The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-08-08
8An Attack Repulsed.

An AttaCR l<epu1sSu.
The Culpeper Exponent refers at length
10 the part which Senator Martin TOOK III
Tie settlement Of the State debt recalling III 9
that win tho debt coiilinlssion got doWi,
10 work IN .S0l, Mr.. Martin was selected
az legal adviser and gave The commission 80 n
Ills hest services ipon his own condition
ttnt hc should receive no fee for his
vcrk.
or that part Of our contemporaries ar ar
ticle NO have nothing to say IN the way
Of criticism. Senator Martin performed
a valuable service and we accord to him
al. the credit 10 which lie is Justly due.
III the article Ind stopped there we should
have raised no objection to IT. but the
Exponent goes out Of It's way to make
Ell uncalleel for, ,ingraclous and unjust
attack upon our follow-citzen, Mr.. Will
lam t. Royal. It says:
"Up to til timc the settlement OF the
state debt was concluded, Mr.. William
Il. Royal got d salary Of $4,000 q year
from the English bondholders. The
splendid service Of Senator Martin In re-
l.evlng Virginia Of her debt problem, re-
1!eved Mr.. Royal at the same time OF
this lucrative salary.
This no doubt accounts for the AMI
mostly Of this gentleman to Senator Mar
TIN &8as I. III
1t Is trio that Mr.. Royal was counsel
for the English bondholders at salary
C.. $4,000 q year, ana as an able and con.
seicntious lawyer he earned every dollar
u It. He did nothing moro or less than
any other able and conscientious lawyer
in Virginia would have done for his
clients. He did his best to obtain for
them what lc regarded as fair and
honest adjustment Of their claims, but
when the terms Of settlement had been
agreed upon between the representatives
OF the state and the committee represent
Ing the bondholders, over which Mr.. Il.
r. Olcott presided and when section
CT the English bondholders Kicked out OF
traces and cabled Mr.. Royal that they
desired him to go on with the fight for
them. he@ promptly. replied through the
sd me medium that he would not do so,
and Insisted that they abandon the con-
test and accept the settlement that had
leen reached. If he had accepted this
proposal he might have continued the
fight Indefinitely at the same or even a
higher salary, but Mr.. Royal is not made
Of that sort OF stuff. When he agreed
to settle, he agreed to abide by the terms
CT arbitrament, and the English bond
holders did not have enough money to
hire him to break faith.
Governor Mckinney told the writer.
who was then on another paper, that to
William L. Royal, as much as to any
living man was due the credit of settle
ment, and when some Of the bonds
holders declined to- nccede to the finally
arbitrated terms, he never saw a man
act with more nobility and patriotism
than Mr.. Royal in that crisis; that he re-
scntcd with all the righteous indignation
within him this breach Of faith and
promptly served notice upon his clients
that Il they dared to fly the track he
would not only refuse to represent them,
hut would do everything in his power as
6 citizen of Virginia to defeat them in
any further efforts that they might make.
AT this late day we cannot, Of course, re
call the exact language of Governor Nc
Kinney. but we have stated the substance
OF 1t, and we recall that he was fully
convinced in his own mind that this
PROMPT action on the part of Mr.. RoyaA
brought the delinquent bondholders to i'm
mediate terms, whipped them into line
and. made the settlement easy.
Neither Mr.. Martin nor Mr.. Anybody
else retired Mr., Royal from his position
ts counsel for the foreign bondholders
and deprived him of his salary. FIe re-
tired himself and declined to be re-
employed after the terms of settlement
Rad been arranged. These are facts OF
history and they cannot be changed nor
dIscredited by unsupported assertion and
!nnuendo.
====--======s