Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-05-22
CARTER GLASS LETTER
T1JOM'AlICl.kilSTo EDITOR o.

Blacksburg Curier In which he
answers the insuinuation made In the
Courier that Glass could not AFFORD
to run for governor because his pFt
vate life would not bear close scrul,
ipy. Mr.. Glass letter In full follows:
Washington, ID. c, May 18th, 1908
Mr.. W. A. Land,
Editor OF Blackstone Courier.
Dear Sir
There has been handed me a clip
ping frCm the editorial columns U
your paper embodyiBg a comment on
a paragraph from the Washington
correspondent OF Richmond new5'
paper. In which | seem to be repre-
scented as n militant gubernatorial as
pirant with a purpose akin to that OF
the Irishman ut Donnybrook who hiC
every head that popped up. For fh'
convenience Of your design YOU
choose to assume that the publication
referred to was inspired by ME AND
exactly represents may intentions. and
forthwith. you proceed to predict wha,
will happen 10 me and 10 insinuate
the likelihood Of an assault on my
character as a private citizen should
I presume to criticise the public rec
ord of any other candidate for gov.
ernOr.
I did not see or hear OF the para
graph which furnished the text OF
your comment for more than week
after its appearance. | not only did
not inspire the publication. but dis
tinctly regretted il. Had l not ascerr
tanned. by inquiry. that 1t was written
by a friend | should have suspected
that it might have been written by az
enemy: and had 1t not appeared In
Newspaper with whose publishers
have for years maintained close and
cordial personal relations. | might
have conjectured that there was some,
thing singular about the printing o.
II. know. however. that the writer
of the paragraph would be among thf
last persons in the world to conscious
" do me an injury, and l also know
that those who control the policy o.
the paper in which the paragraph ap
peared would be quite as incapable o
permitting It's columns to be made !"
medium for prejudicial representation
So much for that.
You think Il a fair assertion to sa'
that because | am In Washington Mt
tending to my duties as Of congress-
man, anything sent from here n'
newspaper correspondents purp0rtins
to forecast my part In the next CUB
ernatorial campaign in Virginia. "un
1.,ss
ing a priOri, would 1t not be as reas
onaiAe for me to insist that, because
the Blackstone Courier Is persona
and political advocate of Judge Mann
published at his home. the latter In
spired its covert threat to crfticise m.
IRE cord "a q private citizen" should ;
discuss his record as q public man.
| shall make. no such absurd deduc
ton; but. on this point. will say II /
the Courier that 1t cannot Affect m.
purpose to be or not to be candi
date for governor against Judge
Mann, nor the manner OF conducting
my campaign. by it's threat TO search
my record as 4 private citizen" Fur
Their than that, I want to say tina
my record as q private citizen Is 8
perfectly legitimate subject of inquiry
as is that OF any man the instant h
becomes candidate for public Office.
! do not belong to the school Of casu
lists that seeks TO diferentiate public
and private character or TO discrimi ]
nate personal and political integrity
A man with a bad private characfe,
should not be given public place. an
I believe any man who Is politica!f
a knave is. at bottom, personally dis
honest. So that, II the Blackstone
Courier. either as matter OF pubih
conscience or in the interest Of II.
candidate for governor. desires u
criticise my record as o private Gle
izen" II may do 30 with the explici'
assurance from me that there viii b.
no whining about '.personal abuse,
or "mndslinging" In such cr!ticic
II Is bound TO do enc Of two things
II must tell the truth or tell false
hood. II It shall tell the tTnth, I vii
have no right to complain. II It shsl
tell a falsehocd. Il must accept abe
consequences. II Il can impeach my
record as q private citizen II can dd
strcy my title TO public respect, and
il It can do either Ct these things r.
should not. AZ q fearless and decen'
Journal. hesitate . moment to perform
this public service.
II need not wait till the guoernatc
rial campaign is in full swing. Within
ten V, airs ! have been elected 10 the
Virginia Senate. TO The Constitutions
Convention and four Tines to Con
gross from the Sixth district. ] hay
been nominated. without opposition
for n fifth term In CONFESS and vii
sand for election next November. 7 |
the people OF my Senatorial and Cor
gressional district have been deceiyei
either as to ny personal integrity a
public record they ought TO know II
n. on the other hand the Blackston'
Courier IL merely seeking to shield ~
candidate for governor from legiti
mate criticism of his pnblic action b,