The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-10-22
CHARGES ARE FALSE, SAYS Mr..
RAY.

Crack.
Editor Caucasian: | beg space In
your paper 10 reply TO a purported
Interview and editorial utterance
thereon that appeared In the Ashe-
vile Citizen since my nomination by
the Republican State Convention for
State Commissioner of Labor and
Printing, and which have been re-
hashed by other Democratic papers.
The Citizens informant, which /
have reason 10 believe Is none other
than Mr.. NJ. l.. Shipman. my Demo
cratic opponent, says:
But Ray Is SO obnoxious to union
men that his record alone is enough
to drive every union man in the State
from the ticket. l am personally
acquainted with some of the men
connected with the S-hour strike In
Charlotte some time ago, and from
them have learned of the part taken
in that struggle by Ray. He runs
a ncn-union printing shop in Char
lotte. He fought the S-hour move
ment with all the means at his COM
mand, turned out his union printers
and Joined the other proprietors of
struck shops in importing a gang
OF notorious strike breakers from
Philadelphia to do their work.
AT one time Ray was a wage
Garner himself. He was a very en-
thusiastic union man then. But as
soon as he became an employer he
became just as enthusiastic the other
way. So it seems that while a wage
Garner, he advocated reasonable
wages and good conditions for the
working man, but as an employer
he favors low wages and long hours"
Ignorance may be so dense that
1t becomes criminal, but 1 prefer to
think the man who made the above
statements made them ignorantly,
than to believe that he wilfully and
maiiciously lied; but that he is guilty
of one or the other l am amply able
to prove. My record as to dealings
with the Typographical Union is an
open book, which 1 am neither
ashamed nor afraid for the public
to inspect. Can Mr.. Shipman say as
much? l think l can show that he
can not.
Obnoxious? Let us see. During
the seven years as employing prin-
ter l have had union men in my en-
pioy continuously and have never
had a complaint made to me by
| any union man in my employ, but
have frequently had union men to
say that our shop had always been
one of the fairest and most liberal
shops toward the Typographical
| Union in this section of the country,
and this same Typographical Union
| has stood by me in many struggles
where there were no obligations
other than those of personal friend
ship.
Yes, we had a strike of the Union
| printers three years ago. But the
strike was attended by no bitterness
on either side. My union printers
| were so situated that they could
exercise no choice in the matter, and
| was in the same condition. Each
of us fully realized the position of
| the other.
| To show the kind feeling that ex-
listed on the part of the union prin-
tiers toward our shop, they gave me
to understand that the strike would
be called soon, and proposed work
ing overtime at night in order to get
the large amount of work we had in
hand in such shape before they had
to leave that the strike would hurt us
| just as little as possible. They work.
ed every night for more than week,
and when they left there were
enough jobs set in type to keep my
presses running for ten days (there
was no strike of the pressmen). l
did not import nor have anything to
| do with importing strike breakers
from Philadelphia. I do not now,
nor have 1 ever run non-union
printing shop. My shop, during the
strike, was open to union men the
same as to non-union men. I have
never opposed labor unions on gen
eral principles. I hold that every
man has an enherent right to join a
labor union or not join it as he may
choose, and that no individual or
Incorporation has a, right to modest or
make him afraid.
Union men are employed in every
department of our shop. Composing
room, press room and bindery, the
president of the Charlotte Typo
graphical Union being employed in
the composing room.
| The statements made in the Citi-
zen interview CD are absolutely
false except that we did have strike
and my statements can be fully veri-
fled by writing any of the officers OF
the Charlotte Typographical Union
of Charlotte.
| eff Mr.. Ray is elected it is only
reasonable to conclude that he viii
turn out the union printers who are
now doing the State printing at Raj
eigh and import cheap and incom
petent foreigners to do the State
printing" ss..--
would not presume on any man:
ignorance enough to say that / be
Iieve that the above statement wa:
made ignorantly, but am forced tt
the conclusion that it was made will
the wilful and deliberate intention
of deceiving the voters, and mai
who would deliberately deceive hi
people to get their votes would no
hesitate to betray them after hi