The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-07-29
NO MORE RED SHIRTS
Can be Worn by A. A, Spen-
GERS Employees at BiSCoe
He Admits That He Did What Was Charged
But Says Folks Are Not
Indignant,
Biscoe, N. c., July %, 1900

To the Editor: l am the said A. A.
Spencer who discharges men for wearing
red shirts My home is in Asheboro,
Randolph county, n. C.
l am a saw mill man and have been
for several years, and am running saw
tL.l and planning mill near Biscoe, n c.,
now. / am a Republican and have been
all my life.
| hire men to work for me regardless
to their politics. l have at present some
Democrats who are white men that work
for me. like them alright. / have moth
ing against them at all so long as they
act like men who are honorable and up
right.
l never have in my life discharged a
man for being a Democrat. l am a man
who thinks every man ought to have his
rights let that be whatever it may be,
but / never expect for a man TO work
for me who wears a red shirt. | dis
charged Mr. C. w. Hunt for wearing q
red shirt, as | understood that he wore
it because no other man in Biscoe would
wear one, and that he said that he would
wear one to break the way. If the shirt
were the property of another man that he
first wore, he afterwards had one made
for himself or either he borrowed it again
or another one to wear on the 18th OF
July, the day Aycock spoke in Trey, N. C.
In regard to Mr.. w. F. Thomas, he came
into my office on July 18th at 12 O'Clock
and asked me permission to get off the
next day to go to Troy to hear Mr.. Ay
cock. | told him / had no objection to
hic To ha hut I 1pd
him very much in my mill Then l told
him to go if he wanted to and my mill
could stand or 1 could run it myself if /
mad the time. said to him that did not
want him to be out any more than he
could help.
When the evening whistle blew Mr.. w.
Il. Thomas went back to the planning mill,
| thought to work, but in a few minutes
came around where l was with his ccat
on his shoulder and said to me that he
supposed that l did not intend to keep
men to work for me who wore red shirts.
| told him no, l did not want man to
work for me who wore red shirts. well, y
he says, Il have one and expect to wear ii
tomorrow. Now Mr.. Spencer let us quit
off on good peaceable terms. have moth
| ing against you and if | had known this
a week sooner | would not have been in
this condition. well, l said to Mr..
Thomas, 'that is ust what l want to do,
l have nothing against you"
/ heard that sCne CT the Democrats
| said that l ought to be indicted for dis
charging these men. They can go ahead
and indict me if they want to. The
amendment may disfranchise some people
but l will show them that l have right
to hire who l please and discharge whom
l please.
The News and Observer says that every
self respecting white man in town is in
dignant with me, and says so in pre-
nounced terms.
This is incorrect, for there is not a man
in town that has anything against me that
has the Christianity and self respect about
him that he should have. For instance,
take the Page Bros, the most respected
people of the town. You can't get them
to say anything against me, although
sometimes they vote different from me in
county and State, they vote National with
me.
They are business men and cannot vote
otherwise, looking at things from busi-
ness standpoint.
A. A. SPENCER.