The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-08-23
ADAMS AN MIGRATE.
Judge Robinson Goes for state Re-
publican Chairman-Says Butter
Took Adams out of Clerkship anu
Made Him Judge, Tho Warned
That Adams Was Not Worthy.

The Hickory Mercury prints rath
er beIated letter from eX-Judge w.
S. OBJ. Robinson to Spencer b. Ad-
ans, republican state chairman. that
is another interesting chapter in the
Butler-Adams war-if the war is still
on.
Evidently Adams did not give
the letter to the public Perhaps he
wished it suppressed, but though old,
it is racy, and here it is:
Law office of
"W. S. OBJ. Robinson,
"Goldsboro, y. c.
May IA, 1907
Freeze, freeze, thou winter sky
Thou dost not bite so nigh
AS benefits forgot
Though thou the waters warp
Thy sting is not so sharp
AS friend remembered not
Judge Spencer B. Adams,
Greensboro, \. c.
Dear judge had written you ere
now, but that | am at loss to know
Just what to say-a predicament that
| have more than once been in be-
fore-perhaps the best thing to do
is to tell the truth.
When yo uwere the clerk of lit
tie county court in far away Caswell
county, just on the outskirts or the
state and adjoining the 'rhubarbs
of Virginia, Senator Butler marshall
ed his forces with such consummate
skill and gave battle to the demo-
cratic party, which had been so
thoroughly enthroned,, that you were
enabled, through his efforts to quit
the clerkship and go upon the supe-
rior court bench of our state. Before
he came to our rescue we did not
have a sufficient number of mem
bers in our legislature to call for the
yeas and nays under section &c of
the constitution.
In the legislature succeeding this,
we sent Senator Pritchard as sena-
tor to succeed Senator Vance; to the
next congress we sent Marion Butler
himself. We elected a governor and
all our state officers; supreme court
and put six superiorscourt judges on
the bench
In your recent contest for the
craftsmanship of our executive COM
mittee, you had failed to get into
your county convention from the
ward in which you live, and your
county voted it's entire strength
against you. | was opposed to you
for chairman, and yet | took the "a
delegates from this county and went
to the convention and fought for you
at the request of this same Butler,
to whom | am not indebted except |
happen to be one of those whom he
lifted from Obscurity and seated with
careless ease upon the bench, though
l had been more than a clerk when
he found me, and had made some lit
tie noise in the state.
Now you charge this man with du-
plicity, and so far as you can try
to read him out of the party and
brands him as traitor who blights
in his wake.
l really would rather undertake
to solve the problem, How old is
Ann" or who Struck Billy Patter-
son" than to try to assign a reason
for why you did this.
1t looks to me that | have better
judgment than has Butler, for told
him that you would go back on US
and that the reputation you bore
was that of an migrate. If it were
not that it is hurt to the party in
the state and does much to bring us
into contempt and disrepute beyond
the borders of the state, / would be
inclined to rejoice in being able TO
inform Butler that Il told him So"
Butler is the man that made me
withdraw from the contest for re-
election on the national committee
in favor of Duncan, and / expect to
be able to prov eto him that he made
mistake in that instance, too. II
have always found Butler an earn
est, ardent advocate of the cause he
espouses. / have disagreed with him
as in the instance of your election.
and that of Duncan. bat have always
accorded hi mthe mode of sinceri-
ty.
The democrats hate him as they
do the devil, but they have cause. !
Surely We should not join them in |
denouncing him TO rhaving aided us |
In sweeping the state" in two sew
eral elections