The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-05

Tactics of Running Things With a
High Hand Was at Last Resented
A Story That His Friend Had stood
it as Long as He Could Then Drew a
Pistol and Popped AT the Congress
man.
Blackburn who has been running
1.-THE republican party in Wilkes county
land who has been trying TO run it in
the entire state. is one Of the old
timers in his methods. The party,
when expecting q row, always goes
into executive session; that is, they
hold caucuses II try to reconcile all
differences before the open
ltion meets. If they cannot be recon-
Iciled the recalcitrants are gagged.
This has been Blackburn's policy On
Monday night last the convention Of
wilkes county was held to nominate
lounty officers and members Of the leg
tslature. Think CT holding a conven-
ition OF this kind at night. But the
tcover of darkness is often sought by
politicians of a certain strip as Well as
certain other "gentlemen."
The papers, if any Of them found it
lout, failed to say anything about the
livery big time they had; the main
land important point, as Wesley
Smith would say, was left out. The
lRecord tells it as the story came to ii
last night from a man on the spot.
HE says there was a stormy time in the
~lcaucus and that a pistol shot was
heard, which set everybody to looking
land getting out of range. 1t leaked
tout that r. H. Hardin, one Of Black
burns hitherto closest friends, and in
Whose house Blackburn resided two
Years ago during the election canvass,
was the man WI had fired the gun
land hat he had fired it at
hut it missed its mark. OF course
levery soul in the caucus denied at
first that any shot vas fred, but this
WAS too broad; the proof was too
lplain: then they said that no one shot
lat Blackburn; that if a shot was fired
lit was an accident. The next day., at
tier explanations, it seemed to be con-
Iceded that no harm was meant by the
shot but The Records informant says
THAT now it seems to be generally con-
lceded that the man who fired it was
Hardin and that he meant business,
shooting at Blackburn. There are
two sides to the story, of course, and
The Record gives merely the different
|rlImors.
The first question that will arise
las why should Hardin shoot at Black
burn, when they have been the best
lof friends, for Blackburn, in order to
jset at rest the stories that he was not
Ia resident of the district, moved into
iHardin's residence with his family
land gave it out that he had purchased
lit. After he election of Blackburn
however, Hardin bought it back"
Behind the inability to understand
Iwhy these two former cronies should
disagree will be found a story that will
lsoon come t o light by reason of the de-
IyelOpments sure to follow the election
lof Judge Adams as chairman to sue
lceed Rollins. What is here written,
therefore, is a surmise, but 1t is back
led by certain circumstances that have
Itranspircd. 1t is not likely that But
Her, shrewd as he thinks he is, had any
knowledge Of the advantage a%ccruing
Ito the organization by the election OF
adams, but there are some old rOun-
Iders vet left in the party n they
know if a dog cannot be killed in one
iway he can in another. Blackburn
fooled all hands two years g and he
has been fooling them a little bit this
Iyear, notably in the job Butler is al
lleged to ave put up on him when ne
Ihad him indicted in the Z. S. courts
with the idea that he could not posi-
Ibly be ready for trial and with an in
tdictment hanging over him he could
mot have the face to even stick him
iself up as a candidate, but to the as
~itonishment Of even the former pop
senator, E. Spencer stripped to ths
|waist, jumped in the ring and yelled
Ito them to "come on" In other ways
has Blackburn knocked 'em." And
$50 it is that a few of the old FOUNDERS
Ihave taken a hand, or rather has thelr
ladvice been AIKEN. 1t is noteworthy
THAT you can kill a man with his own
weapons much easier; the rub is TO
lget hold of them and his is seems is
jnow the case. In other words, Black
burns ronge friends are also
friends of the new chairman. Black
lburn has been a hard master; he has
lexacted tribute at every turn of the
wheel and sometimes when the wheel
twas not turning, hence the natural de-
lsire to get rid Of him.
But there is another reason why
Ieven Blackburn's closest friends want
Ito get rid Of him. He is a congress
imam and is too much in the limelight.
fAny congressman is in the public eye
too much to b. of the best of service
land with Blackburn it has often been
urged that he is naturally numerous"
lentirely too talkative n always ca
tger to get a front seat-a craving de-
tsire for notoriety. And so it is natu-
fral that the boys who have been do
ing things should want to swap
Ihorses, even if they are approaching
1.-THE middle Of the stream.
The plan of campaign, therefore is
plain; the organization crowd, finding
They cannot beat Blackburn any other
WAY, is going to. beat him at the polls.
THE die is cast, for while Spencer has
come out on top every time they
Thought they had him in a hole, they
have crapped his wings this time, for
they have captured his own warriors;
jthey are going to fling him good and
ihard this time; to defeat him at the
polls is the only way they see how it
Jean be done and they are going to do
iit-Greensboro Record