The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-04-13
THE PROOFS.


produce proofs for its charge that Con.
gressman Mccarthy deserted its edit
or after the latter had become involved
in a libel suit as a penalty for sup
porting him for congress Perhaps
on the whole this is not an unreason.
able demand, as 1t is apparent that
the charge made against Congressman
Mccarthy must necessarily have been
based to considerable extent upon
what was told the editor by third
party. The News had hoped that it
would not become necessary to draw
its friends into this controversy, for
which reason it has hesitated to give
names of people by whom proof of its
statements could be made, and it
would not like to do so even in re-
spouse to newspaper demand if Mr..
Mccarthy himself had not involved
the name of Hon. w. M. Robertson in
his open letter when he says: II told
him." Mr.. Robertson, "to tell you not
to worry, that | would protect you in
every way"
The News is ready today to offer
the evidence promised a week ago:
First, that Mr.. Mccarthy in spite Of
the statement in his letter, never at
any time told w. N. Huse or his at
torney, w. NJ. Robertson, that he (Mc-
Carthy) would in any way protect or
stand behind the defendant who had
been sued for libel because he printed
during his first campaign for congress.
Second, that Mr.. Mccarthy, in spite of
his fiat denial, did refer to newspaper
men as damn fools"
Mr.. Robertson was one of the at
torneys for The News in the libel case
and it so happens that he is the only
attorney for the defendant who talked
with Mr.. Mccarthy in regard to the
case, and he states positively that
neither at the time cited by Mr.. Nc
Carthy nor at any other time did Mr..
Mccarthy ever tell him, Mr.. Robert
son, that he intended to protect the
editor. We thus not only have the
statement of Mr.. Robertson denying
that Mr.. Mccarthy ever told him this,
but, from what we know of Mr.. Rob-
ertson's ability and integrity as an
attorney, we are positive that if such
a statement had ever been made to
him, he would have told us of it.
Not only did Mr.. Mccarthy fail to
tell Mr.. Robertson that he would pro-
tect Huse in every way, but on the
other hand when the subject was
broached, Mr.. Robertson says that Mr..
Mccarthy became very angry and
used practically the language concern
ing the newspaper men that was quot
ed in the first article on this matter.
This conversation was on the train
between Madison and Norfolk and the
next morning while the matter was
still fresh in his memory, Mr.. Robert.
son recited not only to the defendant
but to others what had taken place.
That Mr.. Mccarthy never intended
to back up the editor becomes all the
, more evident when the treatment Civ
, en- the defendant by Mr.. Mccarthy
during the past two years is taken
into consideration. Mr.. Mccarthy says
in his open letter that he told Huse
not to worry and that he intended to
fully protect him. If Mr.. Mccarthy
means that he told this to Huse per-
sonally, then there is but one answer
and that is that the statement is posi-
lively and unequivocally false. Mr..
, Mccarthy never talked to Huse about
3 the case, never mentioned it to him in
any shape or form, never wrote to him
, about it, and never spoke to him on
any subject whatever but once during
the pendency of the case, and then
!, simply passed the time of day at the
Lincoln convention. If Mr.. Mccarthy
means that he assured the defendant s
attorney, Mr.. Robertson, that he in
tended to do the right thing, it is con-
ceded that that might put a different
? light on the matter, but even that would
not have been sufficient to make it
binding and anyway we have the word
of Mr.. Robertson that Mr. Mccarthy
did nothing of the kind. The manly
thing for Mr.. Mccarthy to have done in
> this case would have been to person
ally assure the defendant in writing
that he expected to stand good for the
financial end of the case. But no mes
sage of that character ever reached
The News office.
( After the article denouncing Mr..
: Mccarthy was written and before it
} was published, to make sure that no
= misstatements had crept in, the manu-