The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-10-01
PUGH REVERSES HIMSELF
WHEN PUT ON HIS OATH
Told Pasquotank Follower of $4,000 Check to Be
Used In N. C. Campaign Tells y. S. Senate
Committee He Knew Nothing About 1t
SAUNDERS SAYS PUGH LIED
BY w. o. SAUNDERS

by W. u. SAONDERS
Clarence r. Pugh, of Elizabeth City,
M. c., testified before the Senate
Campaign expenditures Investigating
Committee in Washington, Saturday,
Sept. IS, that he had talked in New
York with Chairman VIII Hays of
the Republican National Committee
about work among textile workers in
North Carolina, but denied any kpoW-
: ledge of reported $4,000 contribu-
tion frem a "weaitfy cotton mill own
err =
''About all mentioned to Mr..
Hays declared Mr.. Pugh, concern
ed the textile workers. saw no
check, no amount of money was men
toned and ! did not talk to any
wealthy man. The witness in a state
ment which he read referred to the
charges as "rot" and declared, there
was nothing to this except row
which grows quadreniaIly in the South.
81 had to buy newspaper to pro-
teet myself" Mr.. Pugh told the COM
mittee. "There has been plenty of
interesting news matter printed in {
Hiy -tOMH dUUuI anu I6A.
tile speech was accused of making. !
The foregoing is taken from an As
sociated Press report of Mr.. Pugh's ap-
pearance before the Senate inVestigat-
ing committee. Mr.. Pugh was summon
red to Washington upon Information
furnished tn Senate Committee by the
writer and editor of this newspaper
last Friday.
Mr.. Pugh told the Committee exactly
what I thought he would tell them. /
believe he told the truth. He wasson
oath and had to tell the truth or com
NIT jerjury Before the nation.
But the point is this: if he told the
/ truth under bath in Washington last
Saturday, then Mr.. Pugh told delibe
rate, bold, bald-faced lie on Feb. p,
| 1920 when, addressing the Republicans
i in convention in Pasquotank county, he
said:-
/ "if the present plans of the Repuh-
Iiean Organization i'm North Carolina
4 are carried out at Greensboro on
Marchs3, 1920, the time when we hold
i our State Convention, we will have a
4 splendid opportunity to carry the
i State; - 4 have gnne over. OUR plans
: thoroughly with Mr.. Will n. Hays,
Chairman of the National Committee,
and we have thorough understand
ing. There are two things which I
wish to call attention to as prophetic
of Republican success this fine. First,
there is vast multitude of textile
workers in North Carolina which we
must organize. On February 9th last
I was in conference with Will n.
Hays and suggested to him the de-
STABILITY of organizing these textile
workers. Instantly he agreed with me
that it was a fine thing to do, took
me in his automobile and in less than
five minutes we were in the Office of
a man who owns a chain of cotton
mills in North Carolina, and when
Mr.IHays explained the purpose of
\ his-visit this man, (Whose name
8 will not caID turned to his desk, wrote
/>Mr, Hays a check for $4,000, gave
n him the names of the superinten-
+ dents of his mills in North Carolina,
n and told him to use the money in or
ganizing the textile workers, and to
get busy"
:, Mr.. Fugh made the foregoing state
: ment in the courthouse in Elizabeth Cit!
on Saturday, Feb. q, 1920 and hi
speech was reported in a subsequen
> issue of THE INDEPENDENT.
have yet to see from him a denial tha
; he made that statement or an affidavi
= from anyone who will say that he dit
& not make that statement.
I Thought Pugh was lying when h
made that speech. Posing as youn
! Moses who is trying to lead North Car
olina out of a Democratic wilderness
II into a Republican promised land,
: thought North Carolinians both Demo
y Gratis and Republicans should know 'thei
y disappointed Moses. Senator Reed
= Committee investigating campaign ex
sought for.
If Pugh and Viii Hays got chee
NJ for $50, 600 to organize the textile work
ers of North Carolina in the interest Q
Republican success, the country ough
to know about it.
If Pug was only, lying and throwing bu
a at lot of his unsophisticated Republ
at can followers in Pasquotank, then hi
r friends here ought to know the trut
,g and know how to discount his promise
rs and statements in future. / have az
IN complished what set<out to do / hav
+ forced Pugh to tell what I believe tn
th truth and compelled him to stand cor
d. fessed liar. before his Pasquotank- TO
be lowers.
n The word lie is an ugly word an
IS. should be used advisedly. use it he1
isl because Mr.. Pugh is> a lawyer and know
-e the word is actionable. He can sue n
S for libel in the courts. Of North Car,
no lima and make me prove that >he h.
ho lied or make me pay the penalty if
ng fail to produce the proof. I am reat
an to go into any court Of law before al
he Jury of honorable citizens and prove tt
by charge that I have made against NJ
ia Pugh. Pugh told his Republican followe
,w that Will Hays got that check for SO
MT 600. I. NJ. Meekins Jarvis Seeley,
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