The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-09-24
SAWYER FACTION AND
PUGH CLAN IN FUSION
Republicans on County Board of Commissioners
May Be Result of Suspected Deal Between
Mack Sawyer Democrats and Pugh
Republicans

Close observers Of political
,,,ovements in Pasquotank are
beginning to scent a fusion be-
tween the Mack Sawyer divis-
ion Of the Democratic party and
the Clarence Pugh faction of the
Republican party in this county.
# will not surprise those who
1-nov the methods Of these two
iactions to see them divide GER
+a;n sDoils in the November cleo
+;on and the election of two or
more Republican members Of
Board of County Commissioners
Is not a remote possibility. It
is pointed out shat the Mack
SAWYER faction in the Democra-
tic party will gladly swap a cou-
Dle Of seats on the Board of
Commissioners in consideration
ST certain favors from the Pugh
Repub1icans. With a slush fund
OF S15.OOO,OOO the Republicans
know just how to handle the
Mack Sawyer kind, whether in
Pasquotank or elsewhere.
1t is as true as anything political that
the Republican faction represented by
e l.. ~,
Mack Sawyer Democrats. Every one
of the Mack Sawyer clan has had a
hand in keeping Pugh's Republican news
paper going and every one of them
support it. The great raft of legal ad
vertising carried in Pugh's paper and
signed always by G r. Little, Clerk of
the Superior Court, is not placed in
that paper by MR. Little at all, but
is placed by the law firms of Aydlett &
Simpson, Thompson & Wilson and p. G.
Sawyer They leave their names off
these notices so as to throw the pub
lie off the scent and Little is made the
scape goat. 1t isn't the. first time the
same gang has used G. r. Little.
1t is a funny>mx- in Pasquotank
to-day. One who watches things around
corners finds Pugh men closeted with
E. F. Aydlett and Pugh's paper is eter-
nally grinding Aydlett's axe. One of
Pughs emissaries in meantime is busy
with the Negroes and is known to be
in frequent conference with W. A. Brit
ton. and influential, Negro whose Offices
are in the same building with Pugh's pa
per And while these strange bed fellows
are fondling each other under cover Mr..
Pugh sends out letters to Influential
white women in the city and county Of
fering them places on the Republican
Executive Committee. Pugh even had
the effronetery to write one prominent
woman and ask her to help him organ
ize the women. The good woman said
"Organizing Negro women to vote the
Republican ticket isn't in my line" She
had in mind Pugh's late scheme to round
up all the Negro votes and secretly vote
them in tie forthcoming election.
The idea of a fusion with the Re
publicanS is not new with the Mack
SaWyer gang. Old man Mack Sawyer
entered into a written contract with d.
.. Newberry, the Republican Collector
Of Customs in Elizabeth City, as far
back as 1911, in anticipation of just
such a fusion. And that contract was
witnessed by a Democratic lawyer, Hon.
J. &. Leigh. whose name appears on it
as attorney. Mr.. Leigh may not have
known what was in the wind at the time.
There are some witnesses who do know.
Old man Mack used to be a Republi-
can. He got out of the Republican
party when he saw the Republicans
losing out. and has been riding the Dem
ocratlc band wagon ever since; but ever
ready to shift back to his old love when
1t looks like things will come the way
Of the Republicans. Old man Mack
has ben expecting the Republicans to
come back for the last ten years and has
been waiting for it, ready to make a deal
In time to get in on the spoils. He be-
calne a Democrat only when he moved
to Elizabeth City about % years ago
and found the W. G. T. q. demanding
that the Democratic party nominate
church members for the Board of AL
dermen. The whiskey ring in Elizabeth
CIty picked old man Mack up and ran
him for the Board of Aldermen be-
cause he qualified as a church member
He was supported by the bar rooms
then and the blind tigers and bootleg
gers Of Matthew'S street who succeeded
the open bar are still for Mack.
Watch the workings of the fusionists
In the present campaign. You will see
some strange goings on. You will also
See much evidence that the Republicans
IN Pasquotank are batting every crook
fd Democrat with that reputed $15,OOO,-
oob slush fund.