Year: 1869

Mr.. Cate to the Banner, also letter


from A. G.. Tharpe to j. A. James.


only read you these, he said, to show you


to what depths of infamy men can be led


who would attempt to deceive other


fellow.citizens. General Stokes and !


had been in the same party with Mr..


Cate, and he, like an Indian, was follow


ing me, stabbing me in the back, yet at


my face friend. What, this bald eagle


from the mountain-this proud emblem


of the people of the United States-stoop-


ing from his lofty eyrie in secret conclave


with the grizzly wolf of Hamilton, to stab


q man in his back whom he feared to


meet face to face


My competitor says he was in Congress


and had my disabilities removed He


did not have it done. My competitor


never had the manhood to do thing


which he thought was right unless he


thought it popular. Never did he enun-


ciate principle in his whole legislative
course unless he thought it popular. |
want to ask him few questions, and
wish your honest attention. l want to
know from him who removed his disabil-





charges that my disabilities have been
removed, Icharged that hishave neverbeen
removed; that if / am pardoned rebel
and am capable of running for Governor,
that he is an unpardoned rebel and unca-
psble of taking an oath, and / will not
travel outside of his own record to prove
it, but will stick to the text / want to
show you the inconsistencies of this man
in such light that his best friends dare
not deny it. Speaking of the Duncan
letter, Governor Senter said that all the
little boys and girls knew that Stokes
wrote the Duncan letter. They know it
so well that they call him "Duncan-let.
ter Bill"


He then read the document above re-
ferred to and remarked that his compet-
itor (Stokes) had brought into the can
vass private letter. For what purpose2
Was this letter written to contradict
report that was circulating throughout
the country 1t was not written like the
Thornburg and Singletary letter for
campaign document. My competitor
says that "he has been an advocate OF
the Union cause, and commends Gov
ernor Harris for the course he pursued in
resisting Lincoln to the point of the bay
onet.' What, he commends Governor
Harris for that, yet four months before
we find him speaking decidedly to the
contrary, and four months after We see
him commenting Harris in resisting
Lincoln and still acting under con-
gressional oath. Had your God dealt
right with you instead of mercifully, you
would have been an imbecile sitting in
your chair. My competitor said ZEN
rolled my name as volunteer What |
volunteer company was he in ? Now, |
we are getting to the point. | want you
10 tell these people how you got out of |
hat company. You charge that was in |
the rebel Legislature voting bounty
money to old men and young men who
would enlist in the rebel army; voted to
give overcoats and blankets Admit it for
The sake of argument. Ihave never seen
The proof Of it, so l shall not deny or sf-
firm; but if such be the case, as a mem
Der of the rebel company, tell these peo-
pie whether you received your one hun.
lred dollars bounty when you enlisted as
an old man. Laughter. Tell them
whether you got your blanket and over
coat. l will ask you how you got out of
hat company-did you desert Did
you get your one hundred dollars bounty
and run away Were you a bounty
umper2 Were you drummed out for the
rood of the service ? Great applause
Or were you honorably discharged, and
have you got the discharge in your
pocket to show to the people2 Or did
you run against Bob Hstton and get beat 2


A voice: "Oh, God, that's too good to
hold iu."] Ny competitor boasts great
leal about bis military record. he says:
: / had announced myselffor candidate
or Congress, but upon receiving the
proclamation from Mr.. Lincoln / aban-
loHed the Office" He went to Congress
n 1865, aud took the oath that be had
never borne arms against the United
States. Did they have any guns in that
ebel company Did you muster with
bikes, William, or did you just come out
IN dress parade for the grandeur of the
hing aud yet you wrote to John Dun
,an, on May 10, that you never bore arms.
FELL these people whether you told Con-
,ress the truth or not He is in Congress
o-dsy by violation of the law or by per-
ury,


The third section of the fourteenth
.rticle of the Constitution Of the United
,tstes provides that no person shall be Q
senator or Representative in Congress,
II elector of President and Vice Presi-
eut, or hold any Office, civil or military,
nder the United States or under any
tate, who, having previously taken an '
ath as a member of Congress, or az an
fficer of the United States, or as mem,
er Of any State Legislature, or as an
or Judicial officer Of any State, '
D support the Constitution of the United I
tates, shall have engaged in insurrection {
T rebellion against the same, or given Z
id or comfort to the enemies thereof S
iut Congress may, by . vote Of two b
lirds Of each House, remove such disa- d
iliiy. Tell these people when you had r
our disabilities removed. My competi- e
,r claims the votes of some men in an 4
onorAble portion of the State because he b
as q warrior bold during the war; aud &
lat he has right to these mems votes q
ecause be marched under the Gag Of the q