Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-07
Incensed at Representative
Hefin's Violent Remarks.
AN INTERESTING TALK
THE EX-CONFEDERATE BELIEVES
PARKER WILL LOSE VOTES.
His Recollection Of Peonage Trials and
Heflin's Position Then-Not
Subject for Joking.


Ia fame is mad all the way through because
Of the violent remarks of Representative j.
Thomas Hefiin of the fifth Alabama district,
who, in speaking of the luncheon to Booker
Washington by President Roosevelt, SAID:
IF Czolgosz or some other anarchist had
thrown a bomb under the table no great
harm would have been done the country"
Col Mosby is satisfied that this remark
will lose the democrats many votes in the
north, despite the fact that Hef1in has since
declared that the remark was made as a
joke. This is what Col. Mosby says:
Until my appointment last May in the
department of Justice had been a year in
Alabama investigating fraudulent home
stead entries and timber trespassng on
public lands. l was transferred there from
Nebraska, where 1 had been engaged most
~ in having the fences of the great cattle
kings Enclosing large acreages or public
lands and preventing settlement, removed,
arrived at Montgomery about the time the
peonage trials began before Judge Jones In
the United States court. The court room is
In the same building with the land office,
and so l was witness Of the proceedings.
Peonage in Georgia.
Under cover of a state law on fictitious
charges of breach of labor contract or of
vagrancy negroes We're arrested and con-
elusive judgment given against them. I'm
der preteXt of satisfying these judgments
negroes were imprisoned and sold to parties
who held them in the worst form of slavery.
Judge Jones, Notwithstanding the clamor 1t
raised, had several of the offenders convict
ed and heavily fined. Some were sent to the
penitentiary Judge Jones deserves great
honor for breaking up the peonage busi-
ness in Alabama. 1t was simply a new form
Oh slavery, but much worse than the old
FORM when the master had property in the
Save, and of course there was motive of
self-interest, but these poems were in as
bad condition the galley slaves of the
Barbary corSairS.
"A Mr. Hefiin. then state officer and
now democratic member of Congress,
published letter severely condemning
Judge Jones on account of the punishment
of these criminals because Jones had sem
fenced them to punishment Hefin COM
pared him to Jeffries the Infamous tyrant
or the English judges After these crini
nails had suffered a short Imprisonment, on
the recommendation of Judge Jones' the
President pardoned them and sent them out
IN the world admonished to go and sin no
more.
sentative from the Tuskegee district, died,
and the democrats rewarded Hefin for
ABUSING Jones and defending peonage by
electing him to fill out Thompson's unex-
p1red term. Hef1in is now a candidate for
reelection.
Hefin's Whole Speech.
Il have received copy of Montgomery
paper, which prints the entire speech Of
Hefiin delivered at Tuskegee October 3, in
which Hefin discusses the negro problem
and the alleged dinner to Booker Washing
ton by President Roosevelt. The paper au-
thoritatively says that Hef1in stated that
II CzolgosZ or some other anarchist had
thrown a bomb under the table no great
harm would have been done to the coun-
try. A dispatch in this mornings papers
says that Hefiin declares he was merely
joking when he made this remark. 1 no
tice that Hefiin adhereS to what he said
about having Booker Washington Iynched
il he took any part against him in the con-
gressional election. Now, there is no doubt
that pressure from northern democrats on
account of the injury that Hefiins speech
is doing Parker has forced Helm to pub
lish his card of denial. Yesterday met an
Alabama representative who had just been
to New York making speeches, and he re-
ferred with great regret to Heflin's ill-ad-
vfsed speech. He said that 1T would do
the democratic party a great deal of harm.
But, really, ] cannot see that Helms talk
of a joke puts the matter in any better po-
sitiOn than it was before. Heflin must
have expected his audience to enjoy the
joke about the assassination of President
Of the United States, but people who
would laugh at such awful crime could
have no real horror if the crime were ac-
tually committed. But to lynch Booker
Washington for taking part as citizen in
a congressional canvass l. tnlnK, IN every
moral sense would be as bad as the assas-
sination of President.
Ex-Gov. Oates Advice
"I am glad to see that Ex-Governor Oates,
one-armed confederate soldier, and for
mer colleague in Congress with Mr.. Nc
Kinley, has come out in a card advising
the democratic committee to muzZle Hefiin.
| do not think the people who heard Heffin
saw the point if he intended his remarks
about assassination only joke AS for
the talk about forcing the social equality
of the races, that is nonsense. Nobody
wants to do such thing, and nobody can
do it, Social intercourse rests on sympa-
thy in taste and mutual consent. That law
of nature is the foundation of society, and
regulates not only the conduct of men, but
of all animals. There is just marked
line of division between different classes
Of white people between white people
and negroes. You never a Jew in a
church or Christian in synagogue, yet
all live harmoniously together.