The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-04-27

To the Open Letter of Chairman Roll
iins-His Speech MisQuoted-A
Scafhing Criticism OF the Republican
Chairman-No Apologies TO Make
and Nothing to Retract.


Il have not received Mr. Rollins ier
}, ter Dut have read it in the newspaper
!, and have no objection to discussing i
now. He does not quote me correctly
Let US first get that straight. Reply
ing to something said by counsel fo
; the prosecution in the trial of Nr
Blackburn / said "The rank and fill,
OF the Republican party In this stats
constitute band of Spartan heroes =
noble men who, have pronounced polit
ical principles and convictions /,
which they believe and ON which they
act for their own and their country.
good. But some of those who would
lead them are little more than poll
/ tical cut-throats and pirates 1t was
said of Washington that he was frs
In war, first in peace and first in he
hearts of his countrymen. |;
may, with equal truth, be said 81
these men that they are always al
war, never at peace and forever in the
pockets of their countrymen.
/ These were my words and / may say
with perfect candor that though
he may feel that they apply to him,
yet in using them 1 did not have
in mind Mr.. Rollins at all. neither Us
one of the rank and file referred to
the party in this state; for thorgn
| do not deny that he may regard
himself leader, and perhaps as the
leader of the party in North Carolina
yet every one, except himself, knows
he is, in this respect, a mere puppet
and that III the actual direction OF the
policy and affairs of the party ne is
about as potent and significant as the
curl Of a pigs tail.
Il will do Mr.. Rollins the justice
to concede, however, that he may real
~ believe that | had reference to him
and the classes referred to- He may
think he believes this, but I doubt
whether he does. Mr. Rollins cannot
take. refuge behind members of The
General Assembly or in their company.
In party caucus they outlined and ad-
opted a policy as to the appointments
to office for third terms, condemn
ing such a course and advising and
recommending against It. This policy
he, as chairman, has consistently
trampled under foot, the first and NEST
notable instance of which being the
reappointment of his father for third
term as postmaster at Asheville
This, however, is family failing for
which Mr.. Rollins may be excused,
don't you understands
"As to the alleged slanderOus inter-
view given by me at the State con-
vention of 1904, l leave it to the pub
lie to say whether or not, in the lighr
of what has transpired since that time
the statement then made by ME were
slanderous. At any rate, they were
made openly and above board On the
spot and while most of those referred
to were present, and apparently have
ever since been acquiesced in and un-
denied, and l submit that it is rather i
late day now to file exceptions to them
or to attempt to deny them.
CAS- to my ingratitude for the hon
or5 conferred on me by the Republi-
can party, those hOnOrs were received
at the hands Of the rank and file Of the
party, those very Spartans to whom |
referred and still refer as heroes and
noble, patriotic men, and not from
those whom Mr.. Rollins is pleased to
call the organization and it's leaders
and to whose defense he rushes with
such unseemly haste. And it is in de-
fense of the rights and interests Of the
rank and file of the party as well as of
my client that I protest against all
misuse or abuse of power and author
ity on the part of the organization
and its leaders or on the part of any
other leader or leaders of the party.
''If Mr. Rollins will read again ''The
Man with the Muck-Rake," Or have it
| interpreted for him, he will find tha.
the Chief Executive of our country, in
the spirit and letter of every sentence
of that notable address, is pleading for
truth as the foundation for all charges
Or criticisms. 1t is admitted now by
all that the charges preferred agains,
Blackburn were false and it cannot
| be denied that they originated with
certain men in the Republican party
who are his bitter political enemies
and who at the same time seek t.
lead or rather misIead the rank and
! file of that party in this state. The
powerful machinery of the government
was unblushingly resorted to for the
purpose Of encompassing the utter hui
initiation and ruin of an hOnoreG
| young ClllZeu VI Tic iAfoIf liz
also the disgrace of his wife and child
If in assisting in defense of that mar
felt constrained to denounce such ne
farious work as characteristic of The
cut-throat and pirate, 1 was telling
nothing more that what every candid
minded citizen of the state must ad
nit to be the truth; and if such de
nunciation constitutes me a slanderer
then the so-called state chairman o
the organization or any of its lead
ers, are welcome to pronounce me gull
ty.
II could wish, however, that the par
ty to which I have given allegiance il
this state might become so decen
and respectable, by the selection o
competent and high-minded leaders
that it would readily attract to It th
thousands of the opposite party VIII
really believe in our principles an
who might speedily become member
of our organization, if such an en-
could be effected. To succeed, a pc
litical party must not only desery