The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-03-12
The Ninth Commandment
Fails to Open Lips.
Il REFUSETOANSWER
Hcmark OF Ex- Editor Simpson Taken
In by Preacher of Bossism SER
mon-Hc Declared Under
Oath That Mr.. Daniels =
an sUnprincipled Man"
Investigating Com
mittee- Meet

(From News and Observer, March p
The second session of the House IN
yestigating committee on the subject
of the Iibenous canard printed in the
Evening Times with reference TO TIT
Senate and House Committees on
Conference on the Passenger Rate
bill, adduced no new facts Dut
brought to the surface a witness IN the
person of Rev. Plato Durham, 81
Charlotte, whose testimony was as sen
sational as the sermon he had preach
ed.
The Rev. Plato, it will be remember
ed preached a sermon on the Sunday
after the publication of the fdlSehood
in the Times and the Charlotte OBJ
server on "Bossism in Politics 1T
was a hot sermon, from a hOI pfSacil-
er. The Charlotte Observer. Whfcn
had not then got the lay of the land,
gave it first place at table with a fresh
napkin decorated with imrforteles. The
Rev. Plato, as it were, went up III in
cense from his own grease.
Afterwards, Wien it appeared that
the Times had committed itself 10 a
gentleman as honorable as Judge
b who W2S not, however, as
learned in the knowledge of the Ninth
Commandment. there was a pin PRICK
in The version of the Rev. Durham
which threatened to puncture his bal
loon.
The Rev. Durham was an incident in
the controversy. as pulpits are unfor-
tunately incidents and not always po-
tentialities in life. Therefore his APP
pearance as q witness was a surprise.
What the Rev. Plato had lacked in
veraciOus foundation for his sermon,
he made up. however, in sensational
opinion in his testimony. He aVerred
that he had a general knowledge which
rendered him morally certain that the
influence of Mr.. Josephus Daniels with
the rate committee was a fact; that 1t
was of q malign character; that it
would not hesitate to do violence to
the happiness and prosperity of the
arch-enemy of Mr.. Daniels, Mr.. Page.
Concerning Mr.. Page, Mr.. Durham
avOuched that the fact of Mr.. Daniels
dire hatred for him vas matter of
common knowledge, in which he need
ed no tutelage. The sermon he had
preached was based on these facts
largely.
1t was on the other fact on which
his statement was based, however, in
which lay the grist Of the Rev. Plato's
testimony. Had come to the Rev.
Durham q namelesS man-they are all
nameless men. But he must have been
a man of high character. Else the
Rev. Durham, who as ne himself said
never went into his pulpit without q
solemn realization of the gravity OF
the things he was about to put over
the heads of o wicked world. would
never have carried his assurance to the
platform. Would never nave put the
notes of his testimony betWeen the
leaves of his Bible.
This gentleman, admitted the Rev.
Plate Durham. might have been mis-
taken in his real and actual facts
Equally, Mr.. Durham insisted that he
was not SO far wrong in reality. He
averred that he himself knew Mr.. Dan
ielS. having read one of his editorials
on the subject of himself in the last
three years. Mr.. Durham averred sol
ennly that he did not like the edito-
rial. He intimated that it was not 3
Christian editorial. n Mr.. Durham
stated to the committee that he could
not trust Mr.. Daniels.
In fact, Mr.. Durham stated to the
committee under oath hat Mr.. Dan
iels was a bold, bad u~nprincipled man
In other words, he was a politician
He exerted influence through the mi
QuitOuS editorials aforementioned
which Mr.. Durham refrained from
reading except one in three years
but of whose weight with the commit
tee he felt assured. Although Mr.
Durham did not question the sincerit,
of the committee III swearing that tn
charges against them We're false. ht
felt that they had been unconscious.
Influenced: that the statement of hi
informant, while perhaps technical.
incorrect, was morally true.
In addition, Mr.. urh made sucl
assertions of a minor sort hat h,
thought the committee was q farce
that, if he were the repository of
lie, he would not divulSe the deposito
because he could not see the advantag,
to civic ethics in 50 doing: and. Incl
dcntally, that what he had said of tn
character of Mr.. Daniels, he had toll
Mr.. Daniels personally.
Mr. Durham was. at the least, no
n tame witness, meek as was his re
peated assumption of the cloth. Ant
fervent as was the declaration of hi
attorney. Mr.. Pou. that whatever wa
said lin the pulpit Of Cod was no
amenable to human responsibility
Mr.. Durham may not have been hu
name. He was human enough to war
RAM the assertion hat he Will long b.
with us. to variegate the pulpit Of Co
and to adorn the chapters of men Will
a paragraph marked with a red aster
isk*
PceIc Slips From Under.
For the rest, Mr.. PeeIe. whose con
v~ersation with Fir. Stevens as testi
ed to by the latter, brought him from
the obscurity Of the House into tn
light of the committee room. ven
tured to say that he meant to Sa,
nothing except that Mr.. Page Wouk'
prove that Mr.. Daniels was his deadl.
cnemy ana on his path. That much o
the Times article Mr.. Peele endorse
on the authority of certain writing
which he had seen in the paper iron
Mr.. Page attacking Mr.. Daniels an
from Mr.. Daniels, slapping Mr.. Page
newspaper1y-On the other cheek. MI
Peeie was let go with the thanks o
the committee after putting eVerybod
in = good numor and obtaining an in
PRODUCTION to cx-Editor Simpson WHOM
he stated he could not identify in tn
crowd.
The News and Observer says tina
not five per cent of the people knoN
Mr.. Simpson," said Mr.. Peele, and
believe that's true
"Mr. Peele-Mr. Simpson, spok