Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1911-08-11
]. S. B. THOMPSON DENISE
CHARGE OF CORRUPTION.
Indignantly Brands yellow Dog
Fund Story as False.

uuUb AllotISiy - Nha~s0 =
Fund Story as False.
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
New York. Aug. 5.-After pleas
ant trip abroad, ]. S. B. Thompson,
Atlanta, Ca. with his wife and MISS
Eliza E. Thompson. again is in Amer
Ca, having arrived aboard the LUIS
|iania. The sturdy virginian, for
such he is, with hair now gray, smiled
as he greeted The Times-Dispatch
correspondent. but when the purport
of the correspondents mission dawn
edsupon him, his veins, through which
courses Southern blood stood like
whipcords, and it was with difficulty
that he retained his composure. He
was shown recent publications thai
attributed to him the handling OF a
s.yellow dog'' fund some years ago
in Virginia. His face, tanned by a
sea voyage and ten weeks sojonrn IN
England, Scotland and France, was
truly study. Flushed with indigna'
ton and with bosom swelling with
repressed wrath, Mr.. Thompson slow
| " read the articles now being printed
| in the campaign of Congressman
William A. Jones against Senator
Thomas s. Martin.
NO "YELLow DoG'' FUND.
When he had finished Mr.. Thomp-
son paused as if to catch his breath,
,, and then. looking at the correspon'
dent, began.
ST am not citizen of Virginia
now, and prefer not to be brought
| into this matter. On the face OF these
letters. which are construed as having
reference to yellow dog fund, Will
say that the State legislature thresheo
this matter out. was witness be-
fore its commit tee, and its report and
the Legislatures action is matter Of
record.
ssThis question was settled then.
There was no yellow dog or corrup-
ton fund, as is charged. AS q mat
ter of course, I did solicit and con-
tribute to the campaign fund, and, SC
| far as l know, every dollar was spent
legitimately and With the knowledge
of the campaign committee. l glory
| in being able to say this. There was
40 corruption of which 7 was aware
81 am: charged with having conduc'
ted this yellow dog fund in 1891. Al
that time the late Senator Barbour,
my uncle, was in the Senate, and
Martins campaign was not even
thought of. In 1898 the Legislature,
composed of young Virginians, elect
ed MIR. Martin, after the death OF my
| uncle.
STOLEN FROM HIS FILES.
soThe letters about which you ask
purport to have been written in 1891,
now twenty years ago. and, OF course
l have no independent memory o
them. have no reason to suppose
however, that did not write them. l
they are copies, as l understand the.
are said to he, they were stolen iron
my letter files.
AFTER this locg lapse of years it il
impossible for me to recall in detail
all the circumstances under which tn
'e.ters were written; out it is eviden
lfrom the reports in the newspaper
that an effort is being made to dis
tort their meaning and to put an In
depreciation upon them entirely un
justified by the facts.
"For example, it is claimed tina
these letters show that a yellow dog
fund had been provided by the rail
roads and that Senator Martin wa
one of the railroad agents for the dis
bursement of this fund. This is, o
Fcourse, intended to make on tn
fpL bile mind the impression that tn
railroads had subscribed and were
Iuslng q corruption fund.
s'Such q statement is absOlute],
false. There was no yellow dog O
corruption fund, SO far as l eve
heard or believe. Virginia has, il
Imy belief, always been free from AN.
Isuch corruption, and does not de
serve this stigma. Certainly, SO fal
las an attempt is made to link m.
name With any such fund, | indignant
~ repudiate it and denounce IT a
false.
1.-THE letters, in so far as they re
late to money, have reference to tn
Icampaign funds contributed by tn
railroads or by their owners and b.
men of means generally to the Demo
cratic party of the State. Such con
tributions we're unquestionably made
and were made, at the earnest soiici
ia ion of the Democratic managers
| DIFFERENT ISSUE THEN.
"The issues, then, were not between
1.-The railroads Of the property int r
tests, on the one side, and the people
lon the other, but were between Anglo
Saxon civilization, represented by tn
Democratic party, and negro DONNA
ton, represented by its opponents.
"Under these circumstances ap
peals were made to the railroads an,
others capable of contributing to he'll
sustain the Democratic party an,
Anglo-Saxton civilization, and tn
plea was presented that from tn
Democratic party alone could Law
and order and just treatment of tn,
property interests be expected.
st was in answer to this plea o
of the Dem ocratic managers thai
therse contributions we're made, and
l actively participated with Mr.
Ellyson, the Democratic chairman
and with others, including Mr.. Mar
tin, who at the time was the most ac.
tive member of the Democratic Com
mittee, IN raising the necessary funds.
Contributions of the kind mention