The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-04-27
Gen. DlBRELL'S
ELDEST SON.
CHALLENGES STATEMENT MADE
Ely E%-GoV. TAYLOR.
ny OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE

carTack That Taylor Promised to
Support His Father for Governor,
Then Dscsivcd Him.
". L. Dibron OF Sparta, County
Court Clerk Of White County. and the
eldest son Of me late Gen. George G..
Dibrell, has given cut the following
signed statement:
TO the People Of Tennessee:
IA the Nashville American Ct Set.
urday April q, acee&-cd nc fcuow-
ing language used by Coz. aobt. L
Taylor in a speech deiisered b. In
81 the Auditorium tae preceC.lg nee:
That grand cid man (Cen. G.or e G.
DibrelD was my f-iend to the dcy c;
MS death end L nc ever thought ] 81.
trayed him he never gave utteranca
SO far as | ever heard, ana his sons
nave been among my warme3t and
most valued cdhC-ents.
4 desire TO publicly brand the above
statement by Gov. Taylor as false in
both letter and spirit. There is not
a word Of truth in it. MY father had
a perfect contempt for Robert L. Tay-
Tor ever since he Displayed toward
him the base ingrGtltude and duplic-
ity which marked his conduct toward
my father when he was candidate
for Governor The name OF Robert l..
Taylor wcG hateful to ny fathers ears
for it was the name of maa who had
previously betrayed and wroneed him.
In his last days my fatAe- referred,
both to his family and special friends,
to Gov. Taylor as a man who had stab
bed him in the back while pretending
to be his friend.
Fathers Ambition.
My father was not a candidate for
Congress in 1884 for the reason known
to everybody, that he was going to be
a candidate for the Democratic nomi
nation for Governor in 1885 and want.
ed to put aIl his spare time preparing
for the race. But my father stayed
over in Washington after Congress
adjourned the next spring in order tc
work for friends in Tennessee who
wanted Office under Mr.. Cleveland
who had been elected President in No
vember, 1854. John r. Neal had beer
elected to Congress in November, 1884
to succeed my father. who had repre-
scented the district in Congress for ter
years and wanted to round up his
political carear by election TO the Gov
ernorship of the State. Mr.. Neal
i l.Jwever, had not been sworn in as \
member Of Congress.
"Al the facts ] state were repeat
ed by my father at the time 10 me apc
to Others of the family and to friends
Appeal fer Heip.
Gov Taylor was among those who
came to my father for help at Wash
| ingtol. He was as poor as q church
mouse. He had nothing on earth. He
told my father that his parents were
old and poor, living on a mortgageC
farm, and would be sold out OF house
rand home unless he got good job I'M
der the Government. Governor Taylor
told my father that ne had not prac
! tically dollar in the world, that he
! had no credit; and begged father t.
help him. He first wanted to be Regis
ter of Deeds Of the District of Co
lumbia. Father nistened to his pitt
full plea and told him he would DO all
he could for him. Father told me ev
cry detail of the whole matter.
Father went to see Mr. Cleveland
and tried to get him to appoint Cover
nor Taylor to the Registership OF
Deeds, but Mr.. Cleveland said that he
could not give it to him Then it was
that Governor Taylor decided to apply
Senator Harris favored Captain Tur-
ley, of Athens, and Senator Jackson
favored Captain Taylor, of Knoxville,
and neither Senator would give way
to the other. Right here is where
father did Governor Taylor the ser
vice that really got him the Pension
Agency. He went to both Senators
Harris and Jackson and urged them
to compromise their differences and
to agree on Governor Taylor for the
place. This was done and he was ap-
pointed, and that is how it came about
that both Senators endorsed Mr. Tay-
lor He got the $4,000 job at Knox.
vile.
Promise 20 Take the Stump.
81 assert positively, upon the direct
authority of my fathers statement to
me, that Governor Taylor expressed
to my father the deepest sense of
gratitude for what he had done; that