Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-07-29
Capt. OpIe's Reply.
Editor Spectator /.

! i1hitCi cIlctLstbOT
l have read in your paper Mr.. But
ton II reply 90 called, to my first letter
and | am ast0nnded at his unfounde,
assertions, so easily are they refuted
| qnote from his reply as follows:
TO begin with, before the commit
tee knew who the candidates were IL
be, they assembled and fixed the dat.
for the primary. A few DAYS thereaf
ter, | received a letter from Capt. Opit
II which he stated that he expected to
be candidate, and that the date fixed
for the primary did not suit him Or bis
people. Capt. Opie having complain
ed because the first meeting was held
in the eastern part of the district, and
therefore inaccessible to the western
members of the committee. l called
the meeting at Clifton FORGE
AS proof that this is all drawn from
the vivid Imagination of Mr.. Button
and is made out of the whole cloth,
here insert the only letter wrote Mr..
| Button in this connection, and never
saw him personally from the adjourn
ment of the Senate until l met him at
the convention in Richmond:
Staunton, April IL, 1904
Mr.. Joe Button,
Chairman Dem. Com. of Tenth
Congressional District:
Dear Sir-I understand that you have
fixed upon the second day of July for
holding the primary in our district
Please inform me what members of the
committee we're present. l infer that
the committee desi,e to act fairly and
justly; but in holding the primary in
the midst of the harvest in the west
ern counties, when in the eastern cOun-
ties the harvest is over. is certainly
not SO treating us on this side of the
mountain 1t is to be hoped that this
did not occur to you. / therefore write
to request you to reconsider your &C
JiOn and fix the primary at later
date. II not there will be but few
voters in the Valley counties who will
participate in the primary. The farm
er will not leave his harvest field to go
to the polls. Knowing these condi
tiOns, l feel that you will comply with
my request. Please let me hear from
you at once. Yours respectfully,
JOHN N. OPIE.
1t will be seen that Mr.. Button |
found nothing in this letter to Justify |
his assertions. He also asserts that he |
did not know who the candidates /
would be. l call attention to the fact |
that Mr.. Button is clerk of the Senate,
and that every member of both branch
es of the General Assembly knew that
was candidate long before that
body adjourned. That I interviewed
on this subject, every member from
The 10th district; that the Richmond
papers announced it, and that nearly
every paper in the district had some
thing to say on the subject. 1 was
several times by the Staun-
,on correspondent of the Richmond
who announced through the
columns of that paper in several ssues,
ny candidacy. The following extract
rom letter written by fellow sem
tor proves conclusively that my can
lidacy was a matter we'll known [
throughout the State:
II see by the papers that you have .
your boom for Congress and !
hasten to send you my best wishes for |,
our success. You have fine record
n the Senate and ought to start off in =.
God form.n
This letter was dated April 2, yet
DR., Button says, in face of the fore t
DING facts. that the committee at the '
Ipril meeting did not know of my :,
andidacy.
AS to the Clifton Forge meeting, Mr..
Sutton says that complained of the
meeting in the east. and
or the convenience of the western ~
lembers. he called meeting at Cliff {
OH Forge. | assert that it is abso. \
ltely false thatI ever made any COM =
laint as to the place of meeting, l +
imply asked MIR. Button who were p
resent at the Lynchburg meeting. o
'hich question he never answered. v
IN the S0th of May, Mr.. Button wrote h
lie the following communication p
Hon. John N. Ope, d
Staunton Va.
My Dear Slr-The Tenth District n
congressional committee held a meet a
lg at Clifton Forge last SATURDAY. n
light and adopted rules for the con- T.
uct of the congressional primary to be a
ED on July, Esd. Estimating the /
Dst of the primary at $500, they adopt t.
4 resolutions assessing each of the o
No candidates $500, and requiring 81
lem to pay same on or before Wed o
esday, June 9Th. You will therefore p
lease mail me check for $500 to G
richmond, Va, on Or before the date v
bOve mentioned, in compliance with p
he resolutions of the committee. 10
Very truly yours. I
JOSEPH BUTTON.