TO give
anv attention to the practice Of the law,
and have devoted my time exclusively 10
my public duties.
ELECTION OF SENATOR'S
Mr.. Jones also stated that ! had told
him that | was opposed on principle 10
the election of senators by the people
Mr.. Jones is mistaken about this.
never had any conversation with him on
the subject. Al the Roanoke convention
had a conversation with him in respect
10 the resolutions he offered there iro-