The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-11-20
WILLIAMS CAUSTIC
P TO WATTS

gressive from the start, He says
Judge Watts letter disappoints him
because. from a process of parturi-
ton which / know was slow, and
which seems to have been painful, [
expected more important results" He
reiterates his charge against the
anagcmen of the SeabOard, and says
he has called on Judge Watts, as gen
eraI counsel and trustee for all the
interests concerned, to explain the
facts. to suggest q remedy for the
conditions. or to join in a movement
for correction and is answered by
chapters of ancient history, erroneous
iy stated, and labored attempts to
attack the Williams management and
give a general certificate of character
to the Ryan-Blair party.
He defends himself for making part
ly public some of his former letters
to Judge Watts by saying that those
letters were met by evasion and pro-
Crastination. and that if he had been
content to ring the alarm bell to
Judge Watts alone it would not have
ELECTED any response or induced the
Seaboard management to even on
slider any movement or measure
toward reform or Improvement. He
remarks that it was not until he had
given his complaints a certain degree
of publicity that he was able to in
duce Judge Watts. "aS general COun-
sell" to deal with them. and remarks
that it is not his course in directing
ttentiO to existing evils. shOrt-cOm-
ings and dangers that is likely to de-
press SeabOard securities, but the
policy of the management That neg
lects such things, closes its eyes
against them and refuses to attempt
correction or even to acknowledge
that any correction is necessary.
Mr.. Williams goes on to say: Il
have tried to enlist you against those
whose trade it is To steal and to wreck
and ruin and absorb, by triCkery and
the power of cold cash. the product of
the brains and enterprise and invest
ment of other mcn-the buzzards of
finance sitting along the fence wait
ing for something to be torn or weak,
50 that they may tear it to pieces and
fatten on Fragments He continues:
Accuses Watts of DodginG.
"Your response is absolute evasion
of the fearful Indictment of the Sea
board management and methods found
in the official reports. carefully
brought to your notice, and an b
/ ate. vain and unworthy attempt to
discredit or annoy me-
Mr.. Williams ridiculeS Judge Watts
| assertion that he fails to discuss eX-
listing conditions on the Seaboard be
cause he is not skilled in figures and
POINTS out to him that any school
bog or clerk of average intelligence
could determine in a few minutes
whether the figures he gave indicat-
| ing. he alleges loose OF eCklc man
agement, are correct and the dcduc-
tons from them proper. Yet, he adds,
Judge Watts, when he can find what
he believes Will discrcdit the Will
Iiams management, enters the "mys-
tic domain of figures boldly with
drums beating and flags flying He
says it is gratifying to him that with
Judge Watts and eX-Nice-President
Meldrum busy for days scanning and
Analysing his letters line by line they
could find a flaw in any fact or figure
he had presented in condemnation Of
the present or recent management and
were compelled to attempt to divert
attention and to break the force of
his charges by bringing in some irrclc-
want accusations against him.
Watts i'll the Changing Regimes.
He recalls that Judge Watts stood
by the st. John administration of the
S~eaboard, to which the alludes as one
of the darkest chapters Of railroad
/ history with "the same affectionate
zeal he shows for the present powers.
and reminds him of the possibility
that he may again be deceived. Re
garding the charge that he was re-
~sponsfhle for bringing Mr.. Barr to the
Seaboard. Mr.. Williams says: 4 con-
fcss that I was imposed upon by this
gold brick"
He presents another deadly paral-
lei of expressions by Judge Watts, in
letters to MI. Williams as president,
regarding Mr.. Ryan and his follow
ers, in 1S99-1900 and the compliment
tarN things the Judge now has to say
OF them. Some of the sentences quoted
from the earlier letters are. 1T is un-
pleasant 10 be brought in contact with
such a class of cattle. | think Ryan has
succeeded in gathering together about
the worst it has ever been my mis-
fortune to encounter. = There is
nothing to which they Will not StoOp."
Mr.. Williams sarCastically enquiries
whether both Mr.. Ryan and himself
have undergone some marvellous
spiritual or moral change aud have
exchanged characters between 900
when he was a defeated aspirant fol
possession of n SeabOard and ] was
in control. and 1903. when MI. Ryan
came into control and | was out
He suggests that q possible explana-
ton Is that the Judge naturally
imagines himself 'iu criminal practice
! with his first duty to break the evi-