The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-17
avs Published State
ms hts Have No Semb-
lance Of Truth.
DIRECT ISSUE
OF VERACITY
Former Governor Criticizes State
Chairman for Not Remaining
Neutral in the Present Con-
test-Discusses Campaigns
in Which He Was
a Candidate.

Issues of veracity are raised by for.
mer Governor 4. j. Montague. in an
Interview given out b. him yesterday
in reply to a recent statement from
Lieutenant Governor J. Taylor Ellyson.
Mr.. Montague denies that he said dur
in the campaign of 1901. when he
was a candidate for Governor. that
the railroads ought to help" and en-
phas!zes this by affirming that each
and every word OF 1t (AIr. Ellyson J
stGtemenD is without the semblance
OF truth" He also denies using the
language attributed to him by Mr..
Eiiyson regarding the campaign con-
tribution of Captain Joseph E. Willard.
Mr.. Montague reviews briefly his
own record and his own campaigns
so far as railroad contributions are
concerned. He concludes by crticiz-
ing Mr.. Ellyson. chairman of the party.
for taking sides in the present contest.
denominating his position as "at once
inexchsable and disgraceful."
Confesses Machine.
The interview is as follows:
Mr.. Ellyson says that have made
complaint against her (Virginia'sl
he at once proceeds to substitute the
Democratic party for the State. and
then the present party mana cement
for the party Itself. 1t is this in
defensible substitution OF the party
management for the party and the
State that honest Democrats resent;
and Il is this very substitution. this
making the organization. the servant
greater than its master. the party. that
constitutes the machine. SO Mr.. Ely
sons shameless substitution in itself
confesses the existence OF the ma
chine.
HE next contends that inasmuch
as | have held Office for twelve years
/ should not criticize this machine
Here ne and again differ; for be-
Neve that though one has held one
he is not deprived of his right of
criticism OF his party or It's manage
ment. 1 have never treated public
office as a bride to secure my silence.
Oppose by Machine.
TT is true that was United States
district attorney for a little over four
years under appointments by Prest-
dent Cleveland and Chief Justice
Fuller, respectively. The machine did
subsequently nominated for Attorney
Geeral and the goyernorship; but 1
ina CINE that no candid or informed man
in Virginia believes that these nomina-
tons We're accomplished or dictated
by the present party management or
the machine. In fact l met the covert
and cunning opposition of the ma
chine at every stage of my campaign.
But Mr.. Ellyson gratuitously adds
that I held appointments under Re-
publican administrations for two
years intending thereby to impeach
my party loyalty. 1 served as one OF
six delegates OF the United States to
the Pan-American Conference at Rio
in 1906. lasting four weeks: and 7
served one OF four American dele
gates to the international Conference
on Maritime Law at Brussels in the
fall OF 1909 and 1910, the two sessions
consuming about four weeks. Thus
two months and not two years were
employed by me under these two non
partisan appointments made by Presi-
dents Roosevelt and Taft respectively.
and without my knowledge or that
OF any friend of mine, so far as I
know. Hut the grievance of Mr.. Ely
son now seems to be that these two
appointments were rendered to me in
stead Of to a machine man And does
not this sustain my argument that the
machine endeavors always to malign
any free Democrat who NAV hold Of
nee or appointment? But it is known
that the machine has presented ma
chine Democrats to the President for
high positions. Did these machine
recommendations make Republicans OF
these Democrats considered or named
by the President? Mr.. Ellyson's con-
tention implies that OF two appotnt
ments made by Republican admin.
istration. the machine man is a Demo-
crat. and the anti-machine Democrat
rs Republican. Consistency and
truth lie outside of the pathway ~
the machine.
Campaign Funds,
But Mr.. Eliyson beclouds the issue:
It Is not the raising, but the distribu-
ton. OF campaign contributions for the
years OF 1891 and 1893; 1t was the
private and secret distribution 81
FUNDS by Mr.. Thompson and others 10
caholeates Tor the Legislature. and to
persons after those candidates were
elected. that makes the Issue.
Ana In connection with this issu.
stated at stanton that such unoficial
and private distributions OF money In
1891 and 1899. were not justified nv
the present clamor of white sunrep-
acy,' and ] cited General Fttz Lee nc
favoring white supremacy as much
as any man. living or dead. and that
he resented these secret and sinister
contributions by Mr.. Thompson and
others. made no mention of Mr.
Ellyson in this connection. and WHY
should he now come forward to defend
these private distributions? Does he
not thereby again confirm my con-
tention that the machine is practically
the attorney or partisan agent of un-
fair methods?
MIR. Ellyson next demands that
these candidates who received these
private and unofficial contributions
should be named; indeed. he declares
that not to do so IS as cowardly as
tc al IQ,tf x,,l
these men except those who paid tho
money! The cruelty and cowardlca