The Van Buren press., 1902-03-15
FIshback on McRae.

Colonel FtshbacK addressed tne io''
lowing letter last week to the Arkansas
Democrat: -
ION the day before yesterday | saw
upon the first page, in one OF the most
conspicuous columns, of the clone
Democrat, and under flashing heah-
lines of this most vindictive enemy OF
Democracy, the remarkable letter OF
Hon. T. G. McRae urging the defeat OF
Senator Jones. AS Senator Jones ana
have never been personal friends and
shall vote for him, and as McRae and
Jones have been warm personal friends
ever since have known them, but Nc
Rae will not vote for Jones, was all
the more curious to see from his letter
why. so boiled it down to its quintes-
sence.
II find that the gist of the matter Is
Jones want of fidelity to his friends
in general, and particularly his want
of fidelity to McRae in this Hudson
Bank bond matter. And yet Mr.. Nc
Rae's letter betrays the most remarka-
able instance Of want of fidelity to
HIS friends | have ever heard OF since
reconstruction days.
Permit me to analyze this remarka-
BILE letter.
"First-He starts back to 1888. four.
teen years ago, and charges Jones with
numerous political sins against the
people of Arkansas, against the Demo
cratic party and against the welfare OF
the government during these fourteen
years, yet during all these years Mr..
McRae has been supporting Jones for
the senate and has never until now, IN
one single instance, admonished the
thousands of friends who elected him to
congress term after term, of Jones nm
fitness for his exalted position. In other
words, during all these years he has
been faithful to his personal friend,
Jones, at the sacrifice of his thousands
of friends who elected him. Is this Mr..
McRae 8 idea Of fidelity to friendsH
"Second--He says His demonstra-
ted inefficiency as u leader has
been such as to discredit him In the es.
timation of all those who have observed
his course
Who are those who have observed
his course
Surely W. j. Bryan, who had more
at stake than any other man In the
United States, must have observed his
course, and he was not discredited In
his estimation.
1.-THE national Democratic committee
Is composed of some of the shrewdest
men In the United States, and surely
they must have observed his course,
and 1t Is evident that he was not dis
credited In their estimation.
1.-THE Democratic senators In the
United States senate certainly have
observed his course, and 1t Is evident
that he is not discYedited In their esti-
nation, or they would surely not have
re-selected him as their leader at this
very session.
1.-THE leading Democratic papers In
New York, in Chicago, and in st. Louis,
have surely observed his course, and
their recent utterances show that he is
not discredited In their estimation.
WHO, then, are those who have
observed his course, and In whose esti-
nation has he been dscreditedY Let
Mr.. McRae name one other than him
self and Governor Clarke, and this
brings us down to the milk in the
cocoanut.
Third His greatest complaint, the
one In which he shows most anger, is
against Jones action In denouncing the
Hudson Bank bond case. What is this
caseY
>"Mr. McRae and Governor Clarke are
associate counsel in suit against the
state Of Arkansas for $05 900 for a bank
In New York, known as the Hudson
Bank. They prepared printed brief,
q copy Of which l have before me.
Now, II we accept the facts as they
themselves set them out In this brief,
this $65, 900 which they wish the people
Of Arkansas to pay is the proceeds of a
partially successful fraud perpetrated
upon the state by W. p, Denckla In
ls7l-72. | challenge denial Of this,
IF we accept the facts as found by
Senator Sengel s committee, these very
bonds which they wish paid again have
once been paid by the state and were
burned by Governor Clarke 8 board be-
cause they believed they had been paid,
lone of the considerations which in
duces me 10 support Senator Jones Is
the very fact that he refused to betray
the thousands of his friends who have
been supporting him all these years and
sacrifice his fidelity to them to his per-
sonal friendship for McRae,
Suppose we were TO fill all high
official positions In Arkansas with men
who entertain Mr. McRae's ideas Of
fidelity to friends, would we not have
reconstruction reproducedY
"As one voter In Arkansas decline
to take counsel Of man who confesses
that during his official life he has been
sacrificing his fidelity to the thousands
Of men who have been electing him TO
congress to his personal friendship for
one man
VERY respectfully,
NV. M, FIsHBAcK, -