Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1922-03-03
G. O. P. Ex.Soldier
Also Kicked Out
From News and Observer Of March 81

Washington, March 2.-EX.
service men Of both the Republi.
can and Democratic parties are
being kicked aside by the Repub.
lican national administration in
order to reward local Republican
ward heelers. North Carolina
has afforded quite a number OF
cases where the Democratic ex.
service man was thrown to one
side by Republican National Com.
mitteeman Morehead's orders,
and now comes a very glaring
and outrageous case in which q
Republican ex-service man gets
the kicking, this being in the
case Of the Postmastership al
Rosemary, Halifax County.
In this case the ex-service man
who has made the highest grade
is David P. Wike, a lifelong Re-
publican, who fought gallantly in
the American Army overseas.
This ex-service Republican, Mr..
Wike, has the support of practi.
cally every Democratic patron
of the postoffice at Rosemary,
Congressman Kitchin having
filed with the Postoffice Depart
ment a petition signed by approx
imately five hundred and fifty
patrons of that office in favor Of
Mr.. Wike. Mr.. Wike also
has filed a petition signed by
ninety eight Of the one hundred
and forty Republican voters of
the township. Notwithstanding
these facts the Republican boss
and referee for North Carolina,
John M. Morehead, has endorsed
for this appointment one John l..
Vest, who, it is claimed, is not
even a citizen Of Rosemary, be-
ing only an occasional visitor
there, having spent a few days
in Rosemary now and then for
about four or five years. The
citizens of Rosemary allege that
this man Vest first went to Rose
mary with a camera years ago,
and walked the streets drumming
for pictures. They say that he
then peddled fountain pens for
a while, and that for the last sew
eral months he has been peddling
hosiery from house to house in
Rosemary and other nearby
towns. The citizens claim also
that Vest did not list taxes or
pay taxes in Halifax county for
the year 1920, and that he was
rarely seen in Rosemary during
the year, and from all accounts
that he was in some kind of auto
mobile tire business in some
other part of the State.
On the contrary, the Republi-
can ex-service man, Mr.. Wike, is
reported a useful citizen, one of
the leading young men of Rose
mary. Republicans and Demo-
Gratis alike are protesting very
bitterly against the proposed ap-
pointment of the itinerant ped
dler, Mr.. Vest. The Republican
ex-service man having made the
highest grade on the examination,
has appealed at last to Senator
Simmons and Congressman
Kitchin for help, after being
turned down by the state referee
uf the Republican party, to which
he has belonged all his life. All
the foreign facts were presented
to Republican Referee Morehead
by Mr.. Wike and his friends and
there will be much interest in two
letters in the case, one from Mr..
Morehead to the ex.service man,
and one from Mr.. Morehead to
First Assistant Postmaster Gene
raj Work, recommending the ap-
pointment of the itinerant ped
dler Vest for postmaster at Rose
mary.
Writing to Mr.. Wike under
date February27 Mr.. Morehead
says in part: ,
''Iregret that the decision of
your committee is adverse to your
interest. but the official recon-
mendation is dictated by the
majority endorsementof the local
county Republican committee" +"
On the same date Mr.. Morehead
wrote to First Assistant Post
master General Work:
Replying to your letter of the
10Th ultimo, initiated B. p, with
reference to the postoffice at
Rosemary, N. G., | respectfully
recommend the appointment OF
John L. Vest"
&Mr. Wike and his friends are
naturally indignant at the treat
ment given him. In this. matter
a quotation from a letter written
by this ex-service Republican is
very illuminating as showing the
attitude Of the Republican county
committee of Halifax county to.
wards the ex-service man, the
quotation reading;
Il also asked this committee il
they cared to give an ex-soldiel
who was also n Republican any