The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-27

1 credit Tn that banki and if there IS any
 man who thinks that he lost it, he will
 now know where to look for 1t. It is
 this letter that I am charged with ob-
 taining unlawfully. If I understand the
 governments contention, I am charged with only a technical violation; accord | ing to my contention, I am not guilty at
 all, but had perfect right to handle my
 own mail as l saw fit provided that, in
 so doing, I did not defraud anyone. It
 remains to be seen who Is right. l want
 the world to view the countenance of the
 fellow who will go on the stand and swear
 that I ever took his, any letter other
 than my own, from the postoffce. Such 1 are not the patent facts.
 l By retaining the contribution to the
 campaign funds I brought down upon my
 head the wrath of certain candidates for
 county offices, and others who usually
 profit by such contributions; hence this prosecution.
 From reading the newspaper accounts
 l have learned, for the first time, the | character of the charges, which, 1t is
 alleged, prevented my appointment to the
 office of solicitor of Walker county When
 the Lusk bill was knocked out, both MT 1 Mcqueen and became very apprehensive for the safety of our position I was a candidate for solicitor of the Fourteenth 1 circuit, which included a part of the old Tenth circuit, while he was a candidate | In the new Tenth, which embraced only Jefferson county. We consulted over the l matter, and on October | In his office lin the presence of Miss Mable Mutt we entered in a written contract, by the
 terms of which I agreed not to contest | the validity of his election as solicitor of | the old Tenth, but to do all that I could
 to have him so declared and consum-
 mated, and he agreed to appoint me depu- | ty solicitor for Walker county. Then, and
 on several subsequent occasions, he urged
 me to move to Walker county and estab- | fish residence, that no objection con | cerning my residence could be urged
 against my appointment when the matter
 came up Accordingly when my success
 sor as probate judge of Winston county
 qualified, I promptly turned that office l over to him and moved to Jasper.
 [ My removal to Jasper evidently aroused
 the suspicious and jealousies of members
 of the bar there. In fact, this had been
 done by my defeating two of the oldest
 and best members of that bar for the | circuit solctorship. It was whispered ] around that was to get the county solic- l torship, in the event the Fourteenth cir
 cult failed, which was generally conceded. A strong and systematic fight was insti- | tuted and increasingly pressed against me A most worthy member of the bar was pushed forward against me. During the
 time l came down to see MT. Mcqueen
 to ascertain if the hard fight in behalf
 of the other gentleman was making any l impression on him. I saw that he was
 considerably embarrassed He asked me
 about the attitude of some of the most prominent politicians of Jasper most of whom were for the other fellow natural | ly and I dlscerned that he was exceed | ingly solcitous. I recalled the written
 contract and my removal to Jasper. at
 considerable expense, in anticipation of 1 the appointment, whereupon he informed | me that he would stand by me- and we would fight our own battles, so to speak.
 He also advised me that my opponents
 had preferred charges against me, which 1 however, he seemed to treat lightly as | being natural consequence. I told him
 of the feeling engendered in Winston
 county over the contribution and it's re- | clamation.
 1 After this delegation of prominent pol 1 itfcians of Jasper came over, and, I was informed, further pressed the claims of
 the other gentlman. I never made an
 effort but rested solely on the written | agreement. In a very short time I had a letter from MT. Mcqueen stating that
 very grave charges" had been preferred against me, and that, before appointing
 me, he would have to investigate them. 1 He did not state the nature of the charges
 nor when nor how the investigation would
 be made Quite awhile after that he came 1 to Jasper and, I suppose. investitaged | the charges. He never gave me notice | of his time of coming. He never advised me of the nature of the charges, and did | not come to me at all. When I
 learned that he was in town I was in the act of boarding an outgoing train
 abandoned my trip, and proceeded up town to meet him. I called at his hotel
 three or four time that day. looked for 1 him on the streets, at the court house and in several of the law offices. Finally left note with the proprietress of the l hotel, stating that I would call around
 to see him at a certain hour I came
 promptly at that time remained an hour
 or longer Git was during the supper hour, tool but never saw him. The proprietress | told me that she gave him the note. I was down town again the next morning, l but never saw him. He returned to Bir-
 mngham, and from his office wrote me 1 that, on Investigating the charges "he could not possibly appoint me. And
 now, 1t is given out to the newspapers | that 1t was because of these charges that | he refused to appoint me, thus endeavor-
 ing to humiliate me and bring me into dis
 repute.
 | 1 submit 1t to an unbiased public If his course in the matter was that of a cour- ageous gentleman. Of course, if there were serious charges against me, which l could not satisfactorily explain, I could
 and would not have expected him to ap-
 point me, even though he had agreed to
 do so. But should he not have heard me?
 | I thought then. and still think, that | the greatest obstacle to my appointment
 was the candidacy of the other fellow,
 backed by the strongest politicians in 1 Jasper. and that MT. Mcqueen welcomed | these charges a sufficient Justification, | in his mind, for violating a solemn writ ten compact, and more binding moral obligation.
 | I have the conscience of knowing that | I never violated the law. and I am not afraid to face the charge.
 l R. L. BLANTON. | Birmingham, February 25, 1905.
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