Newport daily independent., 1913-06-10
SAYS BRUND|DGE'S
 RECORD |S CLEAN
JUDGE GEORGE SHELBY OF LON OkE COUNTY WRITES OF
 CANDIDATE.
DID DUTY AS PROSECUTOR
Discharged Duty Faithfully in That Office as Well as When Member
 of Congress.

Tie following letter, relating to the candidacy of Stephen Brundidge TOT governor, was written by Judge George Sibly, a prominent lawyer of Lonoke, to the editor of the England Courier and was published in the Lonoke Dem ocrat.
 Lonoke. Ark, May 10, 1913. Editor England Courier:
 Dear Sir:-In your paper of May 2d you devote about half page in dls- arrangement of Mr. Brundidge, begin ming with a reprint of an article from the Kensett Keynote, in which you say he was repudiated by his home county and that:
 Tt is a mystery why the people of Arkansas would support man who has been repudated by his own county who, not only know his everyday life but associations as we'll As We sald last week it would be we'll for the people of this state to fairly acqualnt themselves with MT. Brundidge's past history as a man, whether when he was prosecuting attorney of this dls' trict he conducted his office for per sonal gain and for the interest of the court house ring. If the people desire any information about him or his record let them ask the people of his home county who repudiated him in the last election"
 You also invite investigation of his course in congress. Now 1t occurs to me that the first thing to inquire into is the reliability or standing of the author of your quotation. Who is the Kensett Keynote? How long has it existed in White county and by whom owned and edited? You know he once had charge of a paper in this county at Cabot.
 But assuming it to have been re- putable paper of established charac- ter and owned and edited by some firstclass newspaper man of like es- tablished reputation and full knoWl- edge of the people of White county and their political history. Let us first ask how long has the writer been among the people to enable him to speak for them? What would be the answer?
 I have known Mr. Brundidge for many, many years and great many of the best people of White county for tine past forty years. MT. Brundidge was a brick-mason's son and in his youth helped his father burn them and carried them in hod up ladder to be laid in the wall Did you or the author you quote ever in your early days get your bread by the sweat of your brow" as he did? It was his unusual brightness and good qualities as a boy and young man that prompted Coody & McRae. firm of eminent lawyers, to take him in charge to fit him to practice law. Can you say that for such reasons such men as Coody & McRae ever were so impressed with the writer in ths Kensett Keynote?
 knew him we'll as prosecuting at- torney-ate and roomed with him in several of the counties in his district and was opposed to or associated with him in many criminal cases, and to my certain personal knowledge he was . clean, honest prosecutor. He neither favored friends nor oppressed foes in the discharge of his duties. He not only discharged his duty honestly and faithfully as he saw it, and he had the energy and ability to properly and fully see it, and was always we'll pre- pared with knowledge of the facts to discharge that duty.
 As congressman he gained a high standing in the house among it's mem- bers, and was senior on his side of the most important committees of the house. As member of congress, his services resulted in more benefit to his district than that of any member before or after him. He secured more for his constituents, more valuable i'm, provements than they are likely to ever obtain again.
 challenge mortal man to specify q derelicition of duty or an unclean Or unprofessional act or word while he was prosecuting attorney or member of congress, with which he is charg. able. If the editor of the Kensett Keynote or any one else of his prompt CTS know of anything to the contrary let them speak it out, for I am not one that will condone wrong in any one.
 In regard to the indorsement or re- pudiation of Brundidge by the people of White county: They have always stood by him when he ran for prose- cutting attorney and congress, and those who knew him longest and best did so for senator, but it is a matter of common knowledge that many peo- pie worshipped Jeff Davis, and for him would sacrifice father or mother, sis ter or brother at the polls, and men who would cheerfully support Brun- didge for anything at any time would not put Jeff Davis aside for anybody or anything at any time. Probably no or dead-had such a holl