Year: 1879

FELLOW CITIzENs: We have fal- len upon times of corruption and venality SO common and so great that when charge ot the kind is made. or even insinna.cd, the public at once become suspicious; and, perhaps, many of us are prone to be lieve all such charges true unless they are positively denounced.

 Such charges are published by some, and repeated or insinuated by others, to the effect that certain newspapers that have recently come out in favor of my election to the United States senate, HAVE BEEN BOUGHT UP. If it has not been directly alleged that 1 am the guilty purcha scr, it is very plain to the public that the charges so made are intend ed to be so understood. This is not the first time in the contest l have had to meet charges derogatory to my standing among men. l have hitherto maintained my temper and shall endeavor to do so still.

 There are ten or dozen of us. all mortal, who are spoken of for the senate. seven at least of us being avowed candidates, with our acts. records and daily lives exposed to review and the severest criticism, am now accused of buying up and corrupting the public press! Whyis it that 1 am EXCLUSIVELY the object of such attacks?

 Fellow citizens: I am the only man before you whom the papers so attack. I have lived in political strife a good long life above such re- proach, and at times when thought myself under straits more trying than I think them now, l had not intended to reply to or notice this charge, but some of my friends think 1 ought, and it occurs to me too that It is but justice to my friends of the press who have been subject ed to this slanderous system of bull dozing, despised by all honorable men, that I should. This therefore, IS my apology for writing this letter.

 In reply to the charge, l now state that in NO CASE have 1 sUBsl- DYED TO MY SUPPORT, by money or promises of it, or by any other cor rupt means, any one or more of the public press of Arkansas, nor have attempted to bribe any individual in any manner, to get his support or assistance in this contest, and l brand the charge that l have done so, as falsehood. I make the denial broad and positively.

 If any one has any proofs let him produce them.

 R. W. JOHNSON.

 In justice to our distinguished fel low citizen, Col. Johnson, we repro duce the above letter which we find in the Daily Gazette of the 18th ult. With all due respect for Col John sons sagacity and defference for his "ExPERIENcE," we must be allowed to say that it is very foolish thing for that gentleman to rush into print to deny these charges in the style he has done; e;-making the occasion a mere pretex. to present himself to the pubic as an EXCLUSIVELY and sorely PERsECUTEp man. It cannot be that Col. Johnson wants the suf frage of his people through sympa- thy. and as that IS the oply tendency of his letter, we fail to see the need for any such document from him.

 As far his denial that HE in PERSON is guilty of buying up any of the State press is concerned, that amounts to pothing. No one with a thimhleful of common sense would suppose that as shrewd a man as he would do the like. But that certain papers have Topped over under cir cumstances which warrant grave suspicious of being BOUGHT UP in his interest by SOME oNE-this tact, we say, still remains.

 Who the SOME ONE is, we shall not try to guess, but we do Col. Johnson the justice to say that we do not be lieye it was him.