The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-03
Spencer Attempting to
Straighten His Fences
I'm ALREADYATH HOME
Declares Blackburn, but the Old Wa.
tauga Republican Could Not Find
His Home in Wilkesbor0.-.
Threatens of Contest
are Rife.
Especial to News and Observer.)

Especial to News and Observer
Wilkesboro, N c., April 2-The sun
rose in Wilkesboro this morning desolate
and lonely. but the great light of tie
Republican party of North Carolina is still
with US, not having yet retired to the
palatial home in the grand old county
OF Gailford. He is hustling about III
desperate attempt to straighten out his
1eIces against the threatened attack OF
the Iron Duke and the Bull of the
Brushes. Somebody tells me that soon
after the convention Andrew Joyner, the
versatile and talented neWSWIiter OF
Greensboro, asked Spencer If he was going
home on the afternoon train. and that
Spencer said: What do you mean, /
am already at home" Another one is
told that night befor. last an old Watauga
friend OF Spence's hunted all over town
Tor Spences house, and finally when he
became dismayed and lost among the hiIls
he approached a fellow on the street and
Inquired the way to Mr.. Blackburns home
The cool citizen told the stranger to go
down across the bridge and he would
find railroad track and tnat if he would
go up that track about hundred miles
he would come to a magnificent stone
residence and ne could knock at the door
with the assurance that it was Spencer's.
During the entire convention Spence
stopped at the town hotel with the crowd,
talked very little about where his home
really was; would not permit anybody
to discuss it. Whenever it was approached
he would say The way TINS township
went is a good answer to the question OF
my residence
While the crowd was standing at the
depot yesterday waiting for the train to
take them home, / interviewed several
of the Surry men. 1 asked the question,
"W hat will Surry do for Blackburn
The answers were as follows:
w. w. Hampton: I'VE are not going
to submit to any such treatment. We
are tired and the decent Republicans are
tiled. We have been talking about the
Democrats cheating at the polls and here
we have been defrauded all over the dis
trict by the man who could make the
longest speeches against dlsfranchisement
of any of us. The way the thing stands
now the Republicans are going to be hurt
By il and do no. think that Spence can
possibly come within three hundred votes
of the regular ticket in Surry. This
breach will never heal. My Republican,
ism is well known by everybody who
knows anything at all and every one will
know how it pains ne to see these things
going on
Sam G. Briro: 1.-THE convention that
nominated Blackburn was irregular. The
idea of 81 votes, the number that voted
in Blackburns convention, to adopt the
minority report, being a quorum in a
Itr+,, Ut No xt.i1i hn.
fore the National Committee and We will
contest it everywhere. 1 am too good a
Republican to believe in the wholesale
Acknowledgement and sharp methods prac
tioed by the Blackburn crowd. Su,ry
will certainly not give Blackburn three
hundred Republican votes ne would have
gotten had he acted square. Linney and
Pr:ce and the other candidates, Sam Mar
SHALL Mcneil and Willborn are too good
a set of men to be the victims of SUCH"
Sim Marshall: "You ask me what Surry
Will do? 1 don't know what you mean.
Nobody has been nominated yet The Re-
puhlicans of my county will certainly
no. recognize that nomination"
A number of prominent Republicans
f.em all over the district have made
krown their feelings in many ways !
learn that Lon Laws, the famous editor
of the Yellow Jacket, the paper that has
fifty thousand circulation among the Re
publicans, is very much at sea as to the
course to pursue. He feels that Black
burn cannot possibly carry the district.
Cartaip Isbell. of Caldwell, openly says
that Caldwell will give the Democratic
nominee for Congress as things now stand
the largest majority it has gwen in many
years. Jesse Osborn, from Ashe, thinks
oh ,,r will hundred hphin0
his ticket If he persists in running and
thinks his nomination should be con-
tested. The Republicans of Alexander are
ticking about not voting Congressional
ticket at all unless a regularly nomina-
ted candidate is put cut. They feel
kconly the insults that have been heaned
vic;ously upon the head of their dis
tirguished citizen, Hon. r. z. Linncy,
whcm one of them declared to me can
discount Blackburn at every point
Prof. j. b. Sparger, a gentleman OF in
tcgrity ard genuine worth, tells me that
there is no doubt but that the better
class of Republicans in Surry will not
tolerate the nomination of Blackburn He
cites as an instance Mr. John L. worth.
q man whom everybody knows to be SPOT
le:s in character and one OF the best Re-
rt.tlicans in the State. Mr.. Worth will
NOT support MIN under any consideration.
There have been some illustrations of
Blackburn's friends desperation in Surry
that cap anything 1 have ever heard. The
Marshalls are well known as very sub
stantial Quaker citizens. They own good
property. On the afternoon of the coun-
tv convention last Saturday at Dobson,
Milt Davis, sheriff of the county and
leader of the Blackburn forces, imme-
diately sent his deputy to Sam Marshall,
SuTry's candidate who had opposed Black
burn, to demand the balance due on his
taxes. 1t was considerable amount,
because, as 1 said, he owned good prop
erty. Notwithstanding he had already
paid the bulk of the tax the deputy
told him If he did not yank out the cash
he would at once levy on his horses. Sam
told the deputy he did not have the cash
bit that as soon as the bank opened
Monday morning he-would get it for him.