The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-04-30
MIR. PUGH AFTER
SOLDIERS NOW
Has am "Impelling Passion, But
1t Looks Like Bunk

Hon. G. Royden Pugh, former RepuD-
lican campaign manager for this state,
has designs upon ex-soldiers as well as
upon the Negroes and textile mill hands
This newspaper recently exposed Mr..
Pugh's plans to secretly organize 1900
Negro voters in North Carolina in the.
interest of Republican success In. the
November election This newspaper al
SO gave to the public Mr.. Pugh's boast
that one check of $4,000 had been con-
tributed to effect an organization of tex
tile workers for the Republicans. But
it seems that the full measure OF Mrs
Pugh's ambition and scheming has not
been taken. This newspaper presents
herewith a copy of a letter sent out last
week by Mr.. Pugh to ex-service men IN
this district. Read:
REPUBLICAN STATE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
Once of First District Committeeman
c. r. Pugh
Elizabeth City, NJ. C.
April %, 1920
Dear Sir
Even though in the service last spring
you must pay your poll tax for 1919 be-
| IOFG you CdH tUIc, diiu tHS mus VIC uo"S
before May ist.
Advantage was taken of your absence
under the Absentee Voters Act. while
| you were in the service of your country
and you now have an opportunity to re-
pudiate such base ingratitude.
am taking IT upon myself to addres:
this to every soldier in the fourteen
counties of the First Congressional Dis
triet And I am not so much concerned
what ticket you vote, as that you pa,
your poll tax andsyote your convictions
The 100000 soldiers of this country
as indeed the nearly 5000 from this Dis
triet can "set the hair'' on the pie eoun
ter politicians, if you take notion.
- 1t lis syou, ykIaos can. aforeyer hurry tn
fellow i'm either party, who is Demo
erat or Republican for what he ca
get out of it. am not candidate fo
any office, but an humble citizen with a
impeIIing passion to help clean out som
"bunk' in our country's politics. Th
! challenge now is not "Iess politics bu
more people in politics for what the
can put into it than for what they ca
!. get out Of it."
shall assist you in whatever way
can to correct such evils in our politie
Paw your poll tax before May ist, an
s vote in November.
D Yours truly,
S C. r. PUGH.
P. S. Spread this poll tax news to yol
}, neighbor.
q Needless to say, Mr.. Pugh has go1
e Iyo1 in iSr1 late
: passion Men who we're in the servi
S at the time of tax listing in 1919 will n
It be required to pay poll tax in order
r vote this year. Attorney General Ma
II ming has so ruled.
e The Washington, On. c. Daily Ne'
II carries the following comment on Pugf
letter to the soldiers:-
n Considerable indignation is being e
IF pressed locally over a circular le
t. ter sent out recently over the name
! c. r. Pugh, Republican, of Elizabe
10 City. advising ex-soldiers regarding t
payment of poll tax for 1919 in order
=, permit them to vote at the coming ele
tiOnS
lg The opening paragraph of the lett
w reads as follows:
ed Even though in the service last
ul spring you must pay your poll tax
for 1919 before you can vote and
this must be done before May lst'
s1That statement is absolutely witho
at foundation said Lindsay c. W.
al rem, when asked this afternoon concel
er ing the matter "It is gross misrep
Ii sentation and none of the ex-serv
7i'' men should pay any attention to it y
n Captain Wiley G. Rodman, when
In terviewed on the subject this mornl
er said:
o+ 1.-THE statement is untrue. If n
10" we're in the service while taxes w
being listed last Spring they do not ha
to pay the 1919 poll tax. Personally
have been with several boys to the sh
ifs Office and have had their tax
funded"
~ Pugh's object in sending out any 81
~ letter is a puzzle, unless it is lnten'
as slam on the Democratic pal
NO However, it is hard to understand b
any such statement could be given
! if it is positively untrue and can ea
be proved to be such.
ler LINOTYPE PRINTING
um The job printing department of
newspaper has the newest and best III
Au- type equipment in this city and can