The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-10-26
3. W1LMINGON N. c.. OCTOBER 26. 1yO6

his organ are telling the federal Office
holders not to be afraid Of my arraign-
ment Of them TO the civil service COM
mission that Ii is q mere bluff and
that there will be no investigation
either by the civil service commission
or by congress. So Blackburn said
when declared that unless the courts.
prosecuted and punished the republican
revenue officers who were in collusion
with the distillers and blockaders in
the Fifth Collection district there
would have to be a congressional in
yestigation. The courts acted and Mr..
Blackburn has discovered to his sor-
row that President Roosevelt would
not stand for the things | then de-
nounced and which he then character
lied, as Butler and The Industrial
News now characterize my charges of
pernicious political activity as bluff
and hot air" Under the assurances of
Butler and The Industrial News the
federal officeholders are going on OPEN
| ly and fiagrantly violating the regula-
! tions of the goyernmt Mt and the civil
service laws are designed and constru-
| ed byPresident Roosevelt and the COM
mission, just as under the assurances
OF Blackburn the revenue officers went
On until they were hauled up in the
courts and sent to the penitentiary. I
do not know what the civil service
commission or the departments will do
with reference to these charges and
| the others | shall make, but do know,
despite what Butler says, member of
| that commission has declared the
charges exceedingly grave and strong
and l do know that I have been as
| sured that they would be Investigated.
| do know that between ten and fifteen
| federal ofhceholders are today republ-
can nominees and candidates for coun-
ty offices in North Carolina. and that
| the papers state that when federal
| officer was nominated for an Office in
New York the administration required
him to resign his federal position.
Possibly Butler and Adams may be
| able to stay investigation until after
| the election. but there will be an in
| vestlgation by the administration or by
| congress and there will be a mighty
rumpus if there is an attempt at white
| washing, or to apply one rule to demo-
| Gratis and another rule to republicans
| who hold federal positions. I have not
| yet called this matter to the attention
Of the president and / will not do so
unless the departments fail to act with
| in reasonable time. | am getting
many letters about this matter, some
! from democrats and some from repub-
| licans, and when I am done with it the
| men who are violating the law under
| the advice of Butler and The Industrial
| News will not think / am bluffing
| have done what I have done in this
| matter because [ feel, as l know the
people of this state feel, that it is an
outrage against them and the state that
| the federal oficeholders in this state
| should be organized under the edict
OF a republican convention to attempt
to influence and control the local af-
! fairs of our people. | do not believe
| Civil Service Commissioner Greene
was insincere when he asked me to
present charges, or when he told Mr..
Pence | had made a strong case and
shown that the federal officeholders in
North Carolina were a busy lot If my
statement of facts were sustained. AS
to the daily editorial assaults upon me
IN The Industrial News and especially
! the one On Buffers interview, I want
to say that 1 care nothing for them or
the editor of that sheet am told Of
him that he spends much of his time
writing editorials misrepresenting and
defaming me and other democrats
while drawing a salary from the gov
eminent for an Office which he obtain
ed by appealing to the virtues and rep
utation of his great democratic grand
father and by assaulting and atempt-
ing to undermine the character of a
man whose character I am told Is as
good as his or that of the chief muck
raker in this case