The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-10-15

ed the signed statement Of Col Chas.
Z. Johnson, with whom Mr.. Crater
talked. and later asked not TO say any
thing about the conversation. Colonel
Johnson stated in his card positively:
"He said that he had known moth
ing of these vouchers until that morn
ing and that the Evening Times did
not get the six thousand dollars"
Mr.. Crater came out in a second
card reiterating his first denial and
later Senator John c. Drewry made a
statement in which he alleged that,
while he received six thousand dollars
from the Southern Railway in pursu-
ance of an agreement with Colonel
Andrews to give the paper money
from time to time for advertising and
special notices. and on the consid-
Grafton of its printing such clippings
as Colonel Andrews might designate.
he had not used any of the money for
his personal needs and that he had
returned the last 50, 900 received be-
cause, rs a state Senator, he feared ne
might he criticised.
II VIII OS ~ NCo o.
ment of facts above given:
1st. That the Times was subsidized.
End. That Mr.. Drewry made a false
statement at Panther Branch when he
stated positively that his advertising"
was paid for only in transportation,
though he would much prefer the
cash"
OIL 49, Co ~@oIA n aIc rfntn-
ment when he told Colonel Johnson
that he knew nothing about these
vouchers until thai morning." or that
Drewry made a false statement when
he stated that the Times got the mo-
ney, whic he admitted receiving.
4th. That, if the none a been
honestly received in pursuance of a
contract for advertising between the
Times and the Southern Railway, Sen
ator Drewry misappropriated the
funds of his paper when he returned
the last voucher; and that, if it was
not honestly received, Senator Drewry
was afraid to keep it.
What We are concerned with, how
ever. is not particularly who stultifed
iIIlISVII II NAIiS c-iA
ating mass of misstatemen and mis-
representation. In such Il tangle of
truth the question of who may have
been technically veracious is inmate
rial. What we protest against is that
with these facts known from one end of
the State to the Other--the Wilmington
Messenger shodld undertake to state
tina - good many other papers in
the State have done as much-'but
they have not been caught up with"
1t was generally supposed that the
Times was subsidized, but the %consol-
alton in the disclosure of the fact was
that it was the exception and not the
rule. Now the Messenger brings the
charge hat it is the venal type that
has had the misfortune to break the
18th commandment. It makes the
statement broadly, without proof.
without even indicating against hi
papers it brings the charge. The
charge remains, therefore, against the
body of the papers in the State-the
Messenger, OF course. presumably ex-
cepted from the general denunciatfon
If the allegation was brought with
an eur recollection of the facts,
il is a eckle and wicked accusation
made in general terms that will not
admit q specific denial.
If the Messenger was merely I'M
mindful of what it was saying-as it
was in d~enouncing the Governor re-
Gently for an employment Of counsel
with which he had nothing to dot
is still a libel but one that we trust the
Messenger, when it sees what the
charge amounts to, will cheerfully re-
tract and express the regret it must
feel for the charge of corruption it
made upon the honest press of the
State.
Most editors in North Carolina do
two dollars worth of honest and pa
triotic work for every dollar they re-
ceive Their record is one of self-sac-
rifice and uncompensated devotion to
the public good. They will never be
Caught" because they have done no.
thing to cover up and have nothing
to conceal.