Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-04-25

ing Mr.. MearS' candidacy awaiting
me. and they continued to come TO
me from that time until the day be-
fore the election took place in Rich
mond. | will state that by far the
greater number of them were from
MIR. Wescott's own magisterial dis
trict. Pungoteague. also got letters
from Pungoteague and Lee districts
requesting me to support Mr.. Wescott,
and | got not to exceed six letters
from the entire upper parish OF Acco'
mack county requesting me 10 sup
port him. In justice to Mr.. Wescott,
however, will state that | have been
informed since the adjournment OF
the Legislature that petition en-
dorsing his candidacy was sent from
Chincoteague to Senator Gunter, but
Mr.. Gunter did not show 1t to me,
through an oversight | understand,
not noticing that it was addressed TO
myself as we'll as to him. When you
ask if the petitions were not instiga-
ted by myself through Mr.. Mears'
friends, in order to give myself basis
for backing my position, yon Halter
me indeed, should certainly feel
proud, if had the influence to bring
forth from Accomac county, and es-
pecially from Mr.. Wescott's home
district, the powerful endorsement
given Mr.. Mears by those petitions.
No, Mr.. Quinby, l have not such in
1uence. | did not instigate those
petitions. l took it that they ex-
pressed the wishes of the people who
signed them, and that they were sent
to me that might know their wishes
and be in position to represent &c
my colleagues in the legislature what
the people of my county desired IL
| the matter.
| You asked me why Mr.. Gunter, who represents
| both Accomack and Northampton counties, die
not have q much larger batch OF Mears petition!
/ than had. Frankly, | don't know what petit
| tions Mr. Gunter did have. You might as wei
| instead of Mr.. Mears as you did ask me why Mr.
! wilkins did not vote for Judge Robinson. Thes'
are matters with which have not found II neces
sary to concern myself Plainly, ii is none OF my
business, but as il seems to be yours in perform
| ance of what you conceive to be conscientiou!
duty to the reading public who see fit to patron
| iZe your paper" would respectfully refer YOU
| for any information along these lines TO MIR. Gun
| ter and to Mr.. wilkins, who are gentlemen emin
emily able to give the information you desire con
| corning their own affairs. Friend Qulnby, YOU
| certainly take yourself seriously. What yot
| conceive to be a conscientious duty to the read
/ ing Publicw Oh. My What would happen to III
| if you should turn Prodigal again Upon whost
| shoulders would the great responsibility OF per
| forming the conscientious duty to the reading
public fall? | fear your equal would never b,
| found and that the people of Accomack, woulC
| only awake to your real worth when you were
gone. and should the Prodigal perchance, return
! for the third time TO his fathers household g
fatted steer would be killed instead Of calf.
hoo hafN nf hNffI
| calf
| Now there is only one moro charge You make
| for me to answer, and am sorry you have forced
me to answer that because the answer may wound
your sensitive feeling. Referring to the certih
cate OF the Clerk of Accomack county showing
| the licensed members Of the AccOmack County
| Bar, in which certificate Mr.. WescOtts name did
not appear, you charged that | and those sup
porting Mr.. Mears attempted a grand-stand play
of this trihe in the published pamphlet Of MIR
Mears' candidacy before the members OF the legis
| lature without any explanation whatever. know
not what others supporting Mr.. Mears' may
have done, but your statement in so far as | an
concerned, is malciously untrue. ] made no ref
| erence to that matter one way or the other. In
| fact. knew nothing whatever Of the pamphlet OF
its contents, until il was published and distribu
| ted, nor had anything whatever to do with get
ting the certificate complained Of from the clerk
Ii would be just as fair for friends of Mr. Mears
| to hold you accountable for the reports crcula
| ted in Richmond that Mr.. Mears was unfit TO be
! Judge because ne was OtdI. lDlS report was cir
culated there and even deaf" Mr.. Mears said he
heard il whispered" around that he was deaf
Candidly, have no reason to think you started
| that report and should be contemplate enough
| to charge you with having done so without hav
| ing proof that you did should consider that
was "Leper' indeed. ! have one of those pamph
| lets before me now and the certificate which you
complain of is as follows: List OF attorneys
| licensed to practice law at the bar OF AccOmack
county for the year beginning May LIST 1867
Warner Ames, James II. Fletcher, Jr.. Benjamin
| II. Gunter. G. Walter Mapp. l.. Floyd Mock John
| 5. Parsons, Stewart X. Powell. S. James Turling
ton. j. Harry Rev. John r. Rev, Roy d. White
Samuel Z. Ross. | certify that the foregoing list
| is correct. March 18th, 1908. lSignedl John d.
Grant. clerk" Following the above certificate
was an endorsement Of Mr.. Mears candidacy for
Judge signed ny seven OF the above twelve.
have been told by the gentleman who secured the
| certificate from the clerk, that at the time he
asked for It, he did not know that Mr.. Wescott
was not licensed and that it was obtained with
no intention VI making il point against him
but it was obtained because it had been reported
that you and perhaps other former members OF
the Accomack Bar would possibly endorse Mr.
Wescotts candidacy, and ii was not thought fair
that you gentlemen, who had not practiced law
for years, should be paraded before the Legislature
as men equally interested with practicing attor-
neys in who should be Judge. At that time was
not aware OF the great conscientious duty" I'M
der which you were laboring in other words that
you had become the self constituted political,
moral and social censor OF the Eastern Shore
which now understand accounts for your hav-
ing worried yorself into state of nervous pros
tration over the judgeship.
And now Mr.. @.
Are you really through?
If more writing you do,
ct your charges be true.
By observing the last two lines of this verse
faithfully from now on, you may in measure
atone fOr' the "leprosy" OF falsehood and mis-
representation contained in your letter, and thus
partially regain the confidence if you ever had
af 4hor 4
your paper" to whom you owe such conscien-
tious duty"
Now. friend Quinby, after you had criticised
me for months in your paper, and were not able
to express your contempt for me in the English
language. you resorted to Non Particeps Grim
mis- EFT tn Brute" &c, and then as soon as !
attempt to defend myself and pleasantly referred
to the 'Prodigal Son." you play the baby act,
throw up your hands in holy horror and cry
pei sonal attack" There was nothing personal
in the suggestion OF Non Particeps Crimins "
EFT tn Brute" "Leper" &C. was there? You say
that you were only referring to me in that man
ner in the performance of that conscientious
duty that you owed &C, and intimate that had
no right to defend myself. Now please get off
those stills, and learn now, that when you attack
you must expect to receive blows, as well as give
them. You started your letter by wrapping
about yourself the robes of Pharisee, saying
that you congratulated yourself that you were
not as other people were &c. Now friend Quinby
you don't want TO be called Pharisee, for surely
the Bible does not hold up that character for the
emulation of youth. and you are really unjust to
yourself in assuming that role. The Pharisee is
not the Bible character that you most strikingly
resemble. would tell you the character. though,
that you resemble to perfection, if you had not
become indignant at my little pleasantly about
the Prodigal Son. and said Indeed" so cannot
tell you what Bible character you remind me Of
but if you WIFI refer to the % chapter of Numbers
and the 30th verse, you will find the gentleman
there speaking resembles you most strikingly.
and the position he found himself in, represents
the position in which you have allowed the
friends of your candidate to place you in this
matter. The above reference to the Scripture is
intended only for your own enlightment and not
for that of your readers for they already know
about it.
In conclusion. 1 beg you to at once announce
your intention OF being candidate for the legis-
ature. II as you say you do not wish to continue
the newspaper controversy further. at least an
nounce your candidacy and we will let the mat
ter rest until such time as may be proper for us
to go on the stump where we can discuss the
issues from Belle Haven to the Maryland line and
back again. or vice versa as may suit your con-
venience. AS to continuing the newspaper con-
troversy, will try to answer you as long as you
attack me, and will print my replies.
am also sending a copy of this to the old re
liable Enterprise" for publication.
Yours very candidly,