The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-27

up concluded that Pope was a fraud,
and followed him to Martinsville, Va,
where the notes were returned at the
point of pistol. Then the irate post
arrested upon the charge of swindling.
Afterwards he was released.
Now the question comes up: Is Mr..
Pope a swindler, or is he the man selected
by Senator Pritchard and District Attorney
HoltOn to compel Federal office holders
to stand and deliver?" If the first, he
will be prosecuted. If the second, then
Mr.. Roosevelt, if he is true to his devot
ton to a decent administration of the
civil service, will investigate the matter
and call the stand and deliver" man to
an accounting.
1t has been known for some time that
the Republicans were using every exer-
tion to secure the payment of poll tax by
negroes and other Republicans who can
read and write. 1t now develops that
big fund is being collected for this pur-
pose, and it seems that Mr.. Pope is the
man selected to make the Federal office
holders come down with the dust" The
news is that Senator Pritchard says Pope
is not a swindler and that he is "all
right" Exactly. He is "all right be-
cause he has been able to collect a pile
of Doodle. 1t is said that he has gone
to the postmasters and other pie-eaters
and demanded a contribution amounting
to ten per cent of their salary, and that
Bailey, of Advance, Davie county, who
is treasurer of the Republican State Com
mittee No official or public notice has
been made of the appointment Of Mr..
Pope. He has pursued the gum shoe"
style of collecting. Many postmasters
have given the money under protest, some
after vehement protest, but they were
made to understand that if they didn't
pay the assessment they would lose their
offices, with the salaries thereunto apper-
tanning.
1t remained for the postmaster at
Madison. can office with a small salary
to protest. Mr. Pope seems to have
found him without any money, but he
induced the postmaster to give him two
notes for $40 each. After the collector
had gone out of town, the Madison post
master looked up the Civil Service law,
and found that it was against the law
for anybody to make assessments for
political purposes. And then he got
down Mr. Theodore Roosevelt's reports
as chairman of the Civil Service Commits
sion, in which that gentleman Numbered
against political assessments. And then
he said to himself: "The man who got
my notes is a fraud. Nobody would dare
to make political assessments during the
administration of Theodore Roosevelt,
and 1 will get my 1. o. US" And acting
upon this assumption, he followed Mr..
then had Mr.. Pope arrested By this
time Postmaster Lewis has doubtless
learned that his faith in the civil service
policy of the administration in North
Carolina is a fraud, and that in this
State the policy is: FRY the fat out of
them"
The accidental discovery of the work of
the secret emissary, going about with q
threat, demanding money from Federal
office holders, shows the sunderland po-
litical methods which the Republicans in
this State are pursuing. There are
stories of this postmaster paying 500
appointed, and that postmaster paying
other amounts and begging the emissary
to use his inf1uence>to keep him in office.
There are other stories of how the Re-
publican bosses are keeping what they
call Roll of Honor" upon which are
inscribed the names of those who have
SNen Dig campaign CONTRIBUTORS. the
names of those giving the biggest sums
leading all the rest" Some Republi-
cans call the list Life Preservers. and
say that those who promptly pay their
political assessments are sure to save
their political lifes, while those who
refuse to contribute are sure of being
thrown out without life preserver into
the stormy political seas where they are
certain to go to the bottom. Postmaster
% A ~ aew 9M Sc "a n -