The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-11

son, or persons before any ieTislativa
| nooy TOR compensation or without COM
pehsatIon. /. of course, do not remem-
per the letter purporting to have been
Wrltten by Mr.. j. S. E. Thompson to
De on the 2Sih day Of September. 1891.
question its authenticity.
In 1891 Mr.. John S. Barbour Wa.
liNlng and was member of the
senate was not in public life nor
contemplating any candidacy for the
senate or for any other office. / was
taxing, and had for many years taken
a very active part in the conduct Of
the democratic campaigns in vtr-
! elnia- bestowfng a great deal OF tina
ana iaoor' and such contributions of
money as / was able to make, to
accomplish success and maintain the
Poiitical supremacy OF the white
people in the State. At that time the
franchise not have been taken from
/ the nsgroes,. they constituted Il COM
scant menace and our camnaigns
We're exceedingly difficult and expen.
slVe. AS member of the Democratic
| committee, / was in the habit OF
/ assisting Mr.. Ellyson. the chairman
or the state committee, not only in
the conduct of the campaigns, but
III raising the necessary money for
campaign purposes. | solicited money
from the managers of railroads and
from other men of wealth. who like
the railroad managers, were interest
ed in the prosperity and good order
of the State, and in preventing negro
ascanfianoy, which ALI know would be
destructive of property right as well
as of our civilization.
Went to Campaign Fund
7
and others from time to time made
! contributions or assisted In raising
funds. Every dollar contributed by
them, including the eight hundred
/ dollars mentioned In Mr.. Thompson'A
| letter of September IS, 1891, or
realized from any source was SO far
as have any knowledge or con-
nection with the same disposed Of In
the interest OF the Democratic party
and not one dollar was intended to
be used. or was given to be used or
was in fact used, in the interest Of
| the railroads or other corporations
They were asked to contribute to
the Democratic party and the money
contributed was contributed for that
purpose and used for that purpose
alone.
The railroad interests did not con.
Germ me, anu L never at any tlIx1Du
/ in Any way, represented them In any
legislative matter. Several OF the
letters I have no doubt referred to
the candidacy of Mr.. r. H.\ Card
Well for the position OF Speaker OF
the House of Delegates. In which
was much interested, as he had been
for many years one OF my closest and
most highly esteemed friends. Mr..
Jones in his Lynchburg speech II re.
ported TO have charged me with hav.
! ing been zone OF the disbursing
agents" Of what he terms the yellow
dog fund of the railroads."
I | presume by this he means to
! charge that fund was contributed
by the railroads for corruption pur-
poses. | know of no such fund. The
I only contributions made by the rail-
roads or by railroad men Of which
/ have any knowledge were the con-
| tribusions made by them above stated
at the request of the Democratic man
ayers to the Democratic campaign
fund. / do not think that any DEM
Z ocrat interested in the success or
Democratic policies II the establish
ment Of prosperity and the mainte-
nance of good order among our peo-
pie and in the political supremacy oe
the white race will complain u -
contributions thus collected anA 50
IContinusd q Gsesn1 51GS7 q.
y