Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1916-08-11
A SQUARE DEAL
Explanations and Corrections in Re-
gard to Last Weeks Write.
Up Relative to Last Weeks
Mass Meeting


in this article to unnecessarily
pick a sore nor stir up strife
We are lovers of peace and har
mony, but maintain that there
can be no enduring peace anC
: harmony unless it is BASED upon
truth and righteousness. We
also wish to assert that we are
,, just as patriotic and loyal as cit
liens of Roanoke Rapids, as any
other man or set of men in the
community. 1t is not our desire
to besmirch anybody's charac-
ter, or do anybody an injustice;
nevertheless, we stand uncom-
promisingly opposed to white
washing" anything that has the
appearance of evil.
In consideration of these SEN
timents we beg to submit a few
explanations and corrections rel
ative to certain things, which we
consider misleading, contained in
the write-up, which appeared in
Nthis paper last week. We wish
to state in the first place that
Officer J. r. Baird was not Eek
onerated by mass meeting" as
stated in last weeks HERALD.
! We do not deny that he was eX-
onerated by the Board Of Com
missioners and some Others, but
it is entirely misleading to say
that the mass meeting exonera-
ted him when it is known by all
that a large number of citizens
present land they were not all
members of the Baptist church,
did not approve Of the way in
which this matter was handled.
None of serious charges
proven" is another misleading
statement appearing in last
weeks HERALD. We maintain
that we proved everything chat
we were supposed to prove, and
then some, and would have
proven more if opportunity had
been given n-but such was out Of
question owing to the fact that
the meeting was stampeded "by
Hon. w. l.. Long at the conclus-
ion of an impas stoned address in
defense of Mr.. Baird" which re-
suited in the meeting being alb
ruptIy broken up without giving
the friends of Mr.. Ham an op-
portuniiy either to vote or reply
to Mr.. Long.
Mr.. Ham, in his mems meet
ing Sunday, July 30th, called fer
all men to stand up who had
taken drinks Of liquor with Chief
Baird: in response to his request
a dozen men stood up. lmmedi-
ately after the meeting the may
or and the commissioners called
upon Mr.. Ham and in very po-
lite and agreeable manner en-
pressed themselves as desirous
of cooperating with Mr.. Ham in
"Cleaning up the Town" The
mass meeting was decided upon,
aud it was understood that Mr.
Ham would furnish the men or
names of men who stood upin the
tent saying that, they had taken
drinks with Mr.. Baird. This was
all that Mr.. Ham was supposed |
0 prove, and he did il; these
charges We're considered serious |
Sunday attertaon by the COM !
m ioner3, but at the mass meet !
ING it was conslt cred a perfectly |
natural thing % d proper G. nduct
for an officer Of the law to dirk
promiscuously. Mr.. Ham, nor
none of his friends. have ever
charged MIR. Baird with htirg .
gambler or running a blind lifer;
the whole charge against the oi--I
&c IN i.t sh II is irsfli
ciency, practically the whoe
card OF Commissioners and the
nr,yor admit this charge.
II VA IL ee, stood that no wit
ii .s would be embarrassed nor
i nliniSter cgiticized at the
nas5 meeting; this promise was
~ sared eutirelt and il is the
inion q mang who attended
{. u1aetiag that tie procedure
ad outcome waS prrconcolt d
d eof acsad. lne whale thing
onk, d like q farce t. many
The reason Mr.. lIim dill not.
attend the meeting was because
he had previous engagement to
speak to women only" he told