Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1910-09-30
THAT ASTOUNDING
bomb OF MR..
BARNS GILLESPIE
Absurd and Misleading State
ment in Reference to Mr..
Stuart and the Convention

n. uatnan anu barns GillieSple, or
this town, spoke, appeared in the
Blueheld Telegraph, under date of
Sept. Goth:
"Mr. Gillespie made one of the
strongest arguments on the tariff
ever heard in this section. He han
died Mr. Stuart's record without
gloves and while on that subject he
said that few days ago he talked
with the secretary OF that far famed
LeF anon mass meeting which Mr.
Stuart called 10 decide whether the
constitution should be proclaimed or
submitted to the people. The secre-
tary OF the socalled mass meeting
told him there weIe exactly seven
people present and that four OF them
voted for submission of the constitu-
tion to the pepole while three voted
for proclaiming.
This statement almost brought the
audience TO their feet in astonish
ment, as il is also due TO astound
and electrify the entire Ninth dis
Iict. This disclosure made upon
such undoubtable authority will be
the turning point of the cam paign. 4"
Commenting on the above, the
Roanoke Times says, In part:
Certainly IL seems as II a citizen
Of sufficient information and general
comprehension TO be United States
district attorney ought TO know more
than 10 swallow and repeat a story
that Henry Stuart had gone before n
meeting OF seven men in the court
house of his own county. or course
he was told SO ;but ordinary common
sense, il appears 10 us, should have
warned him that IL any such absurd
condition had been possible the facts
would have come forth long ago and
Stuart would not have been fool
enough to suppose the matter would
be suppressed or forgotten.
'Stuart was Informed promptly OF
MI. Gillespie's assertion and as
promptly answered in his speech at
Bristol last night. He denounced as
false the statement made to Mr.. GIL
lespie by the secretary OF the meet
ing, a Mr.. Johnson, once Demo-
crat, now a Republican OF conver-
sion comparatively recent. He as
serted as a fact that the court house
on the occasion alluded TO was filled
with Russell county voters some 800
to 500, and that the vote for submis-
sion of the new constitution was
unanimous. He pledged himself to
secure and publish aflidavits contra
dieting Mr.. johnson directly, gener-
ally, in whole and in detail.
Certainly the Republicans In the
Ninth are reduced to pitifuI straits
when they must resort to this style
OF campaigning. Certainly they
must feel that their candidate is in a
most deplorable hole when they un-
dertake to help him by using such
methods to bIacken the character OF
, the nominee against him.
And, by the way, we wonder II
Mr.. Gillespie took the occasion To
define his own position on the new
constitution. We wonder whether he
agreed with Mr.. Slemp that we are
. better off with the negro voter out OF
politics or whether he contends that
every negro twenty-one years old
should be a voter. We wonder wheth
er he approved the proclamation o.
J the constitution or walled and pro
\ | ho0onOo n
negroes were not given the opppor
5 tunity to defeat it and to retain tn,
negro vote, so long the dearest asse
of the Republican party. We wonde
: whether he proclaimed before the au
dience at Olinger his desire that ne
e gro votes should rule In third o
? the counties Of Virginia and that w
should have negIo representatives. an'
senators making laws for us at Rich
mond, and white men and womel
. going before negro officials, as the,
a must do under Republican rule ii
a West Virginia.
i. 1--WE cannot understand how mel
S who assail Stuart for voting to pro
Il claim the constitution can escape tn
4? confession that il they had been i
n his place they would have don
e what they could to defeat it-a
d most of the Republicans did-an
l. left political power In the hands {
d the negros. Resentment of Stuart
W action is resentment and regret Il
II the banishment OF the negro vot,
Efforts to injure him because OF h
r. course in that matter are efforts
punish man for voting to NAL
Virginia q white mans State
:. 1t is also astounding that o.