The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-10-29
Dixon Strikes Back.

Stirred to Criticism of Himself
and His Books by Ex-Judge
w. A. Montgomery in Re-
cent Speech at Raleigh,
Thomas Dixon, Jr.. Writes
Scorching Letter in Which
He Gives the Former Asso-
ciate Justice "As Good as
He -Sends" and Goes Him a
Few Better.
In the News and Observer of the
10th, Thomas Dixon, Jr., paid his
respects(?) to Ex-Judge W. A. Mont
gomery in words that burn and lam
guage that scorches. The letter was
called forth by the recent bitter
speech made of Judge Montgomery
at Raleigh (as noticed elsewhere)
in which he is said to have denounced
the purposes and aims of the Confed-
eracy, the ku-Klux. Tom Dixon and
his books and plays, and traduced
the memories of gallant dead, The
letter is as follows:
To the Editor:-I am delighted to
see that ex-Judge Walter Montgom-
cry does not like 1.-The Traitor" or
its author! If he did like me I'd be
ashamed to shake hands with myself
even in the dark! If my books or
plays ever meet the approval of a
Southern scalawag or traitor, I'll
withdraw them from circulation.
| | am always proud that I'm IA
Southern white until sneak of Il
Montgomery type bobs up and begins
to foul the memory of the brave men
with whom he once fought-then the
more | see of such men, the better |
like dogs.
Every decent citizen in America to-
day, black or white, Democratic or
Republican, North or South, is
ashamed OF the foul record of Recon-
struction-except the native skunk
who still lives in the South and habit
ually betrays his race for Office. This
man has always stood forth unique
and shameless in his degradation
He'll was made to consume such lepel
trash, but if | were the Devil,
wouldn't give him hell-room-Fd
make a brush heap outside.
The Republican party can never
make any progress in the South until
it ceases to honor these traitors
There are Southern white Republi.
cans, descendants of the Old Whig
who believe something, stand for
something, are something. Yet the
moment u Judas Iscariot appears
who is willing to foul the nest in which
he was reared, they push these mer
of principle aside, acclaim the rene
gade IL hero and give him an office
az a reward for infamy. The South
owes debt of gratitude to few car
pet-baggers, men of brain and con
: science, who helped to stay the flow
OF corruption in the dark days of Re
construction-but in all our history
not single solitary native traitor
of the Montgomery breed has ever
lifted his hand to do ought for biz
country except to draw his salary
We drove the ecarpet-bagger from ouI
midst, but the scalawag, our native
product, has always remained in tn.
South to fatten on corruption anc
breed death to society-and a living
death to theparty that harbors him
For this man always stands fol
negro supremacy.
The courage of the Celt, the nobility
of the Norman, the vieor of tho vi
king, the energy of the Anglo, tht
tenacity of the Saxon, the daring o
the Dane, the gallantry OF the Gaul
the earth hunger of the Roman ant
the stoicism of the Spartan are th'
. heritage of the Southern white ma,
by divine gift of blood from sire anC
, dame through centuries of culture
Yet when we face this native traito
who once wore the gray and rode il
darker days with the men who a
Clansmen led successful revolution
out Of defeat and ruin and tore tn
negro's hand from the throats of ou
, women-when We face this skunl
and see him eagerly betray his owl
! race To fatuen on their SORROW, hO,
can We eSpiiilil HIIH. 1 am alrdi
l that we find here proof positive tina
with the brave and true men VIII
came to our shores from the OIL
. World and created this Republi
there were mixed IL few of low Grim
t nal origin. Blood will tell There
. no other reasonable explanation {
t the continued phenomena of th
: Southern scalawag.
Ex-Judge Montgomery highly hon
2 ors me in his denunciation! He ca
e depend on it / tried to give him hi
Il dues in my play, The Traitor"
tried, and | think 1 succeeded j
: covering him and his tribe with eve
< lasting infamy. This play | cour
y the best and most artistic piece ,
n work | have yet done; for have =
= carefully constructed it and got IN
results so skillfully that will msll
the Northern Republican hiss an
curse him with the same enthusiast
:. as the Southern white man. An
: long after both OF us are silent
y death, my books and plays will |
. telling the truth to generations W
o unborn.