The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-08-17

.-..s .he 9Th instant. wiih refer
., the antitrust record Of Gov
-.. E.ca.u. calls for a reply
.-a1 To.
his letter Judge Manning says:
IT, G#dcxell misunderstood Gov
~,- K..galn or has forgotten con-
-.-..ar which he repeats in his let
-- have neither forgotten the
---c-sat.on With Governor Kitchin.
.--4td nlsundcrstand him. 1t will
-.raEIrd By those who read my let
to Mr. Lockhart that / stated shat
c.gcrnor Kitchin in a conversation
zen NE told me that he approved OF
49,. Manning substitute offered for
.Ac Lockhart bill in the Senate in
1903.
TDasmuch as Judge Manning was
~. present when Governor Kitchin
md I had the conversation referred
~ he Is not a competent witness as
~ what transpired between US, and
The fact that the butts in" to tell
The public that misunderstood Gov
a-nor Kitchin or had forgotten the
conversation" shows that his entry
into the controversy is the result Of
his zeal rather than his judgment. He
begins his article by expressing regret
that my letter has drawn me (him)
into this attack upon the Governors
record" etc Inasmuch as | said that
Governor Kitchin told me a converse
ton between Governor Kitchin and
myself that he approved of the Man
ming substitute and inasmuch as
Judge Manning, who was not present
at the time says that when the Cover
nor read the Manning substitute he
"refrained from expressing any opin-
ion about it," and il this raises any
question OF veracity at all, it is be-
tween Judge Manning and the Cover
nor and certainly raises none between
Judge Manning and myself. Judge
Mannngs statement does not help
the Governors case at all, for while |
said that Governor Kitchin told HE
he approved of the substitute, Judge
Manning said that he 'refrained
it" when it was read to him. The
point is: That Governor Kitchin did
not try to get any better bill in 1909
than the Manning substitute. and
that is shown by Judge Manning's
statement, as we'll as by mine.
| take it for granted that Judge
Manning's letter was written after he
had conference with the Governor,
as it was stated in the newspapers
that Mr.. Manning and some other
close friends and advisers of the Gov
ernor were in Raleigh few days be-
fore Judge Manning's letter was writ
ten.
Governor Kitchin did not deny the
conversation, and inasmuch as Judge
Manning is without knowledge as to
what conversation Governor Kitchin
and | had, his testimony is purely
heresay, and my statement as to what
mains unchallenged except by Judge
Manning, who was not present at the
time. | hardly think, in view Of
these facts, that it is necessary for
me to corrobrate my statement. II it
were necessary l could do so, for,
feeling discouraged on account Of the
Governors evident change Of atti-
tude about the trust question, l re-
peated, on the next day after the
conversation with the Governor, what
q hnH coi1 fo To
tlemen.
l did not tell Mr.. Lockhart about
it, and l do not know who did, and
up to the time received his letter in
curing about the conversation it had
not been my purpose to give any
publicity to it, but when l received
Mr.. LOckhart's letter asking about it,
L felt that | was justified in telling
him what occurred, as it was not a
confidential communication from the
Governor, and was substantially in
accord with his campaign speeches
IN 1910 defending the Blow-Bassett
substitute enacted into law by the
Legislature of 1909.
into a newspaper controversy, l have
no apologies to offer for disclosing
the fact that the Governor told me
that he was in accord with the Man
ming substitute. The Governors state
ment to me corresponds with many
things that the Governor has said and
done with regard to antitrust. legis-
latlon. To start with, the Kitchin in
huence at the Charlotte convention
IN 1908 was against any strong dec
laration in the platform on the trust
question. 1t was common talk at that
convention that after Governor Kitch-
IN had appealed to the progressive
element Of the Democratic party to
nominate him for Governor and had
secured the support of a large part
VI that element by his aggressive
campaigning, and by publicly endors-
ing in his speeches every act of men