Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1913-09-05
Calls MIR. Smvthe's Hand.
Graham, Na., Sept. l 19l;

49, Ns'se''t 0st DNDl' Il
MIR. Editor:
In your last issue of the News
there appeared a letter from H.
nj. Smythe, purporting to be a
reply to my letter appearing in
last weeks issue of hte Graham
Banner, but like the lawyer with
a bad case, and with neither
law nor facts to sustain it, he
astutely attempts to divert at
tentlon from the real issue in
lvolved in order to confuse his
jurors and to prevent due con
sideration of his clients deplor-
able position, but we are living
in an age when every man, who
can read, can learn from his
newspapers and know for him =
self, what, in other times, he
had to depend upon others to
supply, and now relies more up
on his own judgement and con
clusions. So | feel sure Mr..
Smythes calculations have in
no wise clouded the situation.
Now Mr.. Smythe, you assume
too much when you claim your
resolution of "RECOMMENDA-
TlON" of Mr.. Higginbotham
was unanimous. You took pains
to offer that resolution after all
the other work of the mass meet
ing has been completed, when
most of the democrats were on
the outside, having gone and re-
mained there after the adjourn
ment of their District meetings,
and while the remaining ones
were on their feet. tired out and
anxious to leave. When you
finished reading it | arose and
attempted to get recognition
from the Chair, as did many
others, in order to oppose that
resolution, but in the eagerness
of the crowd to get away, moth
ing could be heard except, that
several called cut Let it go il
means merely recommendation
and will not be binding on the
committee, " to which statement
you vouchsafed no denial. When
the vote was put the same men,
who were unable to carry Mr..
Higginbothams election as a
member of the new committee,
from the Jeflersonville District,
shouted q lusty AYE" A great
majority of the democrats did
not oppose the resolution because
they believed it to be az stated,
and as read. simply arecommen-
dation. voted against the re-
solution because / surmised your
real motive in Offering it, but
had no idea you would 90 to the
extreme, and attempt to saddle
upon that meeting, and the new
committee, as a binding obliga-
ton, what only appeared to be a
recommendation. so STATED
IN THE RESOLUTION, but
such are the usual methods for
defeating the majority will of
the party. Mr.. Higginbotham
was nominated and voted for in
the Jeffersonvile District meet
ing for a member of the COM
mittee from that District, but
was defeated by an overwhalm-
ing majority of his own people,
and any effort to thwart the will
of the democracy of that District,
by placing a construction upon
that resolution that the words
cannot sustain, in order to make
him Chairman, is as ungenerous
as it is un-democratic.
Mr.. Smythe further says, that
my tenacity of purpose renders
me as unfit for a politician as
he is for a Bishop. If standing
up and fighting for principle,
for fair play and Il square deal
in party policy and party man
agemcnt, makes a poor politician
then | hope never to aspire to
become a good one, but | do not
pretend to be a politician, am
simply a democrat in The ranks,
and if to be a politician is to
stifle all independence, and simp-
ly to become an automaton, eat
ing the crumbs that will oc
casionally fall from the political
table, whether they be palatable
or digestible, then let me stay in
the ranks, | would prefer to re-